<p><strong>About Frensham Schools</strong></p><p>Established in 1913, Frensham is one of Australia’s most respected boarding and day schools for girls. Frensham Junior School was founded in 1954 and is now the leading academic, co-educational primary school and preschool in the Southern Highlands. At Frensham Schools we inspire students to be critical, ethical and flexible thinkers, equipped to be future leaders in a complex and rapidly changing world.</p><p>Our passionate and dedicated staff work as a highly professional team that takes the time to consider and support each student’s individual learning, growth and development as independent, empowered young people. In a stimulating living and learning environment, surrounded by an abundance of natural beauty, our students are challenged and supported to develop the skills and the motivation to contribute positively to their local and global communities. They are taught to value kindness, resilience, empathy and compassion, and to carry these attributes with them for life, alongside the School’s core values.</p><p><strong>Role Overview</strong></p><p>The <strong>Director of Finance</strong> is an integral member of the Executive Leadership team. The position is an important strategic and operational role, contributing to the directions and priorities of the Schools as well as assisting to develop plans and programs to ensure financial sustainability, compliance with regulatory requirements and efficiency across all aspects of Frensham Schools’ business operations. The successful candidate will have excellent attention to detail, a record of exceptional leadership, strategic thinking, analytical and interpersonal skills.</p><p>Reporting to the Head, the Director of Finance will exemplify astute financial, risk management and commercial acumen.  The Director of Finance works closely with the Director of Operations and is responsible for the management of all finance, risk and compliance, HR and general administration functions across the Schools; Frensham and Frensham Junior School. </p><p>The position also acts as Company Secretary to the Board and manages the public office accountabilities of the Schools’ legal entities.</p><p>The successful candidate will have experience in or be able to demonstrate capacity in:</p><ul><li>Performing the duties of the role in accordance with Frensham’s Mission, Philosophy and Values.</li><li>Establishing and maintaining financial reporting frameworks including a high level of knowledge of accounting practices, corporations law and governance.</li><li>Leading finance, business and project functions as part of a senior team and reporting to the Board.</li><li>Influencing key decisions by providing strong evidence for recommendations.</li><li>Leading and managing corporate service functions such as Finance, Risk, Administration, Human Resources, Strategic Planning and Governance support. </li><li>Establishing effective budget formulation and financial management processes in a commercial or significant not-for-profit environment, with evidence of strong commercial acumen.</li><li>Along with the Director of Operations, planning and managing significant capital and other projects including the analysis of costs and preparation of business cases.</li><li>Effective management of a corporate team including experience in establishing performance goals, development of training plans and undertaking performance reviews.</li><li>Driving improvement in the management and maintenance of financial and reporting systems and business operations.</li><li>Working closely with the Director of Operations to identify and solve problems and deliver key strategic improvement projects in a timely and effective manner.</li><li>A genuine commitment to the values and philosophy of Frensham Schools and to preserving its traditions, while also articulating an appropriate vision for the future.</li></ul><p><strong>Key Responsibilities</strong></p><p>Reporting directly to the Head, the Director of Finance holds a significant Senior Executive position at Frensham Schools. </p><p>The Director of Finance supports the Head and works with the Director of Operations in managing all areas of resource and business administration, finance, risk management, property/facility management, ICT, communications, human resources and governance.</p><p>The Director of Finance has the responsibility for ensuring that the financial services of Frensham Schools are conducted efficiently and ethically in accordance with established standards and such that all statutory and compliance obligations are met. </p><p>The broad and strategic nature of this position means that other projects and tasks will, from time to time, fall into the responsibility of this role, and the Director of Finance must be able to manage both his/hers and others’ time and resources to meet deadlines and negotiate favourable outcomes in the best interests of the Schools. </p><p><strong>Finance:</strong> </p><ol><li>Manage the accounting and financial functions of the Schools. </li><li>Working closely with the Director of Operations, manage the business functions of the Schools, aiming to provide a high level of service and support for the Schools’ community. </li><li>Ensure that the routine financial activities of the Schools are carried out in a timely and professional manner in accordance with relevant policies and procedures and legislative requirements including:<ol><li>Reporting of quarterly financial accounts/results.</li><li>Reporting of annual statutory financial accounts. </li><li>Liaison with the School’s auditor, bankers and other financial entities.</li></ol></li><li>Manage the preparation and monitoring of the annual budget including:<ol><li>Work in close collaboration with the Finance and Audit Committee (FAC).</li><li>Seek and assess budget estimates from relevant staff. </li><li>Assist the Head in the preparation of the Annual Budget for presentation to the Board (through the FACs). </li></ol></li><li>Provide advice to the Head, FACs and Board on the annual level of Tuition Fees.