Job Description

Job Summary

The Chief Financial Officer position plays a critical leadership role in the financial health and strategic planning of the College. This role blends the rigor of a CAO and Treasurer with the strategic mindset of a CFO. This position is responsible for elevating and analyzing financial data provided by the Director of Accounting, Bursar, and Director of Finance and Treasury, transforming it into clear, actionable insights for senior leadership and campus-wide stakeholders. This position will ensure that budgetary decisions are well-informed, communicated effectively, and aligned with the College's long-term goals. The ideal candidate brings a hands-on approach, strong technical accounting skills, and the ability to connect financial data to the College's mission and goals.

This role requires a deep understanding of budgeting, financial forecasting, and risk management. The role will hire and develop a top-notch accounting team to provide the financial backbone to enable a holistic financial plan that integrates expense management, strategic investments, and compliance with institutional policies and external regulations.

Key Responsibilities

Accounting & Compliance:

• Oversee all accounting functions, including general ledger, payroll, accounts payable/receivable, restricted funds, and grants.
• Ensure compliance with GAAP, FASB standards for nonprofits, and higher education reporting requirements.
• Lead annual financial audits and coordinate with external auditors.
• Maintain accurate records for the endowment, investments, and restricted funds in partnership with the Business Office.
• Develop, document, and enforce internal controls and financial policies.

Financial Planning, Budgeting & Analysis:

• Lead the annual budgeting process, collaborating with the senior leadership team and their directs.
• Develop multi-year financial forecasts reflecting tuition trends, enrollment projections, and program costs.
• Prepare and interpret monthly, quarterly, and annual financial statements for the President, his senior leadership team, and the Board of Trustees.
• Create financial dashboards and performance indicators to support data-driven decision-making.
• Identify financial risks and opportunities related to enrollment, advancement, facilities, and other college operations.

Cash Flow, Investments & Resource Management:

• Monitor cash flow and liquidity to ensure operational stability.
• Support endowment management, tracking investment performance, and spending policy compliance.
• Assist with debt management, capital project planning, and banking relationships.
• Recommend efficiencies in resource allocation and expense management aligned with the College's mission.

Operational & Strategic Leadership:

• Collaborate with the President, Provost, VP, Finance, Operations & Strategy, VP, Enrollment & Marketing, VP Advancement and the rest of senior leadership to align financial planning with institutional strategy.
• Partner with the Directors of Facilities, Human Resources, and Information Technology on resource planning, procurement, and compliance.
• Lead continuous improvement of financial systems, processes, and technology (ERP (Jenzabar currently), budgeting, and reporting tools).
• Hire and develop the Finance & Accounting team, creating a highly effective organization and fostering a collaborative and efficient culture.
• Translate complex financial data into clear, accessible insights for non-financial stakeholders, enabling informed decision-making across departments and fostering greater organizational alignment

Board and External Relations:

• Prepare reports and presentations for the Finance and Audit and Risk Management Committees of the Board of Trustees. Work with the Facilities Director to help prepare reports for the Physical Asset Management Committee.
• Serve as a liaison with auditors, banks, investment managers, and other financial partners.
• Contribute to accreditation and compliance reporting as needed.

Credentials and Experience

• Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, or related field required.
• CPA strongly preferred; MBA or Master's in Accounting or Finance desirable.
• Minimum 7–10 years of progressive experience in accounting or financial management.
• Experience hiring and developing a team
• Experience in higher education or nonprofit finance is strongly preferred.
• Demonstrated expertise in audit management, budget development, and financial reporting.
• Experience with endowment accounting, fund accounting, and restricted gifts is a plus.
• Experience with automated financial management and reporting systems. Experience with Jenzabar is a plus.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Deep technical accounting knowledge with strategic financial insight.
• Strong analytical, organizational, and problem-solving skills.
• Strong management and organizational design skills: the ability to hire and develop a highly effective team
• Ability to take initiative, think critically and solve problems.
• Ability to communicate complex financial information effectively, both in writing and orally, with a wide variety of constituencies, including the senior leadership team, trustees, faculty, staff, students, and the public.
• Advanced proficiency in using software applications including Excel and financial systems.
• High integrity, discretion, and alignment with the College's liberal arts values and mission.
• Ability to analyze complex financial and statistical data and prepare accounting statements, summary conclusions and recommendations in accordance with GAAP.
• Ability to build and maintain effective relationships with colleagues, faculty, staff and students, with an emphasis on tact, diplomacy, flexibility, collaboration, professionalism and discretion.
• Ability to implement and maintain an integrated financial accounting and reporting system that facilitates internal and external financial and accounting needs.
• Excellent interpersonal skills with the ability to work well with diverse individuals and groups with the ability to develop and maintain effective relationships with all internal and external constituencies.
• Adept at listening, anticipating, and responding to the needs of individuals and programs.
• Must exhibit strong ethical values and be capable of maintaining the utmost discretion and confidentiality.
• Ability to work some evenings and weekends.

Why This Role Matters

In today's higher education environment, small colleges must make disciplined financial decisions while remaining true to their academic mission. This position plays a central role in ensuring financial health, operational efficiency, and transparency - connecting finances to purpose.

This position is ideal for an experienced accounting professional ready to serve as a strategic thought partner and steward of institutional resources.

The intent of this job description is to provide the general nature and level of work required of employees who are assigned to this classification and shall not be constructed as an all-inclusive list of duties and responsibilities. Employees may be instructed to perform job-related duties and responsibilities other than those specifically presented in this description.

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