Chief Financial Officer

Position Description

Chief Financial Officer

POSITION SUCCESS PROFILE

The Geneva School, established in 1993, provides students in grades K4–12 an extraordinary education through an integrated curriculum, pedagogy, and culture that are both distinctly classical and distinctively Christian and that pursue goodness, truth, and beauty in all spheres of life, viewing these spheres as elements of a divinely ordered whole. Geneva seeks to instill in students a desire to love beauty, think deeply, and pursue Christ’s calling. The CFO’s work serves this mission; financial health is a means of supporting the school’s educational purpose, not an end in itself.

1. Why Does This Role Exist?
The Chief Financial Officer exists to steward The Geneva School’s financial resources and business administration so that the school can pursue its educational mission with integrity, prudence, transparency, and long-term sustainability. The CFO turns financial information into clear insight and sound recommendations, helping the Head of School and Board of Governors make wise decisions about affordability, compensation, educational quality, enrollment, facilities, and strategic priorities.

The CFO reports to the Chief Operating Officer and serves on the senior leadership team. The role leads the Business Office and provides financial and administrative oversight, as assigned, for Human Resources, facilities and capital planning, information technology, risk management, and other business functions.

2. Key Outcomes This Role Exists to Produce

• A sustainable, mission-aligned financial strategy
  Geneva’s leadership has a reliable long-term view of the school’s financial position and practical recommendations for balancing affordability, compensation, educational quality, enrollment, capital needs, and sustainability. Multi-year projections connect enrollment, tuition, financial assistance, operating costs, compensation, debt, capital expenditures, and cash flow.
• A disciplined and useful budget process
  Annual operating and capital budgets reflect the school’s mission and strategic priorities. Leaders understand budget assumptions, responsibilities, and material variances, and receive timely analysis and recommendations when circumstances change.
• Accurate, timely, and trustworthy financial operations
  Accounting, payroll, purchasing, accounts payable and receivable, tuition billing and collection, cash management, financial reporting, and related processes operate accurately and on schedule. Internal controls, policies, compliance practices, and audit follow-through protect the school’s assets and maintain confidence in its records.
• Financially informed tuition, enrollment, and access decisions
  The Chief Operating Officer and enrollment leadership can evaluate how enrollment trends, tuition, financial assistance, fees, payment plans, class size, and school capacity affect revenue and educational quality. Tuition and access recommendations support both family access and long-term financial sustainability.
• Responsible stewardship of cash, capital, assets, and risk
  Cash flow, liquidity, reserves, banking, debt, investments, insurance, and significant risks are actively monitored. Capital projects are evaluated for affordability and long-term impact, and budgets and expenditures are managed against approved plans. Contingency and business continuity planning address material exposures.
• Effective business systems and administrative support
  The Business Office is well led, accountable, and continually improving. Business and technology systems provide reliable information, protect confidential data, and support efficient processes. Financial and administrative oversight helps ensure that HR, payroll, benefits, compensation planning, facilities, and technology investments are responsibly managed.
• Dependable financial partnership with the Board and Advancement
  The Head of School, COO, Board of Governors, Finance Committee, and other appropriate committees receive clear, accurate, actionable financial information. Advancement receives effective support for gift acceptance review, restricted-gift and endowment accounting, pledge and grant reconciliation, campaign-cost analysis, and philanthropic cash-flow forecasting. Board-approved policies are implemented while governance and administrative responsibilities remain distinct.
• Collaborative senior leadership that advances Geneva’s mission
  The CFO contributes beyond the finance function to strategic planning and institutional decisions, communicates complex financial matters clearly and discreetly, develops the Business Office team, and builds trust with school leaders, employees, families, Board members, and external advisors. Financial decisions consistently serve Geneva’s classical Christian educational mission.

3. How Success Should Be Measured
The COO and CFO should establish an annual scorecard with specific targets based on Geneva’s approved budget, strategic priorities, current financial position, and reporting calendar. The measures below are suggested evidence of success; numerical targets should be agreed upon rather than assumed in this profile.

