Director of Finance and Operations

Open Window School

The mission of Open Window School is to nurture and inspire students of high intellectual potential.

Open Window School, situated on beautiful Cougar Mountain in Bellevue, Washington, is a leader in gifted education, committed to providing high challenge and high support to our kindergarten through 8th grade students every day.  Faculty and staff are a collaborative and dynamic team, aligned around the school’s mission and core values: authenticity, love of learning, focus on social and emotional learning, and community. OWS is in the first year of a strategic plan which focuses on leadership in gifted education, diversity and inclusion, faculty excellence, and campus upgrades. This is a rare opportunity for a talented, forward-thinking leader to build on an excellent financial foundation to move a school forward in its ambitious goals.

The Director of Finance and Operations (DFO) reports directly to the Head of School and serves as the School’s operational leader responsible for Open Window’s fiscal health, long-range planning, and risk management. They supervise and manage business operations, human resources, and facilities. They inspire and motivate team members: at the same time, they cultivate individual accountability at every level of the organization.

The DFO is expected to ensure the continual excellence of all financial and administrative aspects of the school, providing the leadership, collaboration, and wise counsel to the Head of School and to the Trustees that will enable the school to deliver on its important mission and ambitions. They have a strategic and forward-thinking style balanced with significant experience overseeing budgeting and planning, financial forecasting and analysis, legal and risk management, human resources, information technology, and business operations gained through increasingly responsible roles in comparable complex settings. Their results-driven leadership experience demonstrates initiative and excellent problem-solving skills. They embody integrity, leadership, growth mindset, and service to others. They believe in the mission of the school.

Major Areas of Responsibility/Specific Duties Financial and Accounting:

• Support achievement of financial objectives through creation and management of the annual and five-year budget in collaboration with the Head of School and Board of Trustees.
• Monitor and report variance in revenue and expense. Suggest corrective actions. Develop and monitor policies supporting reserve, endowment, and debt obligations as applicable.
• Oversight of financial and tax reporting in alignment with applicable FASB and IRS requirements. Develop and maintain a process to keep current and accurate financial records; support periodic external audits. Oversight of operations associated with accounts payable and receivable. Maintain appropriate financial controls.
• Develop and maintain investment advisors, banking, legal advisor and insurance relationships.
• Supervise business office personnel.
• Support the Head of School and Board of Trustees in ongoing decision making. This may include compensation benchmarking analysis, analysis of new revenue opportunities, recommendations to maintain sustainable levels of spending, or other areas.

Human Resources and Operations:

• Supervise the Director of Human Resources in management of employee benefits, compensation, retirement plans, hiring process, records and Employee Handbook updates.
• Supervise the Director of Facilities in developing and maintaining school facilities. This may include oversight of major construction and renovation initiatives.
• Collaborate with the admissions office to administer the school’s financial aid program to attract and retain a strong student body, and with the development office to achieve annual and long-term philanthropic goals.

 Compliance and Risk:

• Ensure regulatory compliance as a nonprofit corporation, as a school, and as an employer. This includes compliance with federal, state, and local regulation in the areas of financial and tax reporting, human resource management, employee benefits, information security, data privacy, fire safety, building inspections, facilities/environmental, ADA, OSHA, zoning, and other regulations as applicable.
• Serve as the school’s primary risk-assessment officer and manage and maintain appropriate levels of insurance to protect the property, staff, students and cover the liability of the school and its directors.

The Director of Finance and Operations at Open Window School will possess the following attributes and competencies:

• A Passion for the Mission
• Strategic Partner
• Organizational Leader & Manager
• Financial Acumen
• A Skilled Communicator

Qualifications: 

A Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting and/or significant relevant experience in finance or accounting is required. CPA or CMA preferred but not required. Experience in education would be an asset but is not required.

Compensation & Bene?ts

Salary is competitive and commensurate with experience. The salary range for this role is $180,000 to $230,000.

This is an exempt, administrative position, not eligible for overtime. Work schedule is generally 8 AM – 4 PM. This role requires some commitments outside these hours including but not limited to Board of Trustee and Finance Committee meetings. Salary is competitive based upon education/training and breadth of experience.

Benefits include:

• Medical, Dental and Vision Insurance covered 100% for employee only coverage, dependent coverage is subsidized
• Health Reimbursement Account funded by OWS ($1750 for 2025)
• Health Flexible Spending Account
• Dependent Care Flexible Spending Account
• 403(b) Retirement Account, Pre-tax & Roth Options
• After completing one year of service at Open Window, as defined in the Plan’s eligibility terms, 3% of an employee’s eligible monthly salary will be contributed to their Open Window retirement account. Up to 3% matching contribution will also be made by Open Window each pay period that the employee contributes up to 3% of their eligible pay.
• Life and AD&D Insurance
• Long-Term Disability Insurance
• Employee Assistance Program
• Educational Assistance Program, providing tuition reimbursement for those pursuing advanced degrees
• Professional Development Opportunities
• Generous paid time off (for the 24-25 FY it is 6 weeks of vacation, 12 days of sick, and 14 holidays)

To Apply:

Koya Partners has been exclusively retained for this engagement, which is being led by Alex Corvin and Maleka Pensky. Express interest in this role by filling out our Talent Profile or emailing the search team directly at openwindowschool@koyapartners.com. All inquiries and discussions are strictly confidential.