St. Luke’s School New York, New York Director of Finance and Operations July 2016 www.stlukeschool.org
The Position
Mission Statement At St. Luke’s, we seek to give our students a sound cognitive foundation for their lives and prepare them for admission to and continuing success in future schools. As an Episcopal Church School, and through our relationship with the Church of St. Luke in the Fields, we also seek to do something more. St. Luke’s is a small school, deliberately. Its size enables us to focus on each child as an individual. Its size also allows everyone to know everyone else. It fosters a feeling of family - a supportive climate of trust and understanding, communicating values and building community. In this environment, children form positive relationships with classmates and teachers, with older children and with younger ones. St. Luke’s is coeducational and heterogeneous. Its students and faculty come from a variety of backgrounds - racial, ethnic, economic, religious. We value and actively encourage this mutually enriching diversity. It is part of the process of helping each child discover his or her own uniqueness and infinite worth as a human being - and at the same time, that of others. St. Luke’s is a traditional school, in that it has a strong academic curriculum, high standards, clear and consistent boundaries and expectations. Within that structure, we emphasize freedom. We use varied educational approaches and techniques to help stimulate independent thinking - to free the children to question, challenge, explore, and pursue truth wherever it leads. We encourage them to express their imagination and creative powers, in science and mathematics as well as in words, music, and art. Interdisciplinary teaching allows content from one subject area to reinforce another and open up fresh insights. Above all, St. Luke’s seeks to awaken in children a lifelong love of learning, a sense of joy and wonder at God’s universe, and a deep feeling of connection to the natural world. We hope that whatever they go on to do and be, we will have prepared them to be good stewards of the world’s resources - responsible, caring members of one global human community.
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A coeducational Episcopal day school founded in 1945 and located on a two-acre landmark block in the West Village, St. Luke’s School offers a balanced and challenging Junior Kindergarten through Grade eight curriculum that serves students of all faiths. Small by intent and design, St. Luke’s size promotes openness, accessibility, and collaboration. Each of its 274 students is encouraged to become an active, responsible, and contributing member of the school community. Honesty, respect, excellence, compassion, and dignity constitute the school’s community standards. At this time, St. Luke’s School seeks a new Director of Finance and Operations to succeed the incumbent, who will be retiring at the conclusion of this academic year. The new Director will work closely with the Head of School, the Administrative team, and the Finance Committee of the school’s Board of Trustees in the planning, coordination, and execution of the school’s financial management and operations.
Curriculum The Lower School (JK – grade four) offers an enriched and nurturing environment in which young children can flourish both academically and socially. Gradelevel teachers and specialists work as an instructional team to promote a balance between academic fundamentals and enrichment. The Lower School program fosters intellectual risk-taking so that students can develop confidence and competence in all areas of school life to ensure academic success in future years. The Upper School (grades five through eight) curriculum simultaneously challenges and supports St. Luke’s older students. The courses build strong academic skills, promote responsible study habits, and help students reason logically and communicate their thoughts clearly, concisely, and effectively in speech and in writing. Group work and cooperative learning foster a climate of respect and appreciation
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for the unique contributions of each child. Teachers involve students in learning activities, requiring them to manage their time and develop an awareness/understanding of how they learn best. The Upper School environment provides consistent structure, clear expectations, and predictable routines. Through this period of intense growth, self-definition, and self-awareness, the homeroom base serves an anchor for the students.
Arts and Athletics St. Luke’s School embraces fine arts education as an essential component of a curriculum that celebrates the whole child. The fine arts program is grounded in experience and exposure; children are encouraged to take risks and explore creative expression in multiple forms. Children develop artistic literacy through the music, art, and drama programs, uncovering and discovering their own musicality, inner artist, and theatricality. The interdisciplinary curriculum provides vital learning opportunities that promote individual development while fostering cooperative learning experiences. Participation in athletics is an integral part of each student’s life at St. Luke’s. The core values of respect, honesty, compassion, excellence, and dignity are carefully woven throughout the school’s athletic teams. Offerings include coed soccer, coed volleyball, boys’ basketball, girls’ basketball, and coed softball.
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A hallmark of the interscholastic program is that is inclusive and supportive of all students. Athletes compete against other New York City independent schools such as Village Community School, Friends Seminary, City & Country, Little Red/ Elisabeth Irwin, Packer Collegiate, and Berkeley Carroll, Cathedral, and Bank Street.
Community Service St. Luke’s School encourages and fosters active involvement in serving school, neighborhood, and world. A service learning approach links classroom curricula to community service projects, and as a result, each class participates in one or more service activities annually. Community service activities include fundraising for charitable organizations, such as UNICEF, City Harvest or Habitat for Humanity; staging a Jog-a-thon to raise funds for organizations selected by Grade three through eight students; or working collaboratively with the Church of St. Luke in the Fields, including support for and service at the St. Clement’s Food Pantry in midtown Manhattan.