• Financial forecasting and sustainability: Timeliness and usefulness of multi-year forecasts; forecast accuracy; early identification of material risks and opportunities; progress against agreed liquidity and reserve goals.
• Budget management: Budget delivered on the agreed calendar; quality of assumptions; timeliness of budget-to-actual reports; explanation and follow-up of significant variances; adherence to approved budget controls.
• Accounting, reporting, and compliance: Timeliness and accuracy of monthly and annual reporting; audit outcome and timely resolution of findings; completion of required filings and compliance activities; effectiveness of internal controls.
• Tuition and enrollment analysis: Timeliness and usefulness of tuition and enrollment scenarios; quality of analysis connecting enrollment, financial assistance, revenue, class size, and capacity; progress against approved financial sustainability objectives.
• Cash, capital, and risk stewardship: Regular liquidity and reserve monitoring; cash-flow visibility; capital-project performance against approved budgets and schedules; timely review of insurance and significant risk exposures; readiness of contingency plans.
• Systems and operational improvement: Completion and impact of agreed process improvements; reliability and security of business systems; reduction of avoidable errors or manual work; quality of service to internal stakeholders.
• Advancement and governance support: Accuracy of restricted-gift, pledge, grant, endowment, and campaign reporting; timely reconciliations; quality and timeliness of Board and committee materials; responsiveness to agreed requests.
• Leadership and team effectiveness: Progress against Business Office team goals; clarity of roles and accountability; staff development and retention where relevant; feedback from the Head of School, COO, senior leadership, Board/Finance Committee, and internal partners.
• Review cadence: discuss priorities and measures during onboarding, review progress quarterly with the COO, and conduct a formal annual assessment. Measures should emphasize outcomes within the CFO’s influence while accounting for external factors such as enrollment changes, economic conditions, and Board decisions.

4. Character and Mission Alignment

• A mature Christian faith consistent with The Geneva School’s Statement of Faith and a commitment to living and working in a manner consistent with Geneva’s Christian mission and values.
• A clear understanding of financial leadership as faithful stewardship of resources entrusted to the school.
• Personal and professional integrity, honesty, discretion, humility, wisdom, and a commitment to service.
• Respect for Geneva’s Christian classical educational philosophy and a willingness to continue growing in understanding of the school’s mission.
• Relational maturity and a commitment to the flourishing of the Geneva community.

5.   Competencies

• Strategic financial thinking: sees beyond current results and understands implications for long-term mission and sustainability.
• Sound judgment: makes wise decisions amid competing priorities, incomplete information, and changing circumstances.
• Financial discipline and attention to detail: maintains accurate records, effective controls, prudent spending, and reliable follow-through without losing sight of the larger picture.
• Clear communication: makes complex financial information understandable and actionable for non-financial leaders and Board members.
• Leadership and accountability: develops people, delegates appropriately, establishes clear expectations, and builds a high-performing Business Office.
• Collaboration and influence: builds trust across functions and provides decisive financial leadership while working constructively with others.
• Initiative, resourcefulness, and adaptability: identifies problems, improves systems, and responds thoughtfully to changing circumstances.
• Confidentiality and professional boundaries: handles sensitive financial, employee, family, and organizational information appropriately.

6.   Knowledge and Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in accounting, finance, business administration, or a related field.
• Significant progressive experience in financial management—ideally 7–10+ years overall, including 3–5 years in a senior role such as CFO, Director of Finance, or Controller.
• Demonstrated experience in budgeting, financial reporting, forecasting, cash management, financial analysis, multi-year planning, and financial controls.
• Knowledge of nonprofit financial statements, restricted funds, and nonprofit tax and reporting requirements.
• Experience managing and developing financial or administrative personnel and communicating financial information to non-financial decision-makers.
• Preferred: CPA, MBA, MAcc, or other relevant advanced degree or professional certification.
• Preferred: experience in an independent school, private school, nonprofit, or other mission-driven organization; tuition-based financial models; capital projects, debt financing, and investments; and Board or finance committee support.
• Preferred: experience overseeing HR, facilities, technology, or risk management; familiarity with Blackbaud systems and accreditation requirements; and an understanding of Christian classical education.

Employment information: The Geneva School is committed to providing equal employment opportunities in accordance with applicable federal and state law. Employment decisions are based upon qualifications, experience, abilities, and alignment with The Geneva School’s mission, values, and Statement of Faith.

This position requires background screening through the Florida Care Provider Background Screening Clearinghouse. Information about the Clearinghouse is available at:https://info.flclearinghouse.com/ .