OVERVIEW

The Lycée Français de San Francisco (LFSF), an international school located on three campuses in the Bay Area, provides a rigorous, high quality, multilingual education to approximately 900 students from Preschool (Age 2) through High School. LFSF truly serves an international community as families represent over fifty nationalities and speak more than 30 different languages. A proud member of the Agency for French Teaching Abroad (AEFE) network of 500 sister schools around the globe, LFSF also is an IB Candidate School and is pursuing membership in the 5000+ network of IB World Schools. From Preschool through High School, LFSF seeks to instill curiosity, respect, empathy, and excellence – four fundamental values that are relevant to students’ lives in and outside of school. The LFSF Preschool program focuses on socialization and inspiring students to question, create, and explore as they develop confidence and individuality. Students can then enter either the French Track that delivers the French national curriculum leading to the French Baccalaureate or starting in 2024, the International Track (or iTrack), offering an outstanding French language acquisition curriculum leading to an International Baccalaureate diploma. Both the French Track and the International Track meet the requirements for a national US high school diploma. In July 2017, Head of School Emmanuel Texier joined LFSF bringing energy and vision to create and implement a strategic plan that included the development of the International Track in response to changing demographics in the Bay Area.

Founded in 1967 by a group of parents and teachers, LFSF graduated its first senior class in 1977. Over the past forty-five years, the school has expanded to its current multi-campus plan. In 1986, the school added a North Bay campus that was moved in 2013 to the current Sausalito site, which houses a Primary program (Ages 2 – Grade 5). In 1996, LFSF acquired its Ashbury campus, which originally served both the Primary and Secondary programs. As the school continued to grow, LFSF added the Ortega campus in 2005 and moved the Secondary program (grades 6-12) to this location.

Now, LFSF seeks a skilled and thoughtful leader to serve as the school’s next Chief Financial Officer (CFO) starting in July 2024. Reporting directly to Head of School Emmanuel Texier, the new CFO will be responsible for coordination and execution of the school’s financial management, legal compliance and reporting, and operations for all three campuses. The CFO will work in strategic partnership with the Head of School and the Board of Trustees, while collaborating regularly with the Senior Administrative Team, to implement the 2020 strategic plan. Lycée Français de San Francisco is a diverse, tight knit, multicultural, international community of students, families, and employees. Compelling candidates will possess outstanding financial knowledge and skills, strong leadership, cross cultural respect and competency, and effective communication skills.

OPPORTUNITIES AND CHALLENGES

Opportunities

• Serve as a strategic partner with the Head of School, while collaborating with the Board committees and the Senior Administrative Team.
• Gain experience with overseeing the financial management, planning, legal compliance and reporting, operations, and facilities of a large, complex international school.
• Ensure implementation of a multi-year, data-based business model in support of strategic
• Develop a long-term investment strategy to grow the school’s
• Be an integral part of a very exciting, diverse, multicultural school
• Direct strategic involvement with the planning and implementation of the International Track (iTrack). In response to changing demographics in the market.

Challenges

• Ability to understand and navigate a complex, diverse, multicultural school
• Overseeing the finances, operations, and facilities on three distinct campuses and serving as an

active, engaged presence at each location.

• Successfully multi-tasking while managing finances, compliance and reporting, human resources,

operations, and facilities.

• Having the ability to interact and negotiate with a faculty
• Handling the compliance and reporting requirements for the French ministry, IRS, and CAIS, as well

as the state of California and local municipalities.

• Developing strategy to build additional cash reserves to strengthen its financial position.

RESPONSIBILITIES

In addition to embracing Lycée Français de San Francisco’s mission, supporting its Head and leadership, and representing the school at professional and public forums, the new CFO has a number of primary responsibilities:

• Provide strategic leadership, analysis, and management of finances and
• Establish financial and capital strategies that are consistent with the strategic
• Serve on the Head of School’s Administrative Team and lead, co-lead, or participate in several other

teams and committees.

• Oversee all business office functions including all financial reporting to the Head of School, Board

of Trustees, and various committees.

• Serve as chief staff liaison to the Board’s Finance and Investment
• Build and/or maintain the school’s short- and long-term strategic financial
• Oversee the administration of the school’s
• Oversee School operations including personnel, maintenance, and
• Maintain strong relationships with banks and lenders to ensure that funding is secured for the needs of the school and compliance with loan terms.
• Administer and manage all employee benefit programs including health insurance, retirement, worker’s compensation, life insurance, and other related plans.
• Manage insurance programs including property, casualty, medical, workers’
• Ensure compliance with all local, state, and French Ministry of Education and Foreign Affairs

reporting requirements.

• Collaborate effectively with all
• Participate in diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging professional
• Coordinate closely with the Facilities Director on oversight of the physical plant, grounds, and construction functions.

QUALIFICATIONS AND PERSONAL ATTRIBUTES

• Bachelor’s degree required, MBA or CPA preferred;
• 10-15 years of senior-level experience creating and executing financial forecasting, planning, analysis, and management strategies;
• Experience managing a team, setting clear goals, responsibilities, expectations, and clear methods of accountability;
• Demonstrated cultural competency and understanding of the school’s mission, vision, and values as a bilingual French immersion school in the San Francisco Bay Area;
• While reporting to the HOS, directly oversee all Finance-related matters, IT infrastructure, HR, Facilities, and all LFSF current and future licensing.
• Experience managing an in-office team, successfully creating cohesion among the team itself;
• Proven record of accomplishment designing, implementing, and managing large-scale organizational

change;

• Superb communication skills; excellent written, verbal, and presentation skills
• Demonstrated proficiency in cross-cultural communication in a diverse school community;
• Strong interpersonal skills, approachable, visible, and present;
• Demonstrated ability to understand complex subjects, distill them, and then communicate them to varied audiences;
• Experience in an independent school preferred, though individuals with strong financial and leadership skills are welcome;
• Experience on senior administrative teams and working with non-profit Boards;
• Demonstrated experience in measuring and improving organization-wide productivity;
• Demonstrated experience in the development of analysis for strategic decision-making, such as key cost drivers, competitive analysis, market analysis, organizational strengths and weaknesses, ;
• Experience in human resource management, employee benefits (including pension plans), and payroll procedures. Knowledge of business and not-for-profit accounting policies, procedures, practices, facilities, and software programs. Ability to navigate a unionized faculty and staff;
• Demonstrated commitment to equitable and inclusive practices;
• Ability to think and plan strategically and creatively;
• Ability to supervise, manage, and delegate multiple functions and activities;
• Ability to remain calm, flexible, and work effectively under pressure;
• Skilled at negotiating and initiating contracts with external vendors;
• Aptitude for high customer-service standards;
• Consistent demonstration of a strategic, independent, and entrepreneurial mindset;
• A track record of strong integrity and professionalism.

LEARN MORE

Click on the links below to learn more about Lycée Français de San Francisco.

School Website Bilingual Education Diversity and Inclusion

College Matriculation

About San Francisco, California

TO APPLY

Interested and qualified candidates are invited to contact the consultants in confidence. Candidates will

ultimately need to submit the following materials as separate PDF documents:

• A cover letter expressing their interest in this particular position;
• A current résumé;
• A list of five professional references with name, relationship, phone number, and email address of each (references will not be contacted without the candidate’s permission) to:

Scott Nelson

Consultant scott.nelson@carneysandoe.com

Cathy Shelburne

Consultant cathy.shelburne@carneysandoe.com

Sara Shulman

Consultant sara.shulman@carneysandoe.com

The full-time equivalent salary range for this position is $250,000-$300,000. The starting salary is based upon, but not limited to, several factors that include years of experience, education level, and expertise.