1256 Chief Financial Officer (CFO)

Northwest Area Education Agency•Sioux City, IA

About The Position

Northwest Area Education Agency is seeking a visionary leader to join our administrative team as a chief financial officer. Northwest AEA provides visionary leadership and quality, student-centered services through relationships with families, schools, and communities. In short, our focus can be summed up in these four words: Inspiring Learning. Changing Lives. Why Northwest AEA? Our vision, mission, and anchors guide our actions. Staff at Northwest AEA believe that what they do inspires learning and leads to changed lives for the students, staff, and families we serve. Our work is anchored in building positive, professional relationships with stakeholders and with one another. We embrace responsiveness in how we serve so that students, staff, and families can see improved results. About the Agency Northwest AEA provides special education and school improvement services to 34 public school districts and 34 accredited, non-public schools. The agency serves 45,000 students and more than 5,000 educators in a 10-county area of Northwest Iowa (Lyon, Osceola, Sioux, O'Brien, Plymouth, Cherokee, Woodbury, Ida, Monona, and Crawford). Our headquarters is located 5800 Discovery Blvd., Sioux City, with regional offices in Cherokee, Denison, Le Mars, Onawa, and Sioux Center. Vision: Iowa's Area Education Agencies are educational partners embedded in Iowa schools. We exist to create a thriving educational landscape where all learners and educators have access to high-quality, evidence-based and strategic supports and services, collaboratively provided within districts, to help all learners achieve their full potential. Mission: To deliver high-quality, evidence-based, and strategic services to our educational partners that meet the diverse needs of Iowa's learnings (birth-21), educators, and school communities. Mission in Four Words: Inspiring Learning. Changing Lives. Anchors: Serve, Support, Impact Job Purpose Responsible for leadership and overall coordination of the business and financial affairs of Northwest AEA. Specific responsibilities for planning, organization and implementation of the fiscal operations of the Agency, including business operations, budgeting, funds management, financial planning, forecasting, and analysis. Development of financial outreach services and supports to assist local school business officers and school leaders.

Requirements

Bachelor’s Degree or higher in Finance, Accounting, or Business Administration.
Appropriate licensure (School Business Official) and endorsement from the Iowa Bureau of Educational Examiners.
Successful experience in school administration or public-school finance.

Responsibilities

Lead and coordinate the business and financial operations of Northwest AEA.
Plan, organize and implement fiscal operations of Northwest AEA
Develop financial outreach services and supports to assist local school business officers and school leaders
Responsible for the preparation of Agency financial reports and documents. This includes coordinating the preparation of the Agency’s budget, amended budget, and annual financial report with the Chief Administrator.
Establish sound business practices, policies, and procedures that comply with generally accepted accounting principles.
Establish policies and procedures in compliance with the Code of Iowa, State Uniform Financial Accounting Manual, and Uniform Commercial Code.
Develop, implement, and maintain a system of internal controls to safeguard assets.
Provide for internal auditing to examine expenditures of the Agency to ensure compliance with accepted accounting principles and law.
Retrieve and compile information and be accountable to the various auditors.
Manage all areas of finance and business affairs.
Maintain the Agency’s risk management program by working directly with insurers to obtain insurance, coinsurance, or reinsurance to guarantee protection of assets at reasonable premiums.
Assist in negotiating business leases, contracts, and agreements for the Agency.
Fiscally manage all agency projects, grants, and contracts.
Supervise and provide direction to the department in functional areas of accounting, payroll, business management, financial tracking, and reporting systems.
Provide financial and business leadership to the agency.
Serve as treasurer to the AEA Board of Directors.
Countersign all warrants and drafts upon the treasury drawn on and signed by the Board President.
Review and execute EFT and wire transfers.
Maintain reports as required by law, including electronic federal/state tax deposits, Form 941s, IPERS, Workers’ Compensation Program, Iowa Workforce Development, etc.
Calendar year reconciliation, preparation, and distribution of W-2s.
Build and maintain a detailed knowledge of benefits, leaves, labor agreements, and certain HR processes.
Provide support for local school business officials as requested.
Supervise and provide performance feedback to all assigned staff by routinely engaging in coaching, support, and feedback of staff through frequent communication with staff.
Complete administrative tasks related to employee supervision, including reviewing and approving staff calendars, mileage reimbursement, leave requests, professional learning requests, and expense reimbursement.
Demonstrate and model values, beliefs, and attitudes that inspire agency staff to perform at higher levels.
Responsible for other duties as assigned.