Chief Financial Officer, Hertford County Public Schools

About Hertford County Public Schools

Situated in the region known as the Inner Banks, Hertford County Public Schools (HCPS) is a PK-12 school district led by Superintendent Dr. Jesse Pratt. The district consists of seven schools serving approximately 2500 students  and strives to achieve its mission as the choice for all families, providing a safe and caring environment, which empowers and graduates globally competitive students through diverse opportunities.

About the Chief Financial Officer Position

Reporting directly to the Superintendent, the Chief Financial Officer leads the team in stewarding the fiscal resources that will allow Hertford County Public Schools to accomplish its key goals outlined in the district plan.  The person in this role will supervise and manage key day-to-day responsibilities to carry out policies and procedures for HCPS financial operations, including developing comprehensive short-and long-range budgets. The Chief Financial Officer must be an experienced and accomplished finance and accounting professional, a key advisor to the Senior Team members, and a collaborator with other departments and stakeholders (internal and external) that support the district’s improvement. The team includes professional, technical, and clerical personnel in the following departments: Purchasing, Payroll, Accounts Payable, Accounting, Child Nutrition Services, Transportation, and Facilities.  

Specific Duties and Responsibilities  

Finance Leadership and Management

• Oversees the preparation and management of the Board of Education’s (BOE) annual budget, final budget document, and comprehensive annual financial report (CAFR) in accordance with the Government Finance Officers Association of the United States and Canada (GFOA) Distinguished Budget Presentation Award Program requirements.
• Plans, organizes, directs, and supervises operations of the Financial Services Division:
  • Maintain, control, and analyze full adherence and implementation of HCPS fiscal policies and procedures.
  • Direct and participate in formulating and implementing applicable finance policies, ensuring adherence to generally accepted accounting practices and principles of governmental accounting.
  • Successful implementation of financial and budget goals, effective controls and monitoring of the district’s budget, efficient operational processes, and excellent service to schools and district offices.
  • Lead long-term financial planning, forecasting
  • Maintenance of accounting work on grants received by schools, processing adequate records, reimbursements, code reviews, etc., to comply with applicable laws and ordinances.
  • Establish forecasting model 
• Assists members of the Superintendent’s Senior Team with financial matters as necessary, including, but not limited to, answering inquiries and explaining policies and procedures, preparing budget estimates, and determining the cost of new, expanded, or reorganized programs.
• Assumes a leadership role on the Superintendent’s Senior Team regarding long-range strategic planning, policies, and other activities.
• Assists outside auditors in the completion of the BOE’s annual financial audit.
• Provides information, advice, assistance, and recommendations to the Superintendent, BOE, and County Commissioners.

District Leadership and Student Success 

• Cultivate a commitment among all district and school-based staff to enable all students to achieve high standards. 
• Support the implementation of strategic financial strategies that maximize available funds and ensure equitable distribution of resources across the district to support student success.
• Provide strategic leadership to develop the district’s annual budget and multi-year financial plans with the Superintendent and Senior Team.
• Represent the district, as needed, on budgetary matters in various venues, delivering written and oral presentations on HCPS budget and fiscal matters and other financial concerns to the BOE, Superintendent, administrators and teachers, parents, and community groups.
• Prepares and submits items requiring the Board of County Commissioners’ approval to appropriate Hertford County staff and attends all relevant meetings to provide information as requested.

Systems, Support, and Execution

• Safeguards HCPS physical assets by implementing adequate internal controls and ensuring adequate accounting records to document compliance with local, state, and federal laws and ordinances.
• Create proactive systems that garner feedback from the district office and schools to inform the budget process, budget transparency, and fiscal stewardship.
• Ensure the successful implementation of the new Enterprise Resource Planning system.
• Oversees the district’s process management system and develops tools to move from paper to systems-based processes.

Talent Development and Management 

• Lead an effective team that will unite around a shared vision of operational excellence and support.
• Supervise and conduct personnel administration duties, including hiring and firing recommendations, evaluating, assigning special duties, monitoring attendance and travel reports, and approving leave for all direct reports. 
• Build capacity of and cultivate positive relationships among staff internally and within the broader district, including principals, support staff, and the larger community.
• Update documentation and training materials for all staff to ensure proper compliance with financial procedures in HCPS.

Key Competencies 

The ideal candidate will demonstrate the following: 

Financial and Accounting Expertise

• Demonstrates a high level of budget management and financial planning expertise, including implementing a clear and transparent budget process that aligns with the district’s key priorities and initiatives.
• Evidence of long-term financial planning and developing forecasting models.
• Educate all staff, especially non-finance staff, on budget management and workflow.

Effective Planning and Execution

• Exhibit outstanding critical thinking skills, including analyzing data, identifying trends, pinpointing problems and root causes, asking probing questions, and developing feasible solutions.
• Demonstrate the ability to build efficient financial systems, budget workflows, and standard operating procedures to deliver the desired outcomes for HCPS. 
• Demonstrate excellent execution and leadership skills and the ability to successfully lead staff to achieve goals accurately and on time.

Influence and Effective Communication

• Communicate effectively, tailoring messages for the audience, context, and mode of communication.
• Prepare the Superintendent and Senior Team, and board members for effective decision-making conversations, anticipating and organizing key questions and data that support productive discussions to direct key fiscal priorities.

Team Leadership and Management

• Build the team culture to foster excellence and collaboration and to deliver high quality customer service to achieve all goals and objectives.
• Assess team and individual skills and identify development needs; provide feedback and support to improve practice, build capacity, and maximize talent.
• Gain the trust and respect of all staff, cultivating personal accountability among staff for excellent service, efficient budget processes, and commitment to student achievement.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor’s in Accounting, Finance, or a related career field from an accredited college or university.  MBA, Master’s, and CPA designation preferred. 
• At least seven (7) years of progressive, full-time professional experience in finance, budget leadership, accounting, or business management. Public sector work experience preferred.
• Must have direct experience in budgeting, leading the budget process, financial analysis, and monitoring and evidence of success leading and managing a multi-million dollar budget.
• Four (4) years of senior-level supervisory/administrative/management experience.
• Possess a deep understanding of ERP system implementation and knowledge.
• Experience in implementing comprehensive financial management systems, practices, and policies for an organization of significant size.
• Thorough knowledge of various public budgeting practices, policies, procedures, and challenges. 
• Qualify for certification as a School Finance Officer according to the State Board of Education policy.
• Eligible for a valid NC driver’s license at the time of hire.

Benefits

The salary range for this position is between $100,000 and $120,000, and it is commensurate with prior experience. In addition, a comprehensive benefits package is included.