Our School

French American + International is a PK-12 independent school in San Francisco. Founded in 1962, the school is a multicultural, multilingual educational institution with over 1,100 students across an urban campus in the heart of the city. Guided by the principles of academic rigor and diversity, the French American International School offers programs of study in French and English to prepare its graduates for a world in which the ability to think critically and to communicate across cultures is of paramount importance.

Mission

Our international community brings together people from many backgrounds. Together we strive to create a shared culture that develops compassionate, confident and principled people who will make the world better. We base our community on these values: Respect, Integrity, Inclusion, Collaboration, and Curiosity.

Opportunity

Working at French American + International opens up a myriad of opportunities – both personal and professional. Critical to our Strategic Plan in creating a proud, engaged community, we appreciate our faculty and staff by fostering a community of ongoing learning, respect and collegiality and by providing competitive compensation and benefits. It is also of paramount importance to us that we continue to foster an environment of diversity, equity and inclusion as we build a school community of individuals who are an actual representation of the world we live in.

The Role of the CFO/COO at French American + International

Leadership, Strategy, Collegiality

The CFO at French American is an important school leader and a critical strategic partner to the Head of School, the Leadership Team (LT) and the Board of Trustees

The role encompasses staff stewardship of Finance, Facilities, Endowment, and Audit Committees of the Board, a comprehensive budgeting process, and oversight of all financial, facilities, and human resource operations and reporting.

The CFO identifies and leads discussions at the leadership and Board level about priorities and long-term plans for the school. The school has developed and implemented a robust and sustainable ten-year financial plan, which is revisited every year during the tuition and budget cycle. This process attempts to encompass all known major initiatives and contingencies.

Head of School Melinda Bihn is a key partner and mentor to the CFO. Melinda has been at French American + International since 2014 and has established an excellent working relationship with the entire community. The Leadership Team (LT) is composed of very experienced individuals with a mix of tenures at the school, and the school regularly sends leaders into the headship in other schools.

The LT consists of 4 principals (Maternelle (Early Childhood, Lower, Middle, and High School); Assistant Head for Teaching and Learning; Directors of Admissions, Advancement, Marketing/Communications; and the CFO. The LT has a strong collaborative culture informed by its leadership team code: Be Better Together; Assume Good Intent; Expect Excellence; Say It Here; Cultivate Delight. The last one is especially important!

The Team and Areas of Focus

Finance

The CFO leads a finance team of three: A 20+ year veteran controller who manages all day to day GL and AP functions; a very experienced and long-tenured student billing manager/ financial aid administrator; and a business office coordinator who manages most day to day student billing account matters. These individuals support the work of the CFO and are responsible for all revenue and expense management and reporting. This team plays a key role in processing re-enrollment for the majority of students and works closely with admissions and the section principals on all new student enrollment, attrition matters and reporting. This team supports the CFO in all audit and compliance work.

Human Resources

The HR Department consists of two senior, experienced professionals: an HR Director and an HR Generalist. This team supports the school in all recruiting and onboarding efforts and manages all employee relations; payroll; benefits; and immigration, a significant program at the school due to international hiring. This team also manages the school’s retirement plans and related operations and reporting

Facilities

The CFO manages school facilities in a matrix environment. The school’s main campus comprises several buildings in Hayes Valley. The primary building at 150 Oak Street is owned by NCIS, an organization the school formed in 1997 to hold title to the property (which is technically leased back to the school and, until 2025, to another school as co-tenant). The school owns its nearby Arts Pavilion at 66 Page Street and a new turf field at 84 Page Street. In 2014, the school developed a new Maternelle

(early childhood center) about one mile away at 1155 Page Street. The CFO is primarily responsible for all facilities development projects and is chief interface to the team at the National Center for International Schools (NCIS), the affiliated organization which shares Board members with the school and was created to serve the facilities needs of the school. NCIS provides security, janitorial and general facilities services to the school at all its locations.

IT Infrastructure

The CFO oversees a small team of two IT professionals who manage the school’s Technology assets and infrastructure. A separate team oversees academic technology, which includes teacher and student support and training.

In all areas the CFO is responsible for ensuring compliance with laws and regulations and working with colleagues to develop appropriate risk mitigation strategies.

