SUMMARY
Not far from Red Rock Canyon in Southern Nevada sits a mature-for-its-years early childhood to grade 8 independent school with an amazing history behind it and an exciting trajectory in front of it. The Alexander Dawson School, located on 33-acres in the beautiful community of Summerlin—about fifteen minutes west of the Las Vegas airport—has had the financial and operational support of the Alexander Dawson Foundation since its doors opened in 2000. In the last twenty years, the school has embraced all aspects of student-centered education and modern learning as it continues to build and improve upon an exceptional core academic program.
Dawson seeks a chief financial officer to oversee its business and other functional units at this critical time in the school’s history. A new head of school will be starting in July, 2020—a highly respected and beloved Dawson educator who was part of the founding faculty and has served the last few years as the assistant head for teaching and learning. Thus, the next CFO will join a high-functioning leadership team right as this transition gets underway and have the opportunity to support an exciting new chapter of growth and innovation.
For more information please visit the following link, which contains the job opportunity statement and complete application instructions.
http://www.12MRecruiting.com/jobs/adsrm/CFO
IMPORTANT DATES
Post Date: February 10, 2020
Application Deadline: March 6, 2020 at 5:00pm PST
Remote Semifinal Round: March 12, 2020
On-site Final Round: Week of March 23
Decision Announced: April 3, 2020
Start Date: July 1, 2020, or earlier by mutual agreement
SPECIFIC DUTIES
General leadership, strategic direction and financial oversight
- Report to the head of school, participate as a collaborative member of the leadership team, and serve as a trusted advisor to the head, leadership team, and board of trustees.
- Provide strategic direction for appropriate and maximum use of financial resources to achieve the school’s strategic priorities and maintain long-term health of the institution.
- Build multi-year models for operational and capital budgets, and in partnership with the head of school and board of trustees realign existing resources when necessary.
- Develop key performance indicators to measure achievement of established goals.
- Serve as lead liaison for the Finance, Investment, and Facility Committees and provide effective communication, presentations, and updates to the full Board of Trustees.
- Partner with the Dawson Foundation controller on areas of intersection between the school and foundation, including: large-scale lending, construction, insurance, and endowment.
- Publicly represent the school in a positive and proactive way, collaborating with other school administrators, neighbors, and public officials.
Compliance, risk management and reporting
- Oversee internal controls, cash management, banking relationships, and asset management, and maintain accurate and timely continuous records on the financial position of the school.
- Ensure that the school is in compliance with all local and state reporting requirements.
- Oversee and ensure the successful completion of the annual independent audit.
- Monitor and mitigate risk through a comprehensive risk management program.
- Provide transparent financial reporting and planning that build trust among administrators, faculty, staff, students, alumni, parents, and trustees.
Operations
- Collaborate with the head of school, HR director, and other senior administrators to provide leadership regarding employee compensation and benefits.
- Oversee the business office and its core operations, including: AP, billing and collections, credit card management, cash receipts, payroll, and GL accounting.
- Oversee HR, Security and Campus Operations, and Food Services, and administer the school’s financial aid program.
- Develop processes and systems that provide clarity—and flexibility when necessary.
- Perform other duties as assigned.
DAWSON IS LOOKING FOR CANDIDATES WHO CAN DEMONSTRATE
Professional Qualifications:
- Possession of a bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university in business administration, finance, accounting, or a related field, which is a minimum requirement; a CPA highly preferred
- 7+ years of experience as a business manager, preferably in an educational or nonprofit setting, and 3+ years at a senior management level
- Previous supervisory and governance experience, preferably in an educational or nonprofit setting
- A comprehensive skill set for oversight of financial reporting, budgets, investments, accounting, facilities, HR, food service, contracts, risk management, and security
Leadership and Personal Qualities:
- A smart and confident decision maker who operates with integrity, collaborates with sincerity, counsels with affability, and teaches with humility
- A listener who analyzes complex situations and helps to build consensus
- A willingness to both fully understand the inner workings of a progressive school that is constantly innovating, and lead a business office in support of that culture
- An open-mind that asks questions, learns from others, and brings a, “Let’s see how we can do it” approach to problem solving
- An ability to create organizational systems and apply project management skills in support of institutional-wide change within a complex academic environment
- Authentic empathy, warmth, and collegiality, and an ability to spread these qualities across an entire staff
- An ability to work under pressure, plan personal workload effectively and delegate
- An available and responsive department head to internal and external constituents
- Savvy communication and dynamic presentation skills—both written and oral
- A collaborative, cooperative, and growth-oriented mindset
- A love of education, and a willingness to support innovative teaching and learning at an early childhood to grade eight independent school
TO APPLY
For more information please visit the following link, which contains the job opportunity statement and complete application instructions.
http://www.12MRecruiting.com/jobs/adsrm/CFO
The Alexander Dawson School at Rainbow Mountain provides equal employment opportunity to all individuals regardless of their race, color, creed, religion, gender, age, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by state, federal, or local law.