Lake City, Florida
Posted: 24-Feb-26
Location: Orange Park, Florida
Type: Full Time
Salary Details:
Preferred Education:
St. Johns Country Day School seeks a strategic and collaborative Chief Financial Officer (CFO) to lead and manage the school’s finances, facilities, and non-academic operations. The CFO reports directly to and partners with the Head of School, is a member of the Leadership Team, and works closely with the Board of Trustees. The CFO ensures the effective implementation of long-term goals, providing strong and innovative leadership.
The CFO advises on matters related to financial strategic planning, long-range financial planning, and risk management, and represents the School to the external community in financial and related issues. The CFO is responsible for providing excellent financial services, accurate and timely financial reports, conducting flawless financial audits, and ensuring compliance with applicable laws and regulations. The CFO leads a strong team characterized by exceptional levels of accuracy, responsiveness, quality, efficiency, and professionalism.
As a strategic business partner, the CFO significantly impacts by enhancing operational efficiencies to support St. Johns' ongoing growth. The CFO collaborates with the Head of School and Board of Trustees to develop and execute strategic, operational, and financial initiatives and goals that align with the School’s strategic plan and mission. This role demands unwavering honesty, integrity, and candor.
Essential Functions
- Establishes proactive financial strategy, guidelines, and policies to ensure alignment with and achievement of the School’s strategic plan, goals, and objectives
- Prepares requests for proposals for key bid-related business services from external organizations, including insurance companies, auditors, and other business partners.
- Collaborates with the Facilities team to ensure maintenance, repairs, and capital improvements are effectively carried out within budget constraints.
- Plays a lead role in long-range planning and facilities planning, including creating financial and operational models that balance current reality and future aspirations.
- Coordinates all legal and insurance requirements that affect the financial health and well-being of the School.
- Serves as the School’s principal financial and insurance risk manager.
- In cooperation with the Head of School, helps coordinate all phases of major capital construction projects by liaising with external professionals and internal academic and business staff.
- Direct Reports to include: accounts receivable, accounts payable, and auxiliary programs.
Budgetary
- Develops and manages the annual budget, delivering timely financial analysis, quarterly forecasts, and all reporting requirements; similarly maintains a rolling 5-year budget projection.
- Develops and maintains a budgeting system to promote effective communication among administrators.
- Reviews financial and budgetary statements to ensure funds are properly accounted for and the School’s resources are correctly allocated.
- Reviews implications of fundraising proposals and donor gift terms, and collaborates with the Director of Development to ensure proper stewardship of donor funds.
- Ensures payroll processes, including payment and record keeping, are accurate and efficient.
- Prepares and monitors the School’s financial projections.
- Works with the Head of School to develop tuition rates for Board approval.
Financial Management
- Develops a multi-year financial plan in conjunction with the organizational strategic plan.
- Develops and manages the annual operating budget and reports to the Head of School, Finance Committee, and Board of Trustees on the results of the present and future operations of the School.
- Maintains effective relationships with the School’s bank, overseeing management of School assets and debt servicing.
- Serves as liaison to the Board of Trustees for the Finance and Audit Committees.
- Oversees the daily operations of the Business Office, including payroll, accounts receivable, accounts payable, financial reporting, internal controls, quarterly reports to the Board, and quarterly and fiscal year-end closings.
- Oversees and facilitates external financial statement audits.
- Establishes and maintains procedures to optimize cash flow and ensure consistent operational liquidity throughout the year.
- Ensures all financial operations comply with federal, state, and local laws
- Oversees debt collection, including negotiations with parents and coordination of collections with the School’s collections manager and the School’s attorney
- Collaborates with external auditors for financial, workers’ compensation, and retirement plans.
- Responsible for preparing Forms 5500 and 990.
Qualifications
To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to easily carry out each essential duty. The requirements listed below represent the knowledge, skills, and/or abilities needed.
- Master’s degree in accounting, business administration, or a related field, along with at least five years of experience managing accounting and finance functions at the controller or director level.
- Enthusiastically supports the School’s mission and clearly understands its business and culture.
- Emphasizes transparency and clarity of motives and efforts to build trusting relationships
- Must be strategic, motivated, creative, organized, trustworthy, positive, and comfortable working closely with a team.
- Able to quickly establish effective working relationships with the Board of Trustees, co-workers, faculty, and parents. Comfortable with and supportive of collaborating with a highly diverse group of people.
- Communicates effectively in non-financial language; skillfully translates and teaches financial literacy, and connects well with the Board of Trustees and various other stakeholders.
- Able to set key performance indicators, prioritize multiple projects and job requirements, meet deadlines, and solve complex, multi-dimensional problems.
- Demonstrates poise under pressure, effective listening skills, tact, and diplomacy; must be an outstanding team player and possess persuasive public speaking and writing abilities.
- Keeps current with technology trends to better understand the business of St. Johns; Proficient in computer systems and common office programs, including word processing, spreadsheets, and accounting software, preferred: Veracross.