Director of Finance

Heritage Hall is a co-educational college preparatory school in northwest Oklahoma City offering a challenging academic curriculum for students in grades Preschool - 12.

Heritage Hall is seeking a Director of Finance who will have primary responsibility for managing and facilitating the Business Office’s functions. The Director of Finance reports to and works closely with the President, is a member of the Leadership Team, and serves as an administrative liaison to the Board of Trustees’ Finance Committee.

The Director of Finance is responsible for all financial functions of the School, ensuring compliance with accounting and reporting standards. This vital senior leadership team member handles payroll processing, oversees multiple operations and administration functions, and stewards the School’s assets. Through thoughtful and strategic leadership, this position implements best practices associated with accounting, finance, and administration by maintaining up-to-date knowledge of relevant business, educational, and technology trends while effectively supervising, guiding, and developing staff. In partnership with the President, the Director of Finance develops and maintains relationships with banks, professional accountants, legal counsel, and insurance companies.

The Director of Finance serves the entire Heritage Hall community, providing leadership, support, and collaboration in the following ways:

• Leads the Business Office staff which currently includes a Controller, Student Billing Coordinator, and Payables Manager;
• Collaborates with Division Heads in the Lower, Middle, and Upper Schools;
• Works closely with the Vice President, Director of Operations Director of Operations, Director of Admissions, Director of Development, and the Athletic Director;
• Serves as the administrative liaison to the Board of Trustees Finance Committee and is available as needed for other Board committee service.

Attributes and Qualifications:

• A financial controller who oversees all accounting functions, provides direction and supervision to staff, and develops and maintains a robust system of internal controls while ensuring that the accounting office complies with relevant standards and Trustee directives.
• An insightful administrator who develops the annual operating and capital expenditure budgets, presents and interprets these budgets to the Leadership Team, the Board of Trustees, and appropriate staff, and provides monthly updates regarding performance against budget.
• A diligent accountant who monitors the ongoing status of the school’s finances, analyzes the financial status, and produces cash flow projections in order to alert the president to any financial or budgetary concerns.
• A fastidious collaborator who leads the annual external audit.
• A practical producer who ensures timely (monthly) and accurate financial reporting for board and committee meetings, in a clear and concise format to assure board and management comprehension.
• A detail-oriented manager who develops and implements a balance sheet reconciliation system that is timely, thorough, accurate, auditable, and supported by appropriate documentation, with particular attention to fundraising and tuition activities.
• A key point person who is responsible for vendor contracts, leases, and all bank relations and tracks contracts to monitor financial liability, termination clauses, and expiration dates with, handling 1099 reporting as needed.
• A punctual preparer who ensures timely reporting of all financial data, including, but not limited to, any applicable tax reporting, grant reporting, and required financial reporting to funders.
• An intentional auditor who oversees property and fixed assets and maintains a physical inventory of fixtures and equipment.
• A prudent leader who guides, develops, and implements accounting and finance-related strategic initiatives and action plans that align with the School’s strategic plan.
• A deliberate generator who ensures timely and accurate completion of all payroll processing.
• A conscientious overseer who manages School payables activity, ensuring compliance with the system or internal controls.
• A compassionate authority who recognizes the value of approaching tuition collections with a consistent and professional but also caring attitude;
• An astute visionary who continually strives to improve departmental functions, create efficiencies, find solutions, and recognize the future of not-for-profit accounting technologies and trends.
• Requirements:
  • Bachelor’s degree required;
  • CPA designation preferred;
  • Minimum 5 years of financial management experience; cash flow modeling and systems implementation experience preferred; experience overseeing a finance function of at least $15-20M preferred;
  • High professional and ethical standards for handling confidential information;
  • Extensive experience working with, supporting, and reporting to Boards and Committees;
  • An understanding of and experience with independent schools and/or non-profits, especially their philosophy and operations;
  • Strong knowledge of Blackbaud accounting and fundraising systems, or similar accounting programs;
  • Strong verbal and written communication skills, including the capacity to compose professional written correspondence;
  • Complete command of all steps in the accounting cycle;
  • Capable of thinking on an analytical level and interpreting financial reporting, drawing on strong mathematical skills;
  • Strong leadership and interpersonal skills and capacity to motivate and inspire staff at all levels of the organization;
  • Reflects appreciation for the cultural background, heritage, and identity of all persons involved with the School;
  • Ability to exercise good judgment, courtesy, and tact in dealing with the public, in giving and obtaining information, and in dealing with problems as they arise.

Prospective candidates should send the following materials in a single PDF document to the search consultant, Marci McLean, at marci@educationgroup.com:

Letter of interest specifically addressing this position and the school;

Resume (education and work experience);

List of 5 professional references with contact information

Candidates will be evaluated as materials are received.