Director of Finance

Notre Dame Preparatory School, a Catholic, independent, college preparatory school for girls in grades 6–12 located in Towson, Maryland, is seeking an innovative and experienced Director of Finance to join our team. The Director of Finance reports to the Assistant Head of School for Finance & Administration and serves as a key member of the School Leadership Team. This position is responsible for the strategic planning, oversight, and reporting of all financial operations, including budgeting, accounting, and the management of both operational and contributed funds.

The Director of Finance oversees all aspects of the Business Office, ensuring the effective day-to-day financial management of the school. The Business Office team includes a Controller, Senior Accountant, Staff Accountant and School Store Manager. Responsibilities include, but are not limited to, financial reporting, risk management and insurance, and ensuring compliance with all applicable local, state, and federal regulations.

In addition, the Director of Finance collaborates closely with the Human Resources Department on matters related to employee compensation and benefits. The role also maintains strong professional relationships with external partners such as banks, auditors, insurance brokers, regulatory agencies, and vendors. This position plays a vital role in governance, regularly attending Board of Trustees meetings to provide accurate and comprehensive financial reporting that supports the Board’s fiduciary duties. The Director of Finance also serves as the primary liaison to the Finance and Investment Committees of the Board.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:

Financial Oversight                                                                                                                                                                        

• Prepares and reviews financial reports and budget statements to inform and support decision-making by the Head of School, School Leadership, Board of Trustees and related committees.
• Provides regular updates to the Head of School, Assistant Head of School for Finance & Administration and the Chair of the Finance Committee regarding the school’s financial status.
• Oversee all aspects of school loans, lines of credit, bonds and other forms of indebtedness to ensure responsible debt management and compliance with obligations.

Accounting

• Provide strategic leadership for the business office to include development and implementation of a five-year financial plan and policies and initiatives that support the school’s strategic plan and ensure the financial sustainability and operational efficacy of the school.
• Establishes and maintains effective internal controls and procedures for all financial systems to ensure accuracy, integrity, and compliance.
• Oversee all Business Office operations, including payroll, accounts payable and receivable, cash management, tuition assistance, general ledger, purchasing, tax reporting, and related accounting systems.
• Supervises internal audits of financial and accounting systems to ensure proper controls and reporting.
• Manages the relationship with the school’s independent auditors (annual financial statements and 403(b) plan), including coordinating the preparation of work papers for the annual audit. Responds to and implements, as appropriate, any administrative recommendations outlined in the auditor’s management letter.
• Oversee investments and treasury management.
• Oversee all aspects of the endowment, capital, and restricted funds.
• Ensures that all donor-restricted contributions are properly classified and accounted for in accordance with donor intent and accounting standards.

Budget

• Coordinates the development of the preliminary annual budget by compiling departmental requests and forecasting projected income and operating expenses.
• Educate and support school leadership on the budget process, including onboarding of new school leaders and an annual review of processes for all school leaders, regarding budget development, timelines, and procedures for submitting requests to ensure alignment with the school’s financial planning cycle and strategic goals.
• Collaborates with the Head of School and School Leadership to evaluate and prioritize budgetary needs and recommend enhancements that improve value or reduce costs.
• In partnership with the Head of School and Assistant Head of School for Finance & Administration, formulates recommendations to the Finance Committee regarding tuition increases and staff compensation adjustments.
• Prepares the preliminary and final annual budget proposals for review and approval by the Finance Committee and the Board of Trustees.
• Ensures that all expenditures align with the approved budget or are supported by pre-authorized exceptions from the appropriate authority.

• Bachelor's degree in business administration, operations, accounting, or finance required.
• Advanced degree preferred.
• CPA required.
• Minimum of seven (7) years of leadership experience in financial management and operations required; experience at a not-for-profit organization and/or independent school preferred.  Additional experience preferred.
• In-depth understanding of key financial controls, rules, and regulations.
• Knowledge of investment strategies and techniques; demonstrated record of generating positive return on institutional investments.
• Advanced proficiency with financial and business systems software; expert proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite (particularly Excel); ability to learn and implement new financial or school-specific software systems.
• Track record of leading, motivating, developing, and establishing trust with high performance teams.
• Exceptional written, oral, interpersonal, and presentation skills with all levels.
• Ability to present complicated information in a clear and concise format.
• Strong problem solving, analytical, and mathematical skills to reason, estimate, analyze, and recommend.
• Ability to think ahead and plan over a one-to-five-year time span.
• Consistently exercises discretion and good judgment.
• Models and fosters high ethical standards, integrity, and respect for colleagues, alumnae, parents, and students in the conduct of the School’s business.
• Eagerness to engage in all aspects of the NDP community while promoting the School’s mission, vision, and values.

Annual salary is $130,000 to $160,000 based upon degrees and experience. NDP offers a comprehensive benefits package including health insurance (medical, dental and vision), spending accounts (HCSA, HSA, FSA, DCSA), 403b Plan with employer contribution, employer paid short- and long-term disability, employer paid life insurance as well as generous paid time off (sick, personal, holidays and other school closures). 

All prospective employees must be able to adequately clear a background check. 

Interested candidates should apply online at: https://www.notredameprep.com/employment   

Notre Dame Preparatory School is dedicated to the ideals of transformative education. Inspired by the School Sisters of Notre Dame, the school’s founding order, NDP’s dedicated, creative, and extraordinary faculty present an outstanding educational experience, simultaneously rooted in the liberal arts and relevant to today’s society. Through hands-on projects, experiential learning, and foundational coursework, NDP students think critically, solve problems creatively, and communicate clearly. Outside of the classroom, co-curricular and extra-curricular experiences develop their confidence and leadership. The school’s spiritual and justice mission, rooted in the Gospel and inspired by the SSND charism of unity, anchors students as they seek to become loving, just, and wise young women ready to change the world for the better. 

EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY STATEMENT 

Consistent with all applicable laws, Notre Dame Preparatory School will recruit, hire, train, and promote persons in all job titles without regard to race, color, religion, sex, age, disability, national origin, veteran status, sexual orientation, or any other bases prohibited by law, provided the individual is qualified, with or without reasonable accommodations, to perform the essential functions of the job.    

 All employment decisions shall be consistent with the principle of equal employment opportunity, and only valid job qualifications will be required.