Career Center

Assistant Head of School for Finance and Operations

Full-Time, Start Date July 1, 2024

Reports to Head of School

Marin Country Day School seeks a talented, experienced, and qualified individual with a demonstrated background of success in leadership and management in the areas of finance and operations.

About Marin Country Day School

MCDS is an independent, K-8, co-educational day school enrolling approximately 600 students from across the Bay area, primarily from San Francisco and Marin.

Our mission at MCDS is to create an inclusive community of learning that inspires curiosity, empathy, and action.

We actively seek diversity in our administration, faculty and student body.  As a school, we affirm that human diversity includes, but is not limited to: age, family structure, gender, gender identity and expression, race, ethnicity, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, socioeconomic class, physical ability, and learning style.

At MCDS, every employee is integral in creating a learning community in which all seek to improve as practitioners, learners and team members, and we support our outstanding faculty and professional staff through our strong professional development program.

Assistant Head for Finance & Operations

Reports to the Head of School

The Assistant Head for Finance & Operations reports to the Head of School and serves as a critical member of the School’s leadership team. The Assistant Head supervises approximately 40 non-faculty employees, collaborates with the Head and Trustees to develop and monitor all aspects of a $31 million budget, participates actively in strategic planning, master planning and supervises all of the School’s finance, human resources, compliance, operational and auxiliary program functions; is essentially responsible for everything that is not academic, admissions, or development related.

Responsibilities

1. Collaborates with the Head and Board to plan, oversee and monitor and report all aspects of the school’s finances
2. Supervises and monitors all non-academic managers and staff in such diverse areas as finance, facilities, transportation, maintenance, food service, custodial and safety and security on the school's 35 acre campus.
3. Collaborates with the Head and Board to develop short and long range budgets and models for pension, endowment, strategic planning and capital projects.
4. Develops and monitors internal policies, practices and systems to facilitate the efficient and safe operation of the school.
5. Supervises and monitors the personnel policies and governmental compliance requirements.
6. Serves as a key member of the administrative team and finance, investment, audit, buildings and grounds and ad hoc committees of the Board.
7. Collaborates with Head of School and Board of Trustees in refinement and implementation of 25-year Master Plan adopted in 2007, and five-year strategic plan launched in 2023.

Professional Qualifications

1. Strong knowledge, experience and an insightful understanding of finance and administration with a solid grasp of accounting. Experience as a CFO or financial leader of a complex organization.
2. Excellent communication (speaking, listening and writing), planning, monitoring and delegating skills. Significant experience as a supervisor; able to juggle multiple tasks and responsibilities simultaneously.
3. Experience and skill in problem solving and understanding financial and other risks and developing solutions for their management.
4. Experience with the development of accurate, timely and useful financial reports. Able to identify and employ appropriate technology across the responsibilities of the position. Understanding of the complexities of gift tracking and development office systems.
5. Excellent interpersonal and organizational skills, integrity, judgment and competence. Effective planning skills, demonstrated ability to multitask and a collaborative, positive, team-oriented approach to work. Experience with boards of directors.
6. Reflects and models the school’s core values of inclusion, curiosity, and empathy, and is positive, discrete and team-oriented.
7. Possesses significant experience as a leader, speaker, and decision maker.
8. Brings experience interacting with contractors, vendors, auditors, insurance risk consultants, technology consultants, etc.
9. Understands the sociology of a school and engenders trust and confidence across constituencies.
10. Experience with master planning, architects, faculty and staff, as well as Trustee committees, e.g., Audit, Buildings and Grounds, Finance, Investment.

Personal Qualifications

1. Ability to fit into the school’s culture, which emphasizes teamwork, creativity, passion, flexibility, achievement, and reflection.
2. Independent, creative thinker with high self-esteem and a sense of humor.
3. High level of energy and ability to carry on multiple tasks simultaneously.
4. High integrity, intelligence, and excellent judgment.
5. Strong interpersonal skills. Ability to generate credibility, trust and respect throughout the organization.

Education

Bachelor’s degree required.  MBA and/or CPA certification preferred.