Major Responsibilities of the CFO

Financial Accounting and Reporting

• 
  Oversees the preparation of the annual budget and guides the Head and Leadership Team in the creation of an annual budget that meets both program and fiscal objectives. The CFO develops recommendations for tuition levels based upon external market data and internal operating objectives. The CFO collaborates with the Director of Advancement in the development of fundraising revenue projections and also collaborates with the Director of After School programs and Global Travel Coordinator to ensure viability of financial planning processes for those programs.
• Based upon trended analyses, the CFO performs monthly/quarterly forecasts to ensure funding of expenditures and to make accurate recommendations to the Head and/or Finance Committee concerning the feasibility and impact of unplanned or additional projects and expenditures. The CFO oversees the monthly budget variance reporting at the cost center level, monitoring problem areas and reporting to the Head on these.
• Based upon need, the CFO designs management reports that provide the Head of School, Finance Committee, and Board of Trustees the data needed to make informed decisions in all financial and human resource matters. The CFO ensures preparation of reports required by Federal, State and local agencies, as well as the French government. The CFO is responsible for annual financial and other audit processes as well preparation of Form 990 IRS reporting.
• The CFO oversees purchasing to ensure that budgetary parameters are respected and that maximum value is obtained on resource acquisition. The CFO develops effective business relationships with the audit firm, banks, vendors and other agencies to ensure sound management of financial resources.
• This leader also oversees student billing and accounts receivable systems and practices to ensure production of timely and accurate statements and timely collections of accounts. The CFO develops appropriate policies with families regarding timely tuition payments.
• The CFO also manages the financial aid and scholarship programs to ensure appropriate allocation of resources and adherence to established budgets and policy, practices and procedures.

Facilities Development and Management

• In conjunction with the Head of School, Facilities and Finance Committees, Board of Trustees and Leadership Team, the CFO develops the goals and timeline for facilities projects and ensures appropriate resources are in place to realize goals.
• The CFO serves as project manager and/or advisor for capital building projects, coordinating planning and design functions among the school, architects, building contractors, and owner’s representatives. The CFO develops project budgets and monitors spending throughout the design and building phases.
• The CFO serves as a liaison to the National Center for International Schools (NCIS) on facilities management and planning issues as appropriate.

Human Resources

• The CFO ensures the design and delivery of a comprehensive benefit program for all employees, collaborates with brokers to ensure competitive pricing and selection and ensures that umbrella insurance packages meet needs of the entire institution.
• This leader collaborates with the Head and officers of the Teacher’s Association in the development and subsequent administration of the collective bargaining agreement.
• The CFO oversees all immigration-related matters (compliance and application processes).
• The CFO ensures execution of regular payroll transfers in a timely fashion (to include tax and retirement plan TIAA-CREF transfers). This leader also develops, updates, and administers human resource policies and procedures for all personnel in conformity with state and federal requirements, ensuring compliance with all regulatory agencies to include employee fingerprinting, background checks, TB testing and so on.

General Management

• The CFO provides training and mentorship to direct reports and develops and sustains a positive, productive, and supportive team culture.
• The CFO supervises the Health Aid and Main Floor Receptionist and IT Infrastructure team
• This leader maintains a positive, productive working relationship with colleagues through service, management assistance, and open communication, and performs other duties as assigned.

Desired Qualities and Qualifications

Education and Experience

• Bachelor’s degree required; Master’s degree preferred;
• CPA, or five years of accounting experience;
• MBA, or five years of strategic planning experience;
• Five years of team leadership experience, including supervising diverse teams;
• High proficiency using technology for financial analysis, operations management, modeling, and reporting; experience with Blackbaud's Financial Edge desired but not required.

Competencies and Qualities

• Exceptional communication, collaboration, and relationship-building skills, including the ability to work with board members and school leaders, to contribute positively to organizational morale and to coach others through change and complexity;
• Excellent operational management skills, including experience with contracting, purchasing, and project management;
• Broad-based analytical, problem-solving and leadership capabilities, and an ability to contribute strategically in areas beyond finance and operations;
• A demonstrated commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion, and an understanding of diverse cultures and experiences and an awareness of implicit bias;
• An ability to create and maintain positive, supportive, and trusting relationships with individuals from diverse backgrounds and positions;
• Effective meeting facilitation skills, with an ability to monitor interpersonal interactions, foster collaboration, inspire productivity, and design clear decision-making processes;
• Drive and self-motivation, an ability to multitask, and exceptional business judgment;
• A desire to work at a mission-aligned PK-12 school in service of a diverse community, including students, families, faculty, and staff.

Working environment, physical requirements, and schedule:

• Work is in person, in an office setting, and requires mobility to traverse the campus to attend meetings and events.
• This job requires attending off-campus events, as well as occasional out-of-town travel.
• This is a full-time, 12-month senior leadership position. The CFO must be available to represent the School at community-wide events and board-related meetings, which may take place on evenings and weekends.
• Proficiency in French is not required, but is an asset.
• Due to visa restrictions, candidates must already be legally authorized to live and work in the U.S.

Benefits

• Medical, Dental, Vision
• 403B - 5% match after 2 years of service
• Commuter Benefits
• Long Term Disability
• 4 weeks Vacation to start (Increased every 2 years)
• 2 Personal days
• 10 Sick days
• Paid Holidays

Salary Range for this position: $240,000 - $290,000 DOE

EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY POLICY

French American International School is committed to providing an open, fair, inclusive, non-discriminatory environment for all individuals across differences of race, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, socio-economic status, ethnicity, age, physical ability, or medical condition. We seek to increase the presence, representation and inclusion of U.S. historically under-represented people of color, international, bilingual and bicultural students, faculty and staff; and, to provide an environment that will attract and retain individuals identified as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, questioning and intersex (LGBTQQI)

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