Associate Director of Financial Reporting

Ethical Culture Fieldston School

New York, NY, USA

Published: 6/14/2022

Full Time

Job Description

Who we are?

Ethical Culture Fieldston School is a progressive PreK-12 independent school that has been serving students from throughout New York City and the surrounding suburbs since 1878. ECFS offers a rich curriculum in the arts, sciences, and humanities. A co-ed, nonsectarian school, it serves a diverse community of about 1,700 students on two campuses -- one in the Riverdale section of the Bronx and the other in Manhattan.

What is essential about working at our school?

The Ethical Culture Fieldston School has a long history of equity and inclusion deeply rooted in our mission and the educational philosophy of our founder, Felix Adler. We embrace diversity of ancestry, family, identity, culture, and beliefs and seek a student body and faculty that reflect the pluralism and socio-economic diversity of metropolitan New York. We affirm both our differences and commonalities and strive to balance individuality and community. In keeping with our progressive tradition, we are dedicated to increasing our students’ cultural literacy to help them understand multiple perspectives and see the world beyond the self.

We expect members of our community to engage in open dialogue about living and learning in a diverse environment inside and outside the classroom. We see this work, with its creative tensions, as a catalyst for individual and collective growth. On a daily basis, we are committed to making this vision of a democratic, pluralistic, and progressive school a reality.

Position Summary
The Associate Director of Financial Reporting will have the day-to-day responsibilities of overseeing the maintenance of financial data, reports, and systems. They will manage the annual budget process and develop innovative financial reporting to enable informed decision-making at all levels of the organization. The Associate Director will report directly to the Controller and will assist Finance leadership in ensuring the school’s sustainability and accuracy of financial information, compliance, and confidentiality of information.

The hiring range for this position is $130,000-$150,000. When determining the salary for a position, ECFS considers factors including, but not limited to: the scope and responsibilities of the position, internal peer equity, key skills required for the role, the candidate’s work experience, education and training, as well as market and organizational considerations.

Please note that this is an onsite role and not performed remotely. Ethical Culture Fieldston School retains its right to modify job duties in accordance with changing operational needs.

Responsibilities
Specific responsibilities of the Associate Director will include:

Managing the annual budget process and quarterly updates by coordinating with departments on data collection and ensuring that data is loaded into the school’s financial system in an accurate and timely manner.
Coordinating with the Controller and Chief Financial Officer (CFO) on development of standard financial reports for audit, board reporting, and other management purposes; customizing financial reporting in Blackbaud Financial Edge Next to support department-level decision making.
Developing a reliable schedule of reporting to key stakeholders which includes meeting regularly with budget managers to ensure expenses are properly monitored and guiding direct reports in reporting and monitoring assigned areas of school budget.
Partnering with the Technology team on implementation, maintenance, and enhancement of all school financial systems. Interfacing with third-party vendors and other stakeholders to ensure school is maximizing available financial system features.
Developing internal guidelines for access and usage of financial systems to ensure quality control of data. Creating documentation to outline how multi-system processes support school financial operations.
Creating effective communications and training programs for the ECFS community about financial policies, procedures and systems, with the goal of making financial operations more understandable, accessible, and consistent.
Identifying opportunities to streamline and improve existing accounting and reporting processes, including banking and other financial reconciliations, financial reporting, monthly and annual close, etc.
Maintaining the daily flow of financial information to achieve timely and efficient close and post deliverables including P&L reviews, commentary, various analysis, schedules, and reporting.
Coordinating with the Advancement team on fund-level reporting for external stakeholders; developing project-based reports for external donors, grant sponsors, and funding agencies.
Promoting a culture of continuous improvement and data-informed decision-making across the Finance team.
Supervising and mentoring direct reports, ensuring the team delivers high-quality analysis, reporting, and planning support.
Fostering positive relationships with team members and various stakeholders;
Motivating and inspiring the team and coworkers to achieve goals; and
Performing other related projects and duties as needed and assigned

Qualifications
The successful incumbent will possess:

A Bachelor's Degree in Finance, IT, Business, Accounting, or a related field or relevant work experience. MBA or CPA preferred;
A minimum of 5-7 years of professional experience in financial reporting and systems, preferably in non-profit or higher education environment;
3-5 years of previous experience working with advanced technologies and collaboration tools such as applications included in a Google Workspace environment;
Advanced knowledge of budget management, financial analysis, financial modeling, and non-profit/fund accounting principles;
Working knowledge of Blackbaud NXT accounting software or comparable ERP modules (e.g. General Ledger, Accounts Payable, Purchasing, Grants) and related reporting tools;
Strong data management and Excel skills, including querying, pivot tables, and extensive formulaic knowledge; experience with data visualization tools a plus;
Familiarity with financial system interfaces, data integrations, and reconciliation processes involving third party or internal systems;
Excellent verbal, written, and oral communication skills to effectively communicate initiatives, facilitate discussions, and present to various levels of stakeholders;
The ability to identify issues quickly and problem solve accordingly, and to remain calm in stressful situations that may arise;
The ability to collaborate and build strong relationships with faculty, administrators, and the overall community;
Proven ability to multi task and shift priorities while delivering high-quality error-free work under tight deadlines;
The ability to handle confidential materials with discretion while maintaining a high level of integrity;
Ability to manage others, including identifying goals and milestones, working with them to enable them to meet expectations, training, and providing feedback;
A positive attitude and the ability to listen effectively and be receptive to feedback;
Must be collaborative, hands-on, results-oriented, innovative, and operate with the utmost integrity at all times;
Is well-organized, resourceful, efficient, skilled at prioritizing, and effective at marshaling resources to get the job done;
Reliability, punctuality, and consistent attendance; and
The ability to cultivate a welcoming culture in which all members of our community feel valued and appreciated.

To Apply
All candidates should visit our employment page at www.ecfs.org to apply. Please send a resume and contact information for three references.

EEO
ECFS is an equal opportunity employer. We seek to be a welcoming community of professionals that broadly reflects the people of the metropolitan New York City area, our students, and families. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment and will not be discriminated against on the basis of race, color, religion or religious practices, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, citizenship status, national origin, age, ability status, military status, unemployment status or any other category protected by applicable local, state, or federal laws. We are committed to hiring practices that ensure all candidates are given fair consideration in alignment with our institutional mission and goals.