Overview
St. Stephen’s and St. Agnes School (SSSAS) is situated on three well-appointed, purpose-built campuses in Alexandria, one for each division. SSSAS maintains a visible and well-respected place in the competitive greater Washington, D.C., independent school market. It is the largest of six schools that are part of the Church Schools in the Diocese of Virginia and enjoys a strong relationship with those schools and the CSDV.
The 2024-2025 school year marks the 100th anniversary of St. Agnes School’s founding. SSSAS has a long tradition of providing an excellent college preparatory education in Northern Virginia. Beginning as two separate, notable institutions —St. Agnes School (SAS) and St. Stephen’s School (SSS)— the schools merged their long-standing partnership in 1991 to form a single co-educational school, first led by the then St. Agnes School Head, Joan Ogilvy Holden, and since 2014 by the current Head of School, Kirsten Adams.
Now, SSSAS is seeking a Chief Financial Officer (CFO) with an entrepreneurial outlook to provide strategic thinking and build relationships that facilitate “dreaming big.” The CFO will work closely with the successful and long-serving Head of School, Kirsten Adams, the board, the school foundation, and CSDV as a thought partner to improve all aspects of what is already a large and highly successful school. Building relationships of trust within the school community will be a key driver of success, as will strong speaking and presenting skills and a desire to think ambitiously.
Responsibilities
- Provide strategic leadership, analysis, and management of finances and operations.
- Establish financial and capital strategies that are consistent with the strategic priorities.
- Serve on the Head of School’s Administrative Team and lead, co-lead, or participate in several other teams and committees.
- Oversee all business office functions including all financial reporting to the Head of School, Board of Trustees, and various committees.
- Serve as chief staff liaison to Board committees.
- Build and/or maintain the school’s short- and long-term strategic financial models.
- Oversee the administration of the school’s endowment.
- Maintain strong relationships with banks and lenders to ensure that funding is secured for the needs of the school and compliance with loan terms.
- Administer and manage all employee benefit programs including health insurance, retirement, worker’s compensation, life insurance, and other related plans.
- Ensure compliance with all local and state reporting requirements.
- Collaborate effectively with Advancement, Enrollment Management, and other departments.
- Participate in diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging professional development.
- Coordinate closely with the Facilities Director on oversight of the physical plant, grounds, and construction functions.
Qualifications and Personal Attributes
- Bachelor’s degree required, MBA or CPA preferred;
- 10-15 years of senior-level experience creating and executing financial planning and management strategies;
- Experience in an independent school or other non-profit setting preferred, though individuals with strong financial and leadership skills in other industries are welcome;
- Experience managing a team, setting clear goals, responsibilities, expectations, and clear methods of accountability;
- Proven record of accomplishment designing, implementing, and managing large-scale organizational change;
- Superb communication skills; excellent written, verbal, and presentation skills;
- Demonstrated ability to understand complex subjects, distill them, and then communicate them to varied audiences;
- Experience on senior administrative teams and working with non-profit Boards;
- Demonstrated experience in measuring and improving organization-wide productivity;
- Experience in human resource management, employee benefits (including pension plans), and payroll procedures. Knowledge of business and not-for-profit accounting policies, procedures, practices, facilities, and software programs. Blackbaud experience a plus;
- Ability to think and plan strategically and creatively;
- Ability to supervise, manage, and delegate multiple functions and activities;
- Ability to remain calm, flexible, and work effectively under pressure;
- Skilled at negotiating and initiating contracts with external vendors;
- Consistent demonstration of an entrepreneurial mindset;
- Demonstrated commitment to equitable and inclusive practices;
- A track record of strong integrity.
To Apply
Interested and qualified candidates are invited to contact the consultants in confidence. Candidates will ultimately need to submit the following materials as separate PDF documents:
- A cover letter expressing their interest in this particular position;
- A current résumé;
- A list of five professional references with name, relationship, phone number, and email address of each (references will not be contacted without the candidate’s permission) to:
Greg Britton; Chief Operating Officer, Search & Consulting Group
ggb@carneysandoe.com
Sara Shulman; Practice Leader – Development and Finance
sara.shulman@carneysandoe.com
The school is an equal opportunity employer. The school provides equal employment opportunity to all employees and job applicants without regard to an individual’s race, color, national origin, veteran status, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, pregnancy, childbirth or related conditions including lactation, age, disability, genetic information or any other factor prohibited by applicable law.
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