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THE ORGANIZATION:

At Flintridge Preparatory School, we believe middle and high school should be a time of healthy, joyful growth. That is why we approach every experience and relationship with curiosity and wonder. Here students, staff, and faculty have the space to push to new heights and the support to navigate life’s challenges—because when we truly connect with ourselves and others, we learn to lead with sensitivity and integrity, which is the best prep possible for the road ahead.

Flintridge Preparatory School (Flintridge Prep) is a nonsectarian coed school for students in grades 7 through 12. It is an aspirational and caring community united around a collaborative culture of kindness, humor, and professional commitment to students, faculty, and staff. Located in the city of La Cañada Flintridge, Flintridge Prep enjoys the best of two worlds: a tree-covered suburban campus with easy access to Pasadena and all the greater Los Angeles area has to offer. The campus is very close to the Jet Propulsion Laboratory and the Rose Bowl and is an easy drive to and from Downtown Los Angeles.

The Flintridge Prep campus features state-of-the-art facilities, dedicated and talented faculty and staff, and students who are excited to learn and grow. Flintridge Prep has an annual operating budget of $29 million and an endowment of $36.5 million. The School currently enrolls 530 students and has 131 faculty and staff. Many administrators teach, including the Head of School. For additional information about the school, visit the website at www.flintridgeprep.org.

Mission: Learning with purpose in a diverse and nurturing community, Flintridge Prep students thrive in adolescence and grow as curious scholars, creative thinkers, empathetic leaders, and global citizens.

Vision: Lead with curiosity, compassion, and courage to transform our world.

THE OPPORTUNITY:

Reporting to the Head of School, the CFO stewards Flintridge Prep’s mission and vision with respect to finance, operations, institutional risk management, and strategic planning. The CFO designs and implements the strategic financial and operational plan, ensuring the responsible, student-centered, and sustainable allocation and advancement of School resources and its successful delivery of the mission to all constituencies. Overseeing a team of 22, the CFO will directly supervise the Controller, Director of Campus Safety, Director of Facilities, and the Director of Dining Services and Events. Responsibilities include but are not limited to:

Strategic Planning

• Ensures the annual budget supports the long- and short-term goals in alignment with the School’s mission, vision, values, and strategic plan.
• Develops 5-year strategic plan and provides continued analysis, in partnership with the Head of School and Board of Trustees.

Finance

• With input from the Head of School and Board of Trustees, develops, and implements the strategic financial plan of the school in service to the School’s strategic plan.
• Manages the development of the School’s annual budget, including oversight of investments and endowment funds.
• Controls the flow of cash through the organization and maintains integrity of funds.
• Ensures effective and efficient systems of internal management controls throughout the School.
• Represents the School in all financial reporting matters.
• Approves all agreements concerning financial obligations, including leases, loans, real estate transactions, contracts, and other actions requiring a commitment or receipt of financial resources.
• Administers banking arrangements and loan agreements, receives, has custody of and disburses monies and securities.
• Communicates to the Board of Trustees, Head of School, and community the fiscal standing of the School.
• Manages the full cycle of internal budgeting.
• Oversees the Controller, being responsible for the Accounts Payable/Receivables.
• Prepares all monthly budget and annual budget reports and financial statements for the Head of School and Board of Trustees.
• Collaborates with Controller to oversee the preparation and monitoring of departmental budgets and forecasts.
• Maintains an inventory of School’s assets and monitors maintenance and depreciation of all School Property.
• Collaborates with the Director of External Affairs to articulate fundraising targets as part of the annual and strategic plan.
• Builds and maintains relationships with financial institutions.
• Oversees all tax filings and audits.

Institutional Risk Management

• With the Head of School and Board, manages institutional risk management design, planning, and implementation.
• Oversees legal and risk management, serving as a liaison.
• Ensures the School is fully and responsibly insured, with robust coverage for all institutional areas of risk, manages claims, and plans for the School’s long-term sustainability and security.

Operations/Facilities

• Oversees the operational aspects of the School, including facilities, dining, events, and security.
• Supervises the Director of Facilities, Director of Dining and Events, and Director of Security.
• Oversees the capital budget and financial aspects of new construction and campus improvements and maintenance, including pre-construction costs.

Administration 

• Builds trusting relationships within the community.
• Acts as a liaison with the Board of Trustees.
• Collaborates with the Director of Human Resources and the Associate Head to develop plans for employee compensation, benefits, professional growth, and wellbeing programs.
• Attends all Finance Committee, Planning Committee, Human Capital Committee, and Board of Trustees meetings.
• Prepares Board reporting packages, periodic surveys, and reports for the School’s trade organizations (e.g., NAIS, CAIS, NBOA)

Enrollment Management

• Oversees the School’s yearly financial aid process, including all decisions.
• Ensures the timely and complete collection of all tuition and fees.
• Analyzes and projects student related fees as it pertains to admissions.

DESIRED TRAITS AND CHARACTERISTICS:

The CFO will be a strategic thinker who builds a shared vision and can catalyze organizational change. This individual will have strong conceptual and analytical abilities, a pragmatic orientation, and the ability to analyze data to grasp issues, draw conclusions and solve problems. With strong leadership and project management skills, the CFO will establish priorities, monitor progress, and make effective decisions to achieve common goals. The candidate identified for this position will understand the financial business model and take ownership of the department to achieve fiscal goals. The CFO will be goal-oriented, well-disciplined and a hands-on administrator who can create systems and procedures and be able to implement them effectively. This position requires the ability to analyze contracts, insurance, and legal matters to arrive at mission-appropriate solutions.

The CFO will have outstanding interpersonal skills and be an effective and persuasive communicator, both verbally and in writing. The CFO must effectively present information and respond to inquiries from Board members, faculty, staff, and parents. The individual will be diplomatic yet decisive, exhibiting effective listening skills and openness to others’ ideas. The CFO will be responsible for leading and directing staff, fostering teamwork, and ensuring that employees are appropriately developed. The person in this position must have high ethical standards and will be a model of integrity and fairness, operating respectfully and transparently.

CAREER TRACK LEADING TO THIS POSITION:

The ideal candidate will be an experienced finance and operations leader who can have a strategic perspective while executing daily activities. A minimum of five to seven years of increasingly responsible finance and operations experience is preferred. The successful candidate will be a seasoned professional with experience overseeing accounting, budgeting, controls, and reporting. The CFO will bring a keen understanding of budgeting and accounting principles, organizational policies, procedures, systems, and objectives, organizational operations, and knowledge of endowment management. The ideal candidate will demonstrate a clearly articulated collaborative and flexible management style which supports a positive team culture, well-being of staff, regular feedback, and high performance. The ability to develop and maintain effective professional working relationships at all levels is imperative.

EDUCATION:                                                                                                                                            

A bachelor’s degree in finance, accounting or a related field is preferred.

COMPENSATION:

The salary range is $180,000 - $200,000. Relocation assistance, if needed, is negotiable. A comprehensive benefits package will be provided.

Applicants will be considered for positions without regard to their actual or perceived race, religious creed (including religious dress or grooming practices), color, national origin or ancestry (including native language spoken), physical or mental disability (including HIV or AIDS), medical condition (including cancer or genetic characteristics), genetic information, marital status (including registered domestic partnership status), sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, lactation and related medical conditions), gender (including gender identity and expression), parental status, age (forty (40) and over), sexual orientation, Civil Air Patrol status, military and veteran status, citizenship, immigration status or any other considerations protected by federal, state, or local law.