Chief Operating Officer (COO)

Annapolis Area Christian School•Severn, MD

16h•Onsite

About The Position

Annapolis Area Christian School (AACS) is seeking an experienced, mission-driven leader to serve as its Chief Operating Officer (COO). This individual will play a critical leadership role in ensuring that the school's people, resources, facilities, and operational systems effectively support its educational mission and long-term vision. The COO will combine strong business and operational leadership with a genuine commitment to Christian education. Working closely with the Head of School, accounting and business functions, and the senior leadership team, the COO will help translate the school's strategic priorities into effective, sustainable operations. The Chief Operating Officer is responsible for leading and coordinating AACS's major business and operational functions. The COO will bring organizational discipline, financial stewardship, strategic thinking, and a service-oriented approach to the school's operations. This is a senior leadership position requiring someone who can move comfortably between strategy and execution—developing long-term plans while ensuring that the school's day-to-day operations are effective, accountable, and aligned with its mission. A significant emphasis of the position will be financial planning and analysis (FP&A). The COO will move AACS beyond traditional budgeting and financial reporting toward a more forward-looking financial management model that uses forecasting, scenario modeling, data analysis, and key performance indicators to inform strategic decisions and strengthen the school's long-term financial sustainability. The successful candidate will be a collaborative leader who builds trust, develops strong teams, improves systems, manages resources wisely, and approaches leadership as an opportunity for Christian service and stewardship.

Requirements

A bachelor's degree in business, finance, accounting, organizational leadership, or a related field.
Significant growth-oriented leadership experience with responsibility for multiple business or operational functions.
Strong financial acumen, including experience with budgeting, forecasting, financial analysis, and organizational resource allocation.
Demonstrated ability to lead teams and develop people.
Experience improving organizational systems, processes, and accountability.
Strong project management and execution skills.
Excellent analytical, problem-solving, and decision-making abilities.
Strong interpersonal and communication skills, including the ability to communicate complex financial and operational matters clearly.
The judgment and discretion necessary to handle sensitive organizational and personnel matters.
A collaborative leadership style and the ability to build productive relationships across a diverse school community.
A personal commitment to Jesus Christ, be active in a local Christian church, and wholeheartedly align with the school's Christian mission, beliefs, and values.

Nice To Haves

Experience within an independent school, Christian school, nonprofit organization, higher education institution, or similarly complex organization is desirable.
Experience managing facilities, capital projects, technology, human resources, risk management, or related functions is beneficial.

Responsibilities

Partner with the Head of School, business office team, and senior leadership team to advance AACS's mission, strategic plan, and institutional priorities.
Translate strategic objectives into actionable operational and financial plans.
Develop systems, processes, and accountability structures that enable the school to operate effectively and sustainably.
Identify organizational risks and opportunities and provide thoughtful recommendations to school leadership.
Foster a culture of collaboration, excellence, stewardship, accountability, and continuous improvement.
Lead AACS's financial planning and analysis function, ensuring that financial information is used proactively to inform strategic, operational, and capital decisions.
Develop and maintain multi-year financial models that integrate enrollment, tuition and financial aid, compensation and benefits, staffing, facilities, debt, capital investment, and other key drivers of the school's financial model.
Build annual and long-range financial forecasts and regularly update projections based on actual performance, enrollment trends, and changing organizational assumptions.
Conduct budget-to-actual and forecast-to-actual variance analysis, identifying significant trends and providing leadership with clear explanations and recommended actions.
Develop scenario and sensitivity analyses to evaluate significant strategic decisions, including enrollment changes, tuition strategies, staffing models, compensation investments, capital projects, debt management, and program expansion or contraction.
Partner with academic and operational leaders to understand the financial implications of their programs, staffing decisions, and strategic priorities.
Develop meaningful financial and operational KPIs and dashboards that provide the Head of School and senior leadership with timely insight into organizational performance.
Evaluate the financial sustainability and return on investment of existing and proposed programs and initiatives while recognizing that mission impact, rather than financial return alone, is central to decision-making in a Christian school.
Provide forward-looking analysis of cash flow, liquidity, reserves, debt capacity, and capital requirements to support responsible long-term financial stewardship.
Identify emerging financial risks and opportunities early and develop actionable recommendations for the Head of School and senior leadership.
Translate complex financial data into clear, actionable information for leaders who may not have financial backgrounds.
Strengthen a culture in which financial planning is integrated with strategic planning rather than functioning primarily as an annual budgeting exercise.
Provide executive oversight, collaboratively with the accounting and business functions, of the school's financial operations.
Lead the development of annual and long-range operating and capital budgets in partnership with the Head of School, accounting and business functions, and senior leadership.
In collaboration with the accounting and business functions, ensure financial resources are deployed strategically to support the school's mission and priorities.
Provide leadership with timely, accurate, and understandable financial information to support decision-making.
Maintain strong internal controls and appropriate financial policies and procedures.
Coordinate relationships with auditors, financial institutions, insurance providers, and other key professional partners as appropriate.
Lead, coach, and develop operational and administrative team members within the COO's areas of responsibility.
Establish clear goals, expectations, and accountability measures.
Help develop organizational structures and processes that allow employees to perform their work effectively.
Partner with school leadership and the Human Resources Director on workforce planning, compensation, benefits, policies, and other organizational matters as appropriate.
Cultivate a healthy workplace characterized by professionalism, collaboration, service, and commitment to AACS's Christian mission.
Provide leadership for institutional risk management, including operational, financial, facilities, safety, and compliance matters.
Ensure appropriate policies, procedures, insurance coverage, emergency preparedness, and internal controls are maintained.
Help ensure compliance with applicable laws, regulations, accreditation requirements, and school policies.
Establish systems to identify and address emerging operational risks.
Provide clear analysis, reporting, and recommendations to the Head of School and, as appropriate, the Board and its committees.
Prepare financial and operational information that enables effective governance and informed decision-making.
Participate actively in senior leadership discussions and major institutional initiatives.
Serve as a trusted advisor to the Head of School on business, operational, organizational, and strategic matters.