Challenges and Responsibilities The new DFO will report to Head of School Bart Baldwin and serve on the school’s senior administrative team. S/he will be a key partner with the Head of School and Board members and direct all financial and operational functions at St. Luke’s. Toward that end, the successful candidate will be a strategic and critical business thinker who can breed immediate trust and confidence among his or her colleagues, Board members, and current parents. The DFO will oversee the work of the Controller, the Assistant Business Manager, the Director of Facilities (a dual-report, to both the school and the church), and the Technology Support Coordinator. Additionally, s/he will work closely with the Human Resources Coordinator, who doubles as the Director of Administrative Services. The school’s independence from the church in 2012 led to a major strategic planning process that The Search Group | Carney, Sandoe & Associates
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entails expanding the school from 200 students to 325 students while engaging in a $25 million construction project. The two-story addition will add approximately 20,000 square feet, including nine new classrooms, a 4,500 square-foot gym, new space for learning specialists, a second science room, an onsite dance room, an expanded music room, and an expanded multi-purpose performance space. The project is being funded through fundraising and a loan, in equal parts. Scaffolding is currently being erected, with construction to begin in earnest in June 2016, with completion anticipated well in advance of the 2017-18 academic year. Independence (financially and operationally), the consequential and relatively new governing Board, enrollment expansion, and major construction has had and will continue to shape the responsibilities of the new DFO and his or her responsibilities. The successful candidate will have demonstrated successful managerial leadership, experience in a broad range of financial matters, and experience in project development and management. Further, s/he will have an affection for a school environment and the ability to communicate effectively and interface easily with all constituencies both inside and outside of the School.
Core Responsibilities In addition to embracing the mission of the school, supporting its Head and leadership, and representing the school at professional and public forums, the new DFO has a number of primary responsibilities: • Oversee the development, administration, and reporting of the operating and long-term budget to the school’s Board of Trustees; Finance Committee; auditors; federal, state, and local authorities; lenders; donors; and various school administrative offices. • Oversee the administration of the school’s endowment; execute endowment and investment policy; implement investment decisions of the Investment Committee; and coordinate with the endowment consultants, investment managers, and custodians, ensuring effective endowment allocations, performance, and reporting. • Oversee all school operations including personnel, maintenance, food service, campus security, neighborhood relations, etc. • Build and/or maintain the school’s short- and long-term strategic financial models. • Work with consultants and outside lenders in obtaining and managing commercial funding; monitor compliance with loan covenants and rations. • Serve as chief staff liaison to the Finance and Buildings & Grounds committees of the Board of Trustees, working closely with Committee chairs and organizing agendas and meeting materials. • Collaborate with the school’s counsel and insurance agents regarding all legal and risk management matters. • Ensure that the school is in compliance with all local, state, and federal reporting requirements. • Oversee the physical plant, grounds, and construction functions with the Director of Facilities; help plan and direct all replacements and renewals of the physical plant. • Publically represent the school in a positive and proactive way, collaborating with other school administrators, neighbors, and New York City officials. • Act as liaison between the School and Church of St. Luke’s in the Fields on matters pertaining to facilities, pension, and other benefits and programs. • Work with the Human Resources Coordinator to provide sound and consistent employment policies, adequate staffing levels, compensation, and appropriate benefits programs. • Help implement and administer all employee benefit programs including health insurance; retirement; worker’s compensation; life insurance; and other related plans. • Collaborate with the Head of School and other senior administrators on providing leadership regarding employee hiring, termination, compensation, and management. The Search Group | Carney, Sandoe & Associates
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• Oversee the annual financial and 403b plan audits and filings of tax returns. • Serve as a member of the Financial Aid Committee. • Provide transparent financial reporting and planning that builds trust among administrators, faculty and staff, students and alumni, parents, and trustees.
Desired Experience and Characteristics • • • • • •
Bachelor’s degree required; M.B.A. preferred 10-plus years of financial and business leadership Experience on senior administrative teams and working with non-profit Boards Experience working in an educational setting or another non-profit organization preferred Experience in human resource management, employee benefits (including pension plans), and payroll procedures
Personal Characteristics • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
Child-oriented and committed to education Able to understand and embrace the mission of the school Strategic thinker who sees the larger picture Able to balance and prioritize the needs of the school Able to manage and mentor staff A good listener A strong, team player Empathetic, open, and warm Fair, but demanding; willing to say “no” Community-minded Versatile and flexible Superb people skills Process-oriented Discreet Committed to diversity and inclusion practices Excellent communications skills
Compensation package will be highly competitive and commensurate with experience.
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To Apply Submit electronically and as separate documents the following materials: • Cover letter expressing interest in the DFO position • Current résumé • List of 5 references with name, phone number, and email address of each to: John G. Clark john.clark@carneysandoe.com Senior Search Consultant Carney, Sandoe & Associates 44 Bromfield Street, Boston, MA 02138 www.carneysandoe.com ~ St. Luke’s School is an Equal Opportunity Employer ~
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