Director of Finance

The Orchard School

Founded in 1922, Orchard is an independent, non-sectarian, Progressive school for over 500 students in preschool through 8 ^th grade. Orchard is committed to advance each student’s academic success, self-confidence, open-mindedness, ethical character, leadership, and love of learning. Located in north Indianapolis on a 43- acre wooded campus with a state-of-the-art facility, Orchard promises academic excellence through a well-rounded education, engaging the natural curiosity of students in an active, child-centered, and experiential learning environment.  We seek, and strive to maintain, a diverse and inclusive school community, and are committed to the principles that promote diversity, equity, and inclusion. We value the skills, knowledge and experiences a diverse workforce brings to our school. 

The Position

The Orchard School seeks an experienced, mission-driven, and collaborative Director of Finance to inspire and lead a dedicated team of finance professionals. The DoF reports directly to the Head of School and serves as a member of the Senior Administrative team. Primary responsibilities include development and management of the operating budget, oversight of all accounting and payroll functions, long-term financial planning, legal and risk management. S/he collaborates regularly with the financial aid and development offices to achieve institutional goals, and is a senior administrative liaison to committees on Finance, and Investment of the Board of Directors.

Particular Domains of Responsibility

General:

• Directly supervising the performance of the Controller and Accounting Manager
• Providing direct support to the Investment, Finance, and Audit Committees of the Board of Directors, including minutes, notification of meetings, agendas, reservations of meeting rooms, and providing related materials
• Educating all stakeholders in best business and financial practices

Business and Finance:

• Supervising the Business Office and its responsibilities, including accounting, collections, payables, borrowing, banking, risk management, payroll, and investment strategies and services
• Developing and presenting annually to the Board of Directors a corporate budget, and updating and maintaining the working budget throughout the year
• Overseeing bidding for services to include but not limited to auditing, copying services, payroll service, and banking
• Designing and implementing self-insured employee health insurance plan
• Overseeing 403(b) fiduciary to ensure ERISA compliance
• Overseeing preparation of all work papers and documents the school’s various audits
• Ensuring the school’s purchase order system is consistently applied and that standards as set by the Board are clearly transmitted to employees
• Providing leadership and guidance to administrators relative to corporate and cost center budgeting
• Overseeing relationships with other vendors and school business partners, including the school’s endowment manager

Additional Duties and Responsibilities

• Preparing monthly special financial statements and reports for the school’s Directors & Cost Center Managers, Parents’ Association, Finance Committee, Investment Committee, Audit Committee, and Buildings and Grounds Committee. Also, as required, for the Board of Directors
• Maintaining the official policy handbook of The Orchard School
• Working closely with other members of the senior administrative team
• Maintaining official corporate documents of the school
• Other related duties as assigned

Required Qualifications and Attributes

• BS or BA degree in accounting from a 4-year accredited college required. Master’s degree preferred.
• At least 10 years of progressively responsible experience in financial management, with at least 5 years in a nonprofit organization
• Professional knowledge of GAAP required
• Strong working knowledge of EXCEL required
• Familiarity with business operations and the budgeting process at independent schools or non-profits preferred
• Working knowledge of accounting software preferred
• Must protect confidential information and establish credibility
• Excellent interpersonal skills with an ability to interact with diverse personalities, demonstrating tact, flexibility and compassion
• Judgment that is consistent with standards, practices, procedures, regulation or governmental law while recognizing and supporting the organization’s priorities
• Ability to define problems, collect data, establish facts, draw valid conclusions, and make recommendations to management
• Ability to read, analyze and interpret legal and other technical documents
• Ability to write effective and grammatically correct letters, reports, spreadsheets, and other business correspondence and to present information to applicable constituencies
• Ability to communicate with compassion and be helpful to all community members
• Willingness to “teach” other employees about accounting and budgeting as needed
• Commitment to professional development as it pertains to being a Director of Finance at an independent school, including networking with other like schools and participation with NBOA
• Commitment to leading the administrative team annually to benchmark our statistics and business practices against other independent schools
• A passion for the mission and vision of The Orchard School
• A commitment to embracing and cultivating diversity within the workplace and school settings
• An ability to collaborate with multiple departments and lead complex projects
• Forward thinking and flexible