Chief Financial Officer

Position: Chief Financial Officer

Organization: Selwyn House

Reporting to: Headmaster

Location: Westmount, Quebec (Hybrid)

About Selwyn House

Established in 1908, Selwyn House School is a private, highly regarded boys' School in Westmount, Quebec, that offers a uniquely enriching educational experience characterized by academic excellence, critical and creative thinking, and effective communication. The school’s mission is to nurture respectful, resilient, and hard-working young men who are prepared for CEGEP/university and anchored by the values of Selwyn Veritas in a compassionate and supportive environment.

At Selwyn House, the power of relationships, responsibility, and purpose in education is paramount. Dedicated and energetic staff are at the heart of the community, teaching courses, coaching teams, supervising activities, and maintaining open communication with parents. The School challenges its students mentally and physically while fostering respect, honesty, and tolerance.

The commitment to excellence is reflected in an enriched curriculum and the emphasis on lifelong learning. The School supports and rewards the efforts and achievements of students and staff, creating an environment where confidence, self-discipline, and intellectual curiosity can flourish.

Joining Selwyn House School means making a meaningful impact, contributing to a vibrant educational community, and helping shape the future of its students.

Position Overview

The Chief Financial Officer is responsible for planning and administrating all fiscal and physical plant operations of Selwyn House, The Veritas Fund, and The Lucas Foundation. The Veritas Fund fosters and promotes Selwyn House School's activities and operations through bursaries, scholarships, subsidies, and grants. The Lucas Foundation manages the funds that are collected for capital improvements for Selwyn House School.

The ideal candidate will manage the School’s financial resources and embody Selwyn Veritas' principles. This ethos demands that the CFO demonstrate self-awareness, self-respect, self-confidence, and self-advocacy, which are crucial for making transparent and conscientious financial decisions that reflect their true character.

The CFO must uphold respect, inclusivity, compassion, and kindness in their interactions, ensuring a collaborative and supportive workplace. Their commitment to the school is manifested through effort, initiative, and passion, which are essential for fostering an environment of excellence and achievement.

Lastly, by embodying integrity, leadership, partnership, and justice, the CFO contributes to the School's success and influences the broader community, making an impact on the world.

Key Responsibilities

• Overall management of the School’s and Foundation’s financial reporting systems.
• Provide leadership in support of the School’s vision and mission statement by providing day-to-day and ongoing strategic financial management and planning.
• Global management of financial resources: development, implementation, and monitoring of annual operating and capital budgets.
• Project management assistance to the Headmaster in various projects.
• Administration of Human Resources and payroll functions.
• Comprehensive stewardship of the physical plant and auxiliary services.
• Government liaison between the School and MELS.
• Policy formulation and implementation.

