The Position: Chief Financial Officer

The Chief Financial Officer serves as a member of the senior leadership team and reports to the Head of School. The CFO provides leadership for the business office, including direct oversight of the Director of Human Resources, the Controller, the Senior Staff Accountant, and the Accounts Payable Analyst. This position interacts with board members, administrators, faculty, staff, parents, vendors, outside agencies, and auditors. The CFO is an integral member of the team, working on important strategic initiatives that include financial forecasting and modeling, debit and investment policy formulation, capital campaigns, gift acceptance protocols, and capital projects. The CFO serves as staff liaison on numerous committees to the Board of Trustees, including the Finance, Investment, and Audit Committees. One of the complexities of Webb's business office is managing both the larger corporate entity that is Webb as its subsidiary, the Alf Museum. 

The CFO will work closely with the Head of School to oversee the financial systems of the school and ensure Webb's mission and excellent student programs remain at the center. Part of a collaborative leadership team, the CFO will work closely with admissions, advancement, communications and marketing, educational programs, and the Alf Museum as well as the Board of Trustees. The CFO manages relationships with outside financial institutions, agencies, and auditors and is involved in the financial planning of capital projects and strategic initiatives. 

Key Responsibilities

• Serve as a thought partner for the Head of School, providing data and models to support institutional analysis and planning
• Direct and coordinate budget programs
• Analyze studies of general economic, business, and financial conditions and their impact on the Schools' policies and operations and conduct subsequent research and forecasts as needed
• Appraise the Schools' financial position and issue periodic financial and operating reports
• Oversee accounting systems and protocols, ensuring best-practice procedures 
• Ensure that all activities and operations comply with the local, state, and federal regulations and laws governing business operations
• Oversee all audit and internal control operations 
• As a member of the Capital Project Team, perform all compliance, budget management, and accounting functions for capital projects
• Develop and install systems and controls for management information systems 

Investment and Board Support 

• Oversee and direct treasury, investment, budgeting, audit, tax, accounting, purchasing, real estate, and insurance activities, as well as contract administration, for the Schools 
• Direct activities as custodian of funds, securities, and assets of the Schools
• Perform bond accounting, ensuring that all covenants are fulfilled in a timely manner, including annual debt management reports to the Finance Committee
• Prepare detailed reports on financial performance on a monthly, quarterly, and annual basis; create systems so that snapshots of performance are available in real-time
• Perform cash management, endowment, and investment accounting, including planned gifts and split-interest agreements 
• Serve as the staff liaison for relevant Board Committees and prepare and present materials for Board work

Human Resources 

• Maintain appropriate professional memberships and associated survey expectations
• Help implement and administer all employee benefit programs, including health insurance, retirement, worker's compensation, life insurance, and other related plans
• Collaborate with the Head of School and other senior administrators on providing leadership for employee hiring, termination, compensation, and management 
• Manage decisions regarding the school's insurance programs: property, casualty, medical, workers' compensation, and D&O
• Provide appropriate and consistent employment policies, staffing levels, compensation, and benefits programs for all facets of school operations  

Desired Qualifications and Qualities

• Bachelor's degree plus at least ten years of progressive financial leadership experience, with significant experience in nonprofits and/or independent schools preferred. 
• MBA, CPA, or other advanced degree or certification preferred
• Expertise in financial accounting, cash management, budgeting, and financial projections and modeling
• Experience in human resources, including payroll, benefits, and labor laws
• Experience managing complex banking relationships
• Strong strategic thinking skills: able to design effective plans and approaches and to serve as a thought partner to the Head of School
• Knowledgeable of accounting standards and audit and internal control protocols, as well as applicable federal and state statutes 
• Demonstrated success in creating efficiencies and improving processes 
• Strong technology skills; demonstrated excellence in Microsoft Suite (especially Excel) and experience with Blackbaud products (BBTM, BBEM, Financial Edge NXT, Raiser's Edge NXT), ADP, and Shopify products a plus
• Excellent verbal and written communication, as well as strong mathematical and analytical skills
• Experience with capital projects accounting, planned giving, and endowment management highly preferred
• Proven success at working collaboratively and efficiently on a creative, diverse, and goal-oriented team 

Application Requirements and Search Process

DRG is conducting this search on behalf of Webb. Interested candidates should submit, as soon as possible, materials including the following:

• A cover letter indicating why they are particularly interested in and qualified for the position. 
• A current resume.
• The names, email addresses, and telephone numbers of five references, to include the relationship with the references. (We will obtain permission from candidates, at the finalist stage, before contacting references.) 
• Submit applications to Jennifer Fleischer, Senior Talent Consultant at jfleischer@drgtalent.com.