The Opportunity
Cate School seeks a visionary Head of Finance and Operations (HFO) to steward the distinctive boarding school community through its next chapter of growth and transformation. This pivotal leadership role offers the rare opportunity to shape the financial and operational foundation of a distinguished four-year college preparatory institution serving 300 students in the idyllic setting near Santa Barbara, California. With operating expenses of $35M and an endowment of $135M, the school requires an innovative financial steward who combines meticulous attention to detail with the creative vision to rethink significant cost structures and operational systems. The ideal candidate will be a thoughtful listener and collaborative partner who thrives on investing in school communities, bringing both analytical rigor and imaginative problem-solving to drive sustainable excellence. As a key member of the strategic leadership team reporting directly to the Head of School, the HFO will oversee the Business Office, Facilities & Plant Operations, People Operations, Technology, Food Services, and the School Store while supporting critical board committees in shaping Cate's future. 

Opportunities and Challenges

• The school has a cap of 300 students plus employee children; develop robust financial models to ensure financial sustainability with this enrollment.
• Streamline budget categories and tracking among various departments and ensure that they interact with each other to be able to provide accurate and timely reports. 
• Establish efficient back-office protocols that ensure accurate and timely operations.
• Review health and property insurance plans with the goal to identify innovative approaches to maximize impact while minimizing cost.
• Review all departments and processes to ensure that the school is operating in the most efficient and cost-effective manner while remaining aligned with its mission. 
• Review and model various revenue-producing opportunities and ensure that revenues from auxiliaries are maximized.
• Examine the health center to ensure that it is operating as efficiently and effectively as possible.

Key Strengths 

• Ability to manage multiple priorities and projects simultaneously, with strong project management capabilities.
• Consistent demonstration of an entrepreneurial mindset.
• Superb communication skills; excellent written, verbal, and presentation skills.
• Demonstrated ability to understand complex subjects, distill, and communicate to varied audiences. 
• Skilled at negotiating and initiating contracts with external vendors
• Demonstrated experience in the development of analysis for strategic decision-making, such as KPIs, key cost drivers, competitive analysis, market analysis, organizational strengths, and weaknesses, etc.
• Ability to think and plan strategically and creatively and develop various scenarios for alternate solutions.
• Ability to supervise, manage, and delegate multiple functions and activities. 
• Ability to remain calm, flexible, and work effectively under pressure.
• Aptitude for high customer-service standards.
• High personal integrity, discretion and a commitment to transparency and accountability.
• Commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion in both practice and philosophy.
• Desire to be a part of a vibrant living and learning community. 

For more information, please refer to the school profile.

Nomination and Application Process                      

Nominations and applications are invited for this position. Review of applications will begin immediately, and candidate material received by August 15, 2025, will be assured full consideration, although recruitment will continue until an appointment is announced. Applications (including a cover letter and resume) must be uploaded to: http://lapovsky.hiringthing.com. 

Qualifications

• Minimum of 10 years of financial and operational experience with increasing breadth and leadership responsibilities required.
• Experience in an independent school, nonprofit or higher education setting strongly preferred.
• Experience on senior administrative teams.
• Experience working with non-profit Boards.
• Experience with IT, Facilities and HR highly desirable.
• Bachelor’s degree required. CPA, MBA or other master’s degree desirable.

About Cate School

For over a century, Cate School has been blending together the tradition of the East Coast with the innovation of the West Coast in the service of a dynamic, diverse, and close-knit community. A four-year college preparatory school with a low student-to-faculty ratio, small class sizes, and inviting residential spaces, Cate’s inquiry-based program is designed to challenge, inspire, and support boarding and day students whose interests, abilities, characters, and aspirations make them individually and collectively exceptional. Join a professional community that is celebrated for its transformational pedagogy that fosters curiosity. Here, our faculty thrives within a dynamic culture driven by an unwavering dedication to the greatest growth possible, a spirit of innovation and progress, and a core of care and support for each member of this community.

Connections working at Cate School