Summary
Description
Chief Financial Officer
New Visions for Public Schools
New York, New York
THE SEARCH
New Visions for Public Schools invites applications and nominations for the Chief Financial Officer. For over three decades, New Visions for Public Schools has played a central role in improving the quality of New York City public schools and removing barriers to the success of low-income students and students of color. They provide educators with the tools, resources, and supports to build and continuously improve strong and responsive systems—through investments in curriculum, technology, student planning tools, and innovative college and career preparatory programs. The work of New Visions for Public Schools spans five core areas, which consist of curriculum, instructional programs that include citywide initiatives, professional learning programs, and additional services, postsecondary pathways, Portal by New Visions, and the Affinity School Improvement Network.
Reporting directly to the President and serving as a member of the Senior Management Team, the CFO sets the organization's financial direction, builds the models New Visions plans against, and serves as the senior finance voice with their Board, auditors, and funders. How New Visions is funded has changed over time. Alongside New York City Department of Education contracts and philanthropy, New Visions now builds technology that a broad range of other public and nonprofit organizations rely on and provides professional development to clients within and outside New York City. Those revenue streams arrive on different cycles and carry different costs, which makes planning more complex. The CFO builds the picture that lets them plan well: forecasting revenue across all three streams, projecting the costs that come with growth in each, and testing how it holds together over a multi-year horizon.
The CFO's core responsibilities are multi-year planning and forecasting, financial strategy, government contract and grant oversight, and leadership of a six-person Finance Unit. Day-to-day accounting operations, including the monthly close and audit preparation, are owned by an experienced Associate Director of Accounting who reports to this role
The ideal candidate will be an experienced leader with an MBA, CPA, or comparable credential and 8+ years of progressive financial leadership experience—including senior responsibility within a nonprofit or government-funded organization management—with a track record of leading financial strategy for organizations of comparable scale and complexity. New Visions operates on a $37mm annual budget with 155 staff. They must be proficient in long-term financial planning, forecasting, and the building of multi-year financial models; experienced in NYC/NY State government contracts, including budgeting, billing, compliance, and audit preparation (strongly preferred); have proven audit oversight; strong management, interpersonal, and communication skills; experience assessing and improving financial systems and data infrastructure to promote data fluence and automation; the ability to prioritize and multitask; meet deadlines; and explain financial concepts to non‑financial stakeholders are required.
New Visions for Public Schools offices are currently operating in a hybrid model, with staff expected to work in person several days per week. Additional detials will be shared if selected for an interview. The salary range for this position is $200,000 minimum – $266,000 maximum. The full salary band for this position extends beyond the hiring range, which provides additional room to support growth and recognition as individuals develop within the organization. Compensation is reviewed annually.
New Visions for Public Schools has retained the services of Isaacson, Miller, a national executive search firm, to assist in conducting this important search. All inquiries, applications, and nominations should be directed in confidence to the search firm, as indicated at the end of this document.
APPLICATIONS, INQUIRIES, AND NOMINATIONS
Screening of complete applications will begin immediately and continue until the completion of the search process. Inquiries, nominations, referrals, and CVs with cover letters should be sent via the Isaacson, Miller website: https://www.imsearch.com/open-searches/new-visions-public-schools/chief-financial-officer.
Rebecca Kennedy, Managing Partner
David Grimes, Senior Associate
Ryan Smillie, Managing Search Coordinator
Isaacson, Miller
New Visions believes that our teams are most effective when they include representation from the diverse communities we serve, as their perspectives are critical to the work we do. Diversity, equity, and inclusion do not determine who gets hired—that is based on qualifications. They ensure that people who have traditionally had less access to opportunities are considered and, once chosen, feel supported and valued as part of our team.
This document has been prepared based on the information provided by New Visions for Public Schools. The material presented in this leadership profile should be relied on for informational purposes only. While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of this information, the original source documents and information provided by New Visions for Public Schools would supersede any conflicting information in this document.
