Careers
Woods Hole, Massachusetts
New York, NY
Posted: 31-Aug-23
Location: Remote or, D.C.
Type: Full Time
Salary: $95,000 - $100,000
Required Education:
Additional Information:
The Association
Founded in 1998, The National Business Officers Association (NBOA) is the only national nonprofit membership association (501(c)(3)) focused exclusively on supporting independent school business officers and business operations staff while fostering financial and operational excellence among independent PK-12 schools. The association has grown from 23 founding member schools in 1998 to more than 1,500 member schools from the U.S., Canada, Mexico and 23 other countries around the globe.
The association offers in-person programming, including the NBOA Annual Meeting and Business Officer Institute; online professional development; original research; and an award-winning magazine, Net Assets. Each offering covers timely and relevant topics for independent school business and operations professionals, including finance, accounting, tax, compliance, human resources, risk management, facilities and information technology.
In support of NBOA’s mission to advance independent schools and promote best business practices, the NBOA Board of Directors and Staff are committed to intentionality and action regarding diversity, equity and inclusion. DE&I are important to the individuals who comprise and engage with the association and critical to our personal and collective success. The statement and values that we put forward to our community are aspirational and essential to advancing DE&I meaningfully within the association and its work.
The Membership
NBOA is an organizational membership association and therefore its primary members are U.S. independent schools, also 501(c)(3) organizations, including day and boarding college-preparatory schools. Independent schools are defined by an independent governing body (most commonly a board of trustees) and an independent funding source (predominantly tuition). NBOA directly serves the chief financial officer of the school, referred to as the “business officer,” in addition to other administrators with business responsibilities including controllers, human resource professionals, facilities managers, IT professionals, and other finance and accounting administrative staff. The NBOA membership also includes business partners, international schools, and other like-minded nonprofit organizations with an interest and commitment to independent education.
The Staff
The NBOA staff is comprised of 19 diverse, high-performing, and member-centric association professionals, including several subject matter experts formerly employed by independent schools. Approximately 35% of the staff is based in the DC headquarters office with the remaining staff working from home offices throughout the country. Therefore, the association has the infrastructure, agility and expertise to conduct its work via Microsoft Teams, Zoom video conferencing, and other digital platforms that facilitate virtual staff team collaboration, in addition to in-person all-staff gatherings throughout the year. Many NBOA staff members hold advanced degrees and/or professional certifications. And many staff members have been with NBOA for more than five years, some more than 10 years. The culture of the NBOA staff includes a strong commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion, in addition to collaboration, accountability, respect and trust.
Employee Benefits
- Medical, dental and vision insurance (member of AMHIC)
- Generous 403(b) retirement plan contributions (5% employee contribution with 10% employee match following one year of service)
- Health care FSA and dependent care FSA offerings
- Ample paid time off (vacation, sick, holiday, family leaves) plus five additional vacation days when the office is closed between Christmas and New Year’s annually
- Term life, AD&D, LTD, STD coverages
- Transportation/wellness program
The Role
The Director, Accounting and Finance Programs, serves as the association’s primary advisor on independent school accounting and finance issues for NBOA members. In this role, the incumbent directs all aspects of related content development and delivery related to best practices and compliance issues affecting independent schools, ensures high-quality and member-responsive offerings, and supports additional programs, products and services related to independent school finance and business operations. This position reports directly to the Chief Learning Officer.
Responsibilities
- Lead the creation, delivery and management of NBOA’s programs, products and services related to independent school finance, accounting, and business operations, including curating a comprehensive array of resources to assist NBOA member schools with a myriad of priorities in these subject areas.
- Support existing finance and business operations programs, products and services, and serve as a catalyst for the development of additional tools, resources and programs responsive to member needs. Programs may include but are not limited to in-person and workshops, online courses, webinars, and more.
- Responsible for identifying, monitoring, and communicating issues related to independent school accounting and finance issues and responding with timely resources/programs that meet the diverse needs of NBOA’s member schools.
- Maintain knowledge currency on relevant accounting and financial reporting standards and practices and tax compliance issues and regulations for nonprofit independent schools.
- Draft accounting and financial reporting resources and materials including Net Assets articles, e-newsletter briefs, comment letters, news alerts and talking points of relevance to the business offices at independent schools.
- Develop and deliver presentations on timely topics related to accounting, finance, tax, or business operations for NBOA, state and regional association meetings, webinars, workshops and online courses, and other possible delivery channels.
- Respond to NBOA member inquiries and requests for information, both directly and by monitoring NBOA Connect and responding to general inquiries as needed.
- Serve as staff liaison to the Controllers Council and cultivate member engagement among business office staff.
- Serve as a liaison between NBOA and business partners that serve the independent school community, including accounting and tax professionals, to foster positive relationships and identify and address emerging issues and potential opportunities for collaboration on program/resource development.
- Perform other duties as assigned by the Chief Learning Officer and the President and CEO within the general scope of job responsibilities and in support of organizational goals.
Desired Skills and Attributes
- Demonstrated commitment to foster, promote and support an inclusive workplace.
- Confidence in public speaking and making presentations with exemplary written and oral communications and presentations skills. Ability to speak as a subject matter expert on accounting, finance and tax issues and to summarize issues and articulate positions and strategies concisely and quickly.
- Demonstrated success in analyzing and advising constituents and stakeholders regarding complex financial or regulatory issues.
- Attention to detail as well as critical and strategic thinking skills.
- Proven customer service orientation and commitment to positive interactions with members, partners, service providers and staff.
- Strong time management skills and ability to function independently and efficiently in a distributed environment.
- Ability to manage multiple priorities and projects, organize time and identify project resources.
- Must be able to work with flexibility, efficiency, enthusiasm and diplomacy, in a virtual/distributed staff team environment as a leader, team member and professional role model, with daily interaction individually and as part of collaborative team efforts.
- Display high level of energy and thrive in a fast-paced, innovative environment.
- Highly conscientious and possess a high degree of integrity while working with confidential information discreetly and appropriately.
- Ability to travel throughout the year to NBOA conferences and meetings, for professional development, or to speak on other related programs.
Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree in accounting or finance from an accredited college or university required; graduate degree in relevant field preferred.
- At least seven years of progressive experience in not-for-profit accounting and finance, preferably specific to independent schools (through direct independent school business office employment and/or at a public accounting firm serving independent schools). Additional experience and current CPA certification preferred.
- Depth of knowledge and experience in nonprofit accounting and financial reporting standards and tax compliance issues related to independent schools. Experience with regulations impacting independent schools and independent school business operations preferred.
- Proficiency in MS Office (Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Teams); expertise with business applications and familiarity with new technologies and tools.
Physical Demands/Work Environment
To successfully perform the essential functions of the job, the employee is required to:
- move throughout the office
- sit for extended periods of time,
- use hands to handle or feel objects
- reach with hands and arms
- balance
- talk and hear
- move or lift up to 20 pounds
- use close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception and the ability to adjust focus
To Apply
Interested professionals should email a cover letter, resume and salary requirements (with the subject line: Director, Accounting and Finance Programs) to NBOA at hr@nboa.org.
