Description

Baker Demonstration School, an independent progressive PK-8 school on Chicago’s North Shore, is seeking an exemplary Director of Finance and Operations. The DoF&O plays a strategic leadership role in advancing the mission of the School and its strategic direction. The DoF&O is a key strategic partner to the Head of School and Board of Trustees in all aspects of school finance and operations. The DoF&O is responsible for Finance, HR, Facilities, Investment Management  and Risk Management. The  DoF&O is a member of the Leadership Team. The person works closely with appropriate Board committees and attends Board meetings in order to provide full, accurate, and complete management and financial information as necessary to assist the Board in meeting its fiduciary responsibilities.  As importantly, we seek candidates with a demonstrated commitment to developing one's own cultural competency, equity, inclusion, and belonging.

General Duties and Responsibilities

• Analyzes the financial needs of the School and develops financial strategy.
• Assists the School in reimagining financial and compensation frameworks.
• Manages the financial capital requirements and funding implications of all capital projects.
• Manages the financial stability of the School, banking relationships, cash flows, liquidity, and development of financial models.
• Collaborates with the Head of School and the Finance Committee of the Board of Trustees, securing an annual audit of the School’s financial records and position, overseeing financial investments and establishing annual budget goals.
• Collaborates with the Head of School and administrators, oversees the annual budget setting process for the school and establishes a clear, consistent process of budget-to-actual reporting for all school budget managers.
• Collaborates with the Advancement team to ensure all gifts and pledges are recorded accurately and distributed appropriately.
• Provides accurate and timely financial and facility reports to the Head of School, Administration, Board Committees and the Board of Trustees, enabling them to make decisions for the good of the school.
• Leads the efforts and coordinates with appropriate school leaders to implement financial and operational risk management policies and maintain appropriate levels of insurance to protect the property and cover the liability of the school.
• Manages the accounts payable and receivables sub ledgers.
• Identifies areas of opportunity for continuous improvement and leads large scale project initiatives for efficiency improvements through the utilization of technology and streamlined processes.
• Participates in department and school task forces and committees as needed.
• Oversee updating NAIS & State of Illinois surveys and managing the databases.
• Performs other duties as required.

Finance (Accounting & Investment)

• Directs and advises on all accounting activities.
• Oversees all aspects of financial transactions, financial reporting and external auditing.
• Responsibility for financial oversight and controls, budgeting, long-range financial planning.
• Maintains compliance with GAAP in the management and structure of all accounting practices.
• Reviews vendor contracts with appropriate leaders (i.e. janitorial, HVAC).
• Collaborates with the Director of Admissions regarding tuition assistance allocations.
• Leads and directs annual financial and retirement plan audit processes.
• Manages over investment funds.

Human Resources 

• Drives strategic planning around faculty retention and recruitment.
• Provides oversight for HR responsibilities

Facilities

•  Oversees the development of long term and preventative maintenance plans, ensuring that safety is the top priority.

• Works with IT professionals to develop strategy for the school’s technology assets and infrastructure and helps develop technology acquisition cycle.

Risk Management

• Leads the school’s risk management initiatives.
• Manages the school’s property/casualty, directors’ and officers’ liability, employment practices liability, and fiduciary liability insurance programs, manage claims and litigation.
• Collaborates with educational and operational leaders to understand and mitigate risk as appropriate.
• Oversees the school’s safety, emergency preparedness, revises Emergency Handbook and activity liability.

• Provides guidance for all school programs.  

Requirements

• Ability to simultaneously manage a wide variety of issues, situations and people.
• Detail-oriented, with excellent time-management skills.
• Ability to be autonomous, self-motivated, and driven, as well as having a team approach.
• Outstanding communication skills, ability to communicate with all constituents including: Board of Trustees, faculty, staff, maintenance staff, families, vendors, etc.
• Technologically adept with advanced skills in MS Office Suite products (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, SharePoint, etc.), web applications such as Google Suite, video conferencing software, and database management software, knowledgeable about QuickBooks and Paylocity is a plus; ability to master common automated systems, and confidently learn new technology.
• Open and collaborative management style with a commitment to relationship building with faculty and staff.
• A high degree of integrity and ethics, with an unwavering commitment to confidentiality.
• Strong customer service orientation and the ability to represent Baker in a professional manner.
• Growth-oriented, flexible, unafraid of innovating.

