Tide Water Region, Virginia
Posted: 20-Sep-24
Location: Alexandria, Virginia
Type: Full Time
Overview
St. Stephen’s and St. Agnes School (SSSAS) is situated on three well-appointed, purpose-built campuses in Alexandria, one for each division, SSSAS maintains a visible and well-respected place in the competitive greater Washington, D.C., independent school market. It is the largest of six schools that are part of the Church Schools in the Diocese of Virginia and enjoys a strong relationship with those schools and the CSDV.
The 2024-2025 school year marks the 100th anniversary of St. Agnes School’s founding. SSSAS has a long tradition of providing an excellent college preparatory education in Northern Virginia. Beginning as two separate, notable institutions —St. Agnes School (SAS) and St. Stephen’s School (SSS)— the schools merged their long-standing partnership in 1991 to form a single co-educational school, first led by the then St. Agnes School Head, Joan Ogilvy Holden, and since 2014 by the current Head of School, Kirsten Adams.
Now, SSSAS is seeking a Chief Financial Officer (CFO) with an entrepreneurial outlook to provide strategic thinking and build relationships that facilitate “dreaming big.” The CFO will work closely with successful and long-serving Head of School, Kirsten Adams, the board, the school foundation, and CSDV as a thought partner to improve all aspects of what is already a large and highly successful school. Building relationships of trust within the school community will be a key driver of success, as will strong speaking and presenting skills and a desire to think ambitiously.
Mission
To help students succeed in a complex and changing world, St. Stephen’s and St. Agnes School seeks to inspire a passion for learning, an enthusiasm for athletic and artistic endeavor, a striving for excellence, a celebration of diversity, and a commitment to service.
The school’s mission is to pursue goodness as well as knowledge and to honor the unique value of each of its members as a child of God in a caring community.
Opportunities and Challenges
The next CFO of SSSAS will succeed a respected individual with a long tenure at the School. They will join a convivial and healthy school environment where everyone involved is focused on providing the best education possible for their students and ensuring the long-term viability of the school. As mentioned, the Head of School, Kirsten Adams, is well regarded by all constituents and has a clear vision for the school. Kirsten possesses a genuine desire for a partner to join her high-functioning leadership team and provide strategic guidance through the lens of finance. The CFO will also partner closely with a board that shares in the Head’s vision, as well as the CDSV which oversees six schools in Virginia and provides a built-in team of talented colleagues at those other schools to provide counsel and support.
SSSAS has focused energies on school wide collaboration and innovation and the next CFO is expected to continue to partner with colleagues. These relationships include, but are not limited to:
Additional opportunities to make an impact will include participating in the execution of a nearly completed strategic plan, contributing to discussions about newly acquired land adjacent to one of their campuses, and working on initiatives to evaluate and enhance faculty and staff compensation and benefits.
The Business Office has many long-serving team members, including an experienced controller. There are several projects for the next CFO to lead, including improving the collection, analysis, and utilization of data, communication between departments, and modernizing practices and programs within the Business Office. The CFO oversees the school’s HR program and will provide mentorship and support to the Director of Human Resources as they continue to strengthen HR practices.
Responsibilities
In addition to embracing St. Stephen’s and St. Agnes School’s mission, supporting its Head and leadership, and representing the school at professional and public forums, the new CFO has a number of primary responsibilities:
Qualifications and Personal Attributes
Learn More
Click on the links below to learn more about St. Stephen’s and St. Agnes School.
Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging
To Apply
Interested and qualified candidates are invited to contact the consultants in confidence. Candidates will ultimately need to submit the following materials as separate PDF documents:
Greg Britton; Chief Operating Officer, Search & Consulting Group
Sara Shulman; Practice Leader – Development and Finance
The school is an equal opportunity employer. The school provides equal employment opportunity to all employees and job applicants without regard to an individual’s race, color, national origin, veteran status, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, pregnancy, childbirth or related conditions including lactation, age, disability, genetic information or any other factor prohibited by applicable law.