Director of Finance

The Buckley School

Sherman Oaks, CA

About The Buckley School

The Buckley School is a dynamic, nurturing, learning community committed to equity and inclusion, and as such, seeks to hire talented employees with diverse backgrounds.

Founded in 1933 by Isabelle Buckley, The Buckley School, a college preparatory school with 830 students, is one of the most respected independent schools in Los Angeles. The talented faculty and administrative team foster a cutting-edge and coordinated educational program that fulfills the school’s mission, Portrait of a Graduate, commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion, and the Buckley Commitment.

The Mission

The Buckley School’s innovative teachers and challenging programs inspire creativity, courage, and collaboration. By promoting a balanced development of mind, body, and character, The Buckley School encourages each student to find joy and meaning in life and make an impact in the world.

For more information on The Buckley School, please visit https://www.buckley.org.

The Opportunity

Renowned for the breadth and depth of its educational offerings, its verdant campus, and its welcoming community spirit, The Buckley School (“Buckley”) is also the oldest K-12 all-gender learning institution in Los Angeles. Buckley is seeking a proactive, collaborative, and mission-driven individual for a newly created role, the Director of Finance. This is an exciting opportunity for a financial leader to join a community of faculty, administration, and staff who are sincerely committed to nurturing and supporting each Buckley student.

Reporting to the Chief Financial and Operating Officer, the Director of Finance will provide strategic oversight for the organization’s core finance and accounting operations within the Business Office, including quality control and staff supervision. The Director of Finance will balance high-level strategic work supporting the Chief Financial and Operating Officer, as well as day-to-day transactional work as needed. This leader supervises all accounting and auditing functions while preparing the monthly financial report package and variance analysis.

This is an ideal opportunity for a seasoned, hands-on, finance professional to bring innovative solutions and a fresh perspective to streamlining and enhancing the finance and accounting function in support of helping Buckley achieve its organizational priorities.

Essential Functions

• Maintain a system to ensure the timely, accurate compilation of financial data for reporting the School’s financial position and operations to School Employees, Administrators, and the Board of Directors

• Oversee Enterprise Risk management function

• Oversee the functions of tuition collections, financial aid, general ledger, cash receipts, cash management, and accounts payable

• Determine available cash and make arrangements for transfer into the Short-Term Fund account

• Forecast expected cash receipts and expenditures and make cash transfers as needed, modeling cash flow

• Model long-term financial plan

• Prepare financial and statistical analyses, as required

• Develop the annual budget

• Facilitate the budget preparation process in cooperation with department managers

• Develop budget projections throughout the fiscal year

• Analyze budget variances and revise the forecast for year-end results

• Prepare budget forecasts or future budget projections using information from various sources

• Conduct analyses of the budget projections for the year and keep Administrators informed of the results

• Assist with preparation of year-end financial audit, work papers, and analysis, and answer questions from the auditors

• Database manager of Financial Edge NXT

• Database manager of Camp Brain

• Analyze payroll schedules for various purposes

• Supervise the Accounting and Finance team in accordance with the school’s policies

• Prepare all periodic surveys and reports

• Conduct employee performance evaluations as needed, with a minimum of once per year

• Other miscellaneous tasks as may be assigned in support of the CFO and business office

Responsibilities/Duties

• Supervise all accounting functions and team members

• Review annual 990 and 5500 reports

• Review all ledger accounts for inconsistencies and unusual items

• Analyze expense spending considering cost-saving options

• Prepare and assist the CFO with financial reports

• Authorize transfer of funds in coordination with the CFO

• Review records of accounts receivable payment plans

• Assist in the collection of delinquent accounts and determine adequate reserves for write-offs

• Review cash disbursements and cash receipts

• Assist in the preparation of the yearly operating budget and budget projections

• Monitor budgets and flag material variances from the departmental budget

• Oversee risk management including application of insurance renewals, maintenance of policies, standard insurance language, releases, and waivers

• Perform debt covenant calculations and ensure timely and accurate payment of debt service

Candidate Profile

Serving as an ambassador for the school, The Director of Finance will be a proactive and experienced financial leader with the ability to work in a fast-paced and dynamic environment. With a learning mindset and excellent listening skills, this individual will be open to giving and receiving feedback. A strong complement to the CFOO, they will be relied upon for their strong financial technical skills, good business judgment, analytical mindset, and excellent relationship-building and communication skills.

The Director of Finance will exercise discretion and maintain confidentiality in carrying out responsibilities. Successful candidates will have at least 3-5 years of public accounting experience, 3 years of experience supervising other people, and ideally, not-for-profit accounting knowledge. A Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, Business Administration, or a related discipline is required, with a preference for a CPA. Hands-on experience with at least one major accounting system is required; knowledge of Blackbaud is a plus. Additionally, flexibility to occasionally work long hours, including attendance at weekend and evening events is required.

