Chief Financial Officer - Milton Gottesman Jewish Day School

Milton Gottesman Jewish Day School is pleased to work with DRG to conduct this search.

BACKGROUND

The Organization

Milton Gottesman Jewish Day School is distinguished by its commitment to academic excellence, talented faculty, and learning that is joyful, engaging, experiential, and enduring.

MILTON is a warm, vibrant, pluralistic Jewish day school where students, families, and faculty mirror the diversity of Jewish practice in the community.

The school serves 475 students at our Kay and Robert Schattner Center Campuses - the beautiful South Campus for Early Childhood students in Grades PK-1, and the newly renovated and expanded North Campus for Elementary and Middle School students in Grades 2-8.

The Position

Milton Gottesman Jewish Day School of the Nation’s Capital in Washington, DC seeks a dynamic and forward-thinking Chief Financial Officer (CFO) to manage Milton’s finances and accounting functions.

The CFO will report to the Head of School and work directly with the Board Treasurer, audit committee, and investment committee.

The CFO will manage the Head of Facilities and Security as well as have the opportunity to hire a financial administrator.

A successful CFO at Milton must be a strong communicator who can work closely with school leadership, parents including the parents’ association and board members.

The CFO is essential to helping Milton achieve its mission and live out its core values. Through thoughtful and detailed budgeting and financial planning, the CFO will provide strategic financial leadership with a focus on both daily accounting details and long-term financial planning.

The CFO will strengthen our ability to support a diverse range of students, teachers, and families in a vibrant tapestry of Jewish community.

The intelligent and student-centered allocation of financial resources supports innovative teaching, joyful learning, and educational excellence at our school.

ROLE OVERVIEW

Financial Management and Analysis

• Provide oversight of an annual budget of approximately $15M as well as endowment and reserve portfolios totaling over $15M.
• Analyze and make recommendations related to all financial matters to the Head of School, Board Treasurer and relevant Board committees.
• Evaluate and improve internal financial controls, processes, and procedures.
• Work closely with external audit firm that reviews financial accounts and reconciliations on a regular basis.
• Manage relationships with parents and financial intermediaries with sensitivity and discretion, especially with regard to tuition assistance and collections.
• Lead annual Tuition Assistance process and implementation.
• Manage Annual Budget process, including the development of departmental budgets in collaboration with department heads.

Regularly meet with department heads to discuss and review budgets throughout the year.

• Maintain strong cash management systems and controls as well as continuously updated cash flow projections.
• Model Annual Compensation budget, including the salary scale and increases for non-scale staff.
• Create and maintain five-year forecast model including capital expenditures planning.

Financial Compliance and Reporting

• Prepare and present financial data and reports on a regular, scheduled basis with Head of School, Board Treasurer, the Board, and school leaders.
• Work closely with Finance, Audit, and Investment Committees.
• Prepare documentation for annual audit and 990 tax filing - includes schedule of Functional Expense, Pledges Receivable, Salary Accrual, Tuition Receivable / Deferred Revenue Accounts.
• Prepare / review monthly reconciliation process for all accounts including donation reporting, expenses, and payroll.
• Lead all accounting and payroll functions including inputting all necessary data into financial systems, updating the chart of accounts and system reports, and ensuring timely reconciliation of bank statements.
• Ensure compliance with federal and Washington, D.C. legal reporting and permitting requirements.

Additional Qualifications

The ideal candidate will have a hands-on attitude with at least 7-10 years of experience in finance and accounting at another school, educational institution, or non-profit.

Other ideal qualifications include :

• Demonstrated experience of leading and supporting a well-functioning team.
• Prior experience running business operations for an organization (e.g. security, transportation, and / or facilities, etc.)
• Willingness and ability to manage forward thinking work as well as detailed minutiae of a business office.
• Prior experience working with or preparing reports for board committees (e.g. finance, endowment, investment, audit).
• Hands-on with a willingness to roll up their sleeves and complete any task. A no job is too small attitude.
• Solutions oriented.
• Highly collaborative and accessible leader, able to build relationships across the organization.
• Prior experience using financial and accounting software systems such as Bill.com, Paylocity, Quickbooks, Clarity, and / or Blackbaud.
• Familiarity with Jewish culture and educational values

WHO WE ARE

Work Environment

Milton Gottesman Jewish Day School is a highly collaborative community organization and prioritizes in-office work. Milton Gottesman prioritizes in-office work five days a week.

In addition, presence at occasional evening and weekend events will be required.

Our Commitment to Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion

Milton Gottesman Jewish Day School provides equal opportunity in employment for all persons and prohibits unlawful discrimination and harassment in all aspects in the administration of its educational, admissions, and personnel policies, financial aid programs, or athletic and other school-administered programs because of age, color, disability, family responsibilities, gender identity or expression, genetic information, housing status, marital status, matriculation, national origin, personal appearance, political affiliation, race, sex, sexual orientation, veteran’s status or any factor prohibited by law.

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS

Salary : $165,000-$175,000

Benefits

• 10 days of paid leave per academic year in addition to 8 Jewish holidays and 8 federal holidays. Additionally, the School’s offices are closed for Winter Break, Passover Break, and for several other school holidays.’
• Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision insurance. HSA and FSA eligible plans offered.
• Significant tuition benefit (30% remission) for full-time employees with children at Milton
• A 403(b) retirement plan, with 3% match after two full years of employment at Milton
• 50% employer contribution, up to a maximum of $50 / month, for a SmarTrip MetroPass
• 100% employer paid basic life and AD&D insurance, 100% employer paid long-term disability.

TIMELINE AND NEXT STEPS

If you are interested in this position, please click here. All applicants will receive an email confirming receipt of their application.

We encourage candidates of all backgrounds to apply even if you do not meet all of the qualifications outlined above. If you are selected to move forward for an initial screening call, we expect you to hear from us by November.