Specific Areas of Responsibilities

• Actively participates in all aspects of the School’s financial operations and manages plant and all other business operations.
• Assists the Headmaster in various projects including coordination and funding of construction projects and renovation of facilities, improvement of employee benefits package, decisions regarding salaries for personnel, establishment of new policies, etc.
• Develops and manages the School’s annual operating budget, including proposed tuition and salary changes.
• Prepares and maintains the School’s capital budget.
• Oversees the Business Office and all of its functions, including accounting, financial investments, asset management, cash flow, banking activities, billing, purchasing, and collections.
• Provides accurate and timely monthly/quarterly/annual financial reports as required by the Finance Committee and Board of Directors (Trustees).
• Identifies and analyzes variances and develops appropriate solutions and/or recommendations when required.
• Oversees, coordination and preparation of the annual audit for the School and Foundations in adherence with ASNPO and complying with independent audit firm’s requirements and recommendations.
• School representative for various departments at MELS.
• Files provincial and federal Information returns for the School and Foundations.
• Oversees and coordinates data input for annual benchmarking to national association.
• Works closely with the Finance Committee in developing the School’s Strategic Financial Plan; assists in the long-range master planning and strategic planning processes.
• Oversees bank accounts, cash, and related assets of the School and Foundations. Verifies and approves monthly bank reconciliations.
• Plans and manages auxiliary services such as food service, the Argyle Shop, the afterschool program, and summer campus use.
• In conjunction with the Director of Building Operations and Headmaster, develops long-term plans for maintenance, repair, and capital additions to the physical plant.
• Organizes rental of facilities to third parties.
• Maintains relationships with bankers, insurance providers, lawyers, auditors, and other similar providers.
• Maintains and negotiates vendor contracts.
• Manages and maintains appropriate business liability insurance coverage levels to protect the School’s personnel, students, and property.
• Oversees the ongoing implementation of risk management policies to ensure the safety of personnel and students.
• Oversees all payroll functions, including semi-monthly payroll, monthly journal entries, issuance of T4 slips, and completion of annual government reports (T4 and R1 summaries, Bill 90, CNESST).
• Oversees the human resource department, which includes benefits administration, processing of new hires, periodic background policy checks, tracking of vacation and sick time, maintenance of all personnel files, facilitation of performance evaluation for non-teaching staff, follow-ups on teaching certification, ensures legal compliance with Quebec Labour Standards and assists employees with benefits questions.
• Manages the Professional Development budget for non-teaching staff and the University Courses budget.
• Oversees completion of the annual declaration of pension contributions to Retraite Quebec and pension adjustment factors. As of January 2022, this will be replaced by an SPP and will entail overseeing the administration of the new plan.
• Coordinates and completes periodic Pay Equity and Equal Access to Employment Opportunity audits as prescribed by provincial government legislation.
• Member of the Bursary Committee – Assists in coordinating and administering of the Financial Assistance process and participates in the distribution of awards.
• Represents the School at provincial and national associations relative to the role of CFO.
• Oversees and coordinates MELS permit renewal every three to five years.
• Participates in weekly Heads’ meetings focusing on administrative issues.
• Member and active participant in various committees.
• Works with the Headmaster and applicable committees to create controls and procedures to support and formalize policies.
• Performs other duties as assigned by the Headmaster.

Committees

• Finance Committee
• Member of the Senior Management Team
• Long Range Planning Committee
• Bursary Committee
• Facilities Planning Committee
• QAIS Business Officers
• QAIS- Insurance Sub-Committee
• QAIS- CGTSIM QAIS representative

Supervisory Responsibilities

• Business Office Staff: Senior Accountant, Junior Accountant, Accounts Payable Clerk/Administrative Assistant, Human Resources Administrator
• Director of Building Operations
• Receptionist, Bookroom
• After-School Program Coordinator

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in finance, accounting, business administration, or a related field. Advanced degrees such as an MBA, CPA Designation or equivalent are strongly preferred.
• 7-10 years in financial management, with previous leadership experience. Prior experience in the education sector is highly advantageous but not necessary.
• Familiarity with financial regulations specific to the educational sector, including funding rules, grant management, and compliance requirements.
• Demonstrated ability to develop financial strategies that align with the institution's goals, alongside proven leadership and team management skills.
• Strong capability in financial analysis and data-driven decision-making.
• Ability to communicate effectively and interact with all levels of the organization and its external stakeholders.
• Proficient in using financial software, data analysis tools, and educational technology platforms.

Application Process with Pender & Howe Executive Search

Selwyn House has retained Pender & Howe Executive Search to lead the recruitment initiative for their Chief Financial Officer role.

Pender & Howe Executive Search is a boutique firm specializing in executive and board searches, along with strategic advisory services. For more information, please visit www.penderhowe.com.

The CFO search is led by Michelle Moore. For consideration, please apply via the "apply now" button or email a copy of your CV in confidence to:

Michelle Moore (Consultant) – michelle.moore@penderhowe.com

While we appreciate all applications, only individuals selected for interviews will be contacted.