</li><li>Monitor and report on budget performance throughout the school year to the Head, Board and Company. </li><li>Provide advice to staff on spending against budget in respect to faculties, programs and other school projects. </li><li>Oversee preparation of all financial and statistical returns required by both State and Commonwealth Governments and other regulatory bodies together with other returns including the census returns, annual financial statements and taxation returns. </li><li>Oversee the management of legal, contractual, regulatory and company obligations and relationships. </li><li>Prepare funding submissions for the Executive and Board. </li><li>Direct the accounting processes of the Schools and ensure that all funds, including School investments, are accounted for according to regulations.</li><li>Administer government grants, reporting and other school income. </li><li>In partnership with the Director of Operations, manage all external contracts.</li></ol><p><strong>Risk and Compliance: </strong></p><ol><li>Oversee the Risk and Compliance management processes. This includes developing, implementing and maintaining an effective risk management framework to ensure Frensham Schools operates in compliance with regulatory requirements and industry best practice. </li><li>Ensure that Frensham Schools maintains accreditation with the standards that govern the sector.</li><li>Maintain and update the risk registers and produce relevant reporting and trend analysis for the Head and Board.</li><li>Develop and maintain risk mitigation and control measures to minimise the impact of identified risks.  </li><li>Oversee business continuity, compliance audit processes, legal and risk compliance functions with a focus on continuous improvement to drive safe and effective outcomes.</li><li>Ensure proper risk management controls are in place and operating effectively through independent assessment of management controls.</li><li>Keep up to date with current compliance requirements for the Schools.</li><li>Oversee deployment of CompliSpace and maintain sections relevant to the responsibilities of the Director of Finance. </li><li>Develop and maintain the policy and procedure registry and provide advice and policy guidance in areas of Workplace Health and Safety, risk management, legal and compliance matters. </li><li>With the Director of Operations, oversee investigations of critical incidents.</li><li>Ensure training programs are provided to staff to build risk awareness and capabilities across the organisation, to enhance risk management practices and to embed a culture of risk awareness and accountability.</li></ol><p><strong>Strategic Planning:</strong></p><ol><li>Provide advice to the Head and the Board for strategic planning purposes, financial analysis, future enrolment predictions and infrastructure development. </li><li>Identify strategic needs, develop, and implement strategies to meet these needs. </li><li>Prepare and update long-term financial projections for the Schools including incomes and expenditure, capital requirements, cash flows and overall borrowing. </li><li>Provide professional advice on business development and strategic direction to the Board, Head and Schools Executive. </li></ol><p><strong>Human Resourcing:</strong></p><p>Work with the Director of Operations:</p><ol><li>And the Human Resources Officer to ensure operational staff are highly professional, motivated, collaborative and effective as a team. </li><li>To support individual staff to maximise their potential and output.</li><li>To support the recruitment and induction of administration staff as required.</li><li>To produce contracts and agreements whilst considering the overall costings and budgets of Frensham Schools.</li></ol><p><strong>General Administration:</strong></p><p>Work with the Director of Operations to:</p><ol><li>Oversee the development of policies and effective systems within the finance areas. </li><li>Keep abreast of and provide support in the areas of Workplace Relations and Human Resources. </li><li>Ensure the provision of a range of administrative support.</li><li>Provide administrative support to external service providers as required.</li><li>Provide required level of administrative support for School events, functions and projects. </li><li>Develop techniques and procedures that will improve work practices. </li></ol><p><strong>Support to the Board of Governors:</strong></p><ol><li>Perform duties of the Company Secretary for WWS Ltd and WWS Foundation. </li><li>Evaluate and report on the operational efficiency of school systems making recommendations to the Head for improvement where appropriate. </li><li>Ensure all matters of governance are observed and adhered to.</li><li>Provide advice and support to the Head on matters related to the Schools’ finances and business management where appropriate.</li><li>Attend all meetings of Board, Company and relevant subcommittees.</li></ol><p><strong>Selection Criteria</strong></p><ol><li>Tertiary Qualification in Business. CPA/CA essential.</li><li>Experience in the areas of finance, human resources, risk and compliance, general administration, team management, strategic planning and governance.</li><li>A strong understanding of the finance and business functions relating to Independent Education</li><li>Demonstrated experience and understanding of leading complex organisations.</li><li>Excellent communication skill, interpersonal and leadership skill, with the ability to effectively engage, consult and influence stakeholders at all levels of the organisation.</li></ol><p><u>Additional Information:</u></p><p>This position will require working outside of regular business hours for various reasons but particularly to attend Board, Company and relevant subcommittee meetings.</p><p><i>All staff at Frensham Schools take an active role in ensuring our Child Protection programs, policies and processes are at the forefront of all that we do. A Working with Children Check Clearance Number must be provided to the School prior to confirmation of the appointment.</i></p><p><i>The successful applicant will be required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 or other diseases (as advised by the School) and provide the School with evidence it considers satisfactory regarding vaccination. Being fully vaccinated may include additional doses and booster injections.</i></p>