 

In addition, the ideal candidate will have the following attributes and competencies:

Strategic Financial Leadership & Change Management Skills

In partnership with the CFOO, the Director of Finance will have the ability to develop innovative strategies and solutions aimed towards streamlining and enhancing the finance and accounting function of the Buckley School. This leader will nurture and retain a strong team of professionals that is focused on excellence, accountability, and customer service. Critical to success in this role, the Director of Finance will be flexible in adjusting as priorities emerge and change, and be highly organized, able to balance multiple tasks efficiently and effectively. The Director of Finance will have strong business acumen and judgment, with the ability to make practical, realistic, data-driven, and timely recommendations and decisions. This leader will bring strong analytical skills and will proactively anticipate potential issues/questions, in support of the CFOO and the organization, co-developing new strategies to drive outcomes. Skilled in change management, the Director of Finance will be transparent and inclusive, working to gain consensus and buy-in related to change initiatives.

Finance and Accounting Expertise

The Director of Finance will be an experienced leader in the field of finance and accounting with a demonstrated understanding of generally accepted accounting principles and non-profit, fund accounting principles. This individual will be proficient in internal controls testing and documentation, as well as risk management assessment and tracking. They will bring strong GL accounting and report writing experience. With strong analytical skills, they will bring the ability to correlate and interpret an extensive variety of financial and operational data. They will be effective in defining problems, collecting data, establishing facts, and drawing valid conclusions, dealing with several abstract and concrete variables in the course of day-to-day activities. They will be skilled in managing moderately complex treasury portfolios and conducting economic long-term modeling. The Director of Finance will be proficient in reading, analyzing, and interpreting financial reports, and effective in responding to all financial inquiries from the Budget and Finance Committee, Administrators, and/or other members of the school community. They will be able to perform basic and complex mathematical computations as required to perform proper financial analyses.

Technology Savvy

The Director of Finance will be technologically savvy enough to partner with the IT department to determine how to apply technology to improve workflow processes. This individual will have the ability to learn new and evolving technology, develop salient reporting and analysis tools, and/or join various data sources to manipulate complex data. The Director of Finance will be proficient with accounting software (i.e. Blackbaud), computers, and computer software, particularly Excel (advanced skill level), Word, Outlook, Google Suite, and Internet Explorer.

Excellent Communication, Relationship Building, and Collaboration Skills

The Director of Finance will bring excellent listening and communication skills (verbal and written) with the ability to communicate timely and effectively with a diverse group of constituents, translating the financials in a way that is transparent, clear, and relatable. This individual will create warm and uplifting professional relationships with the ability to work collaboratively with diverse populations, including students, parents, and faculty. The Director of Finance will keep the CFOO and others up to date on matters related to the overall finance and accounting priorities and needs.

Passion for Mission

The Director of Finance will have a passion and commitment for The Buckley School’s mission. This leader will understand how their role contributes to the overall mission, ensuring that the Finance and Accounting function works in service of the Buckley School students, faculty, staff, community, Board of Directors, and alumni. The Director will be an individual of unquestioned integrity, ethics, and values, treating others with respect.

Compensation & Benefits

The salary range for this role is $150,000 - $165,000 with a generous benefits package. The base salary is separate from fringe benefits, such as retirement contributions, daily lunch, on-site parking, contributions to medical, dental, vision, life/AD&D plans, and a generous time off policy. The pay ranges are reasonable estimates of what the School anticipates paying for a role but are not guaranteed. If hired at The Buckley School, your actual base salary will be determined by your education and experience.

This position follows a hybrid schedule working remotely up to two days a week.

Contact

Koya Partners has been exclusively retained for this engagement. Express interest in this role by https://apptrkr.com/5064489 or emailing the search team directly at Buckley_DirofFinance@koyapartners.com. All inquiries and discussions are strictly confidential.

Koya Partners l Diversified Search Group is committed to providing reasonable accommodation to individuals living with disabilities. If you are a qualified individual living with a disability and need assistance expressing interest online, please email NonprofitSearchOps@divsearch.com. If you are selected for an interview, you will receive additional information regarding how to request an accommodation for the interview process.

The Buckley School is an equal opportunity employer and strongly encourages applications from people of color, persons with disabilities, women, and LGBTQ+ applicants.

About Koya Partners l Diversified Search Group

Koya Partners, a Diversified Search Group company, is the nation’s premier search firm dedicated to mission-driven leadership. Since its founding in 2004, Koya has had an exclusive focus on mission-driven clients and was founded on the belief that the right leader can transform an organization and have a deep and measurable impact on our world. Koya works with nonprofits & NGOs, responsible businesses, and social enterprises in local communities and around the world.

Diversified Search Group is consistently recognized by Forbes on its top 10 list of “America’s Best Executive Recruiting Firms” and is an industry leader in recruiting transformational leaders for a changing world. The firm is deliberately different in its approach, with best-in-class teams who have decades of experience in cultivating inclusive leaders, understanding the dimensions of diversity, and building equitable teams.

Learn more about Koya Partners l Diversified Search Group via the http://diversifiedsearchgroup.com/our-brands/koya-partners/.