Organizational Relationships/ Reporting Structure/ Salary Range

The Director of Finance and Operations  reports to the Head of School.

 Salary Range $110,000-130,000

The above is intended to describe the general content of and requirements for the performance of this job.  It is not to be construed as an exhaustive statement of duties, responsibilities, or requirements.

 Qualifications & Skills

• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited four-year college or university in Business Administration or related field required.
• MBA or related advanced degrees are strongly preferred. 
• 3+ years of experience in a DoF&O, Controller or Assistant CFO / Controller / Business Manager role required.
• Experience with non-profits or independent schools is highly desirable.
• Strong background in finance, budgeting, investing, and cash management required.
• Experience in financial modeling and analysis.
• Strong attention to detail and understanding of nuanced school environment situations.
• Previous supervisory experience required.
• Possesses high energy, a strong work ethic, and a positive attitude.
• Collaborative team member.
• We seek candidates with a demonstrated commitment to developing one's own cultural competency, equity, inclusion, and belonging

School Information

Founded in 1918, Baker Demonstration School is an independent day school committed to providing an exemplary Preschool, Elementary and Middle School progressive education to our 175 students. Our students come from Chicago, Evanston, Wilmette and other North Shore communities. We believe that children learn best in an inclusive, creative community that encourages individual risk-taking and values learning by doing. Baker’s experiential approach nurtures the development of the whole child enabling each student to be fully prepared for intellectual, artistic, physical and social/emotional challenges well beyond Baker. 

At Baker: 

• We cultivate our students’ intrinsic motivation to learn and their active participation in the learning process
• We foster excellence through critical thinking and integrated connections across academic and artistic endeavors
• We promote collaboration while developing leadership capacity
• We foster citizenship by encouraging students to develop self-awareness and compassion for others
• We celebrate individual, familial and cultural identities and graduate students with an understanding and respect for diversity, equity and inclusivity

Application Materials

Candidates should submit a letter of interest, resume and three professional references to employment@bakerdemschool.org.

Non-Discrimination and Disability Policy

Baker Demonstration School is an equal opportunity employer and makes all employment decisions, including those related to recruitment, hiring, training, promotion, and recognition of individuals on the basis of their ability and job related qualifications and without regard to race, gender, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, disability, or any other classification prescribed under applicable federal, state, or local law.  We actively seek diversity among faculty and administration as well as among students.  The school complies with the law regarding reasonable accommodations for employees with disabilities.  Applicants requiring reasonable accommodation in order to participate in the application/interview process are requested to contact the School in order to arrange such accommodation.

About BAKER DEMONSTRATION SCHOOL

Baker Demonstration School is an independent day school, committed to providing an exemplary Preschool, Elementary and Middle School education to our 200 students. We believe that children learn best in an inclusive, creative community that encourages individual risk-taking and values different ways of learning. Baker’s experiential approach nurtures the development of the whole child enabling each student to be fully prepared for intellectual, artistic, physical and social/emotional challenges well beyond Baker. We cultivate our students’ intrinsic motivation to learn and their active participation in the learning process. We foster excellence through critical thinking and integrated connections across academic and artistic endeavors. We promote collaboration while developing personal leadership. We foster citizenship by encouraging students to develop self-awareness and compassion for others. Baker celebrates individual, family and cultural differences and graduates students who appreciate diversity in all its forms. Baker Demonstration School does not discriminate on the basis of age, gender, race, color, religion, national or ethnic origin, or sexual identity in its hiring ...processes and actively promotes the principles and practices of diversity throughout the school community. We offer competitive compensation and a progressive community dedicated to learning and engaged citizenship.

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