Applewild School is seeking a Controller to join their administrative leadership team.  Reporting to the Head of School,  this financial leadership position leads a three-person team in ensuring the financial actions of the School are conducted in an efficient, timely, accurate, and customer-focused manner; all established policies and procedures are followed; and the accuracy of all reports, accounts, invoices, data and analyses.  This role reports directly to the Head of School who is an experienced, entrepreneurial leader well versed in financial and budgetary concerns. The school has doubled revenues in the last four years and is in the midst of a project to secure financing for the construction of a new 40-bed state-of-the-art dormitory, new athletic center, and other campus improvements. The Head of School enjoys collaborating with the Controller and values a close, productive relationship.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES

Ensure that the internal operations of the Business Office are conducted in an efficient, timely, accurate, and customer-focused manner. Ensure all established policies and procedures are followed. Ensure accuracy of all reports, accounts, invoices, data, and analyses. Job duties include but are not limited to the following:

• Manage and oversee all accounting functions (AP, AR, Investment, Fixed Asset, General Ledger, project/program accounting including endowment funds, land and building funds, and cash management).
• Maintain and/or Reconcile sub-ledger systems (Fixed Assets, Cash Management, Accounts Payable and Student Receivable (Tuition Management System), CheckWriters Payroll System).
• Review (account coding, description and posting dates) and approve all invoices through the Blackbaud A/P workflow/payment system
• Produce monthly and other special financial reports, and monthly tracking reports, etc.
• Produce monthly capital campaign tracking reports.
• Produce and distribute monthly budget vs actual cost center reports to budget managers. Investigate and resolve questions for such.
• Assist Head of School with annual budgeting process and detailed (cost center/account/monthly phasing) budget upload of approved fiscal year budget to BlackBaud Financial System.
• Reconcile Development Fundraising activity with Financial general ledger activity and update Fundriver endowment reporting system on a monthly basis. As well as temporary and permanently restricted assets, and the depreciation schedule. 
• Manage annual financial audits (Financial Statements, 990 reporting, 403B audit)
• Manage business office staff, including goal-setting, workload distribution and fulfillment, performance management, etc.
• Prepare monthly board reports using information from the general ledger and other sources. 
• Serve as Applewild's corporate card administrator.
• Assist the Head of School  / Internal and Investment Committees with special projects.
• Other duties as assigned

DESIRED QUALIFICATIONS

• A bachelor's degree in accounting, finance, or business administration. CPA or MBA is preferred.
• A minimum of five to seven years of relevant experience, not-for-profit accounting and independent school experience preferred.
• Cognitive flexibility and the ability to creatively problem-solve.
• The ability to understand the full scope of projects while seeing individual tasks through to completion.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills.
• Proficiency in MS Office applications, including Excel, Word, PowerPoint and Google Suite applications.
• Demonstrated project management skills.
• A strong work ethic and unwavering integrity.
• Be able to pass a criminal records background check.

About Applewild School

Applewild has been a cherished community institution since 1957 serving day (toddler-9th gr) and junior boarding (4th-9th) students. Our main campus is in Fitchburg, Massachusetts which is approximately one hour from Boston. In 2014 we opened a satellite location in Devens which serves toddlers through pre-K). We also have "Foundations at Applewild", which is located on the Fitchburg campus and serves students in grades two through grade nine with diagnosed language-based learning disabilities. We are thankful to draw a broad range of students from over 32 towns and several countries. Our core values and competencies lay the foundation for a culture that encourages respect, honesty, compassion, and fairness. Our faculty have invested in their professional growth to create an educational environment that is deeply metacognitive --- our goal is to teach children to be the protagonists in their own educations. At Applewild, we know that once children feel emotionally safe and valued for who they are, then children will avail themselves to deeper and more authentic learning experiences. When considering adult additions to our community, we are very interested in growing our d...iversity and in diverse perspectives and experiences. We seek smart, creative, and thoughtful professionals who are interested in trying new things knowing that some failures are intrinsic to cultivating a culture of progress. We are looking for professionals who care deeply about developing the next generation for a future we know will be marked by volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity. Intellectual curiosity, cognitive agility, passion, and emotional resiliency are paramount for success. We are committed to offering a progressive but proven curriculum, so professionals seeking to join our community must be keen on teaching using student-centered and project-based learning. We are a small school so everyone wears multiple “hats” to meet the needs of our community. The School is accredited through the Association of Independent Schools of New England and is a member of the National Association of Independent Schools and The Association of Boarding Schools. Applewild School is an equal opportunity employer and as such does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, gender, age, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, disability, veteran status, or any other status protected by law. We welcome individuals that add to the diversity and vibrancy of our community.

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Connections working at Applewild School