Chief Financial Officer | St. Mark’s School of Texas

CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER SEARCH

MARK’S SCHOOL OF TEXAS

Dallas, Texas

smtexas.org

Start Date: July 1, 2025

Overview

St. Mark’s School of Texas is an independent, nonsectarian day school for boys in Grades 1-12. Located in the thriving city of Dallas, St. Mark’s is regarded as one of the nation’s preeminent boys’ schools and is renowned for both the strength of its academic programs and stalwart commitment to character and leadership development. St. Mark’s seeks to develop boys into good men of character who will assume positions of leadership and responsibility in an ever-changing world. Over 900 boys come each day to the beautiful campus, and each school year is rich with meaningful, beloved traditions that connect boys in all grades to the school and each other. These connections extend to St. Mark’s professional community where most of the faculty and staff possess lengthy tenures and a demonstrated commitment to the school. St. Mark’s is a mission-driven school, which is reflected in all decision making. This clarity of thought across all constituencies provides consistency for daily operations and strength when facing challenges.

St. Mark’s roots can be traced to 1906 when Ada and Menter Terrill founded the Terrill School for Boys. The school underwent several iterations over the next four decades and in 1950, via the merger of the Texas Country Day School and The Cathedral School for Boys, St. Mark’s School of Texas was created in its current location in the Preston Hollow area. The school has developed an extraordinary campus through an extensive, long-range campus master plan that has resulted in completed construction entirely funded by philanthropy. St. Mark’s is thriving by every measure, enjoying healthy enrollment, record-breaking fundraising, a healthy endowment, and no debt.

Now, St. Mark’s seeks an experienced and mission-aligned individual to serve as the next Chief Financial Officer, assuming the role In July 2025. Reporting to Head of School David Dini, the CFO will be the leader of all financial and operational activities, act as a strategic thought partner to the Head of School, and collaborate closely with the senior leadership team. The CFO will serve as the leader and manager of the Business Office, a group of experienced and talented school professionals. St Mark’s aims to hire a goal-oriented leader who respects and embraces the school’s culture and values, builds upon the school’s remarkably strong financial foundation, and develops strategy that advances the school’s mission and the realization of its strategic goals.

Opportunities and Challenges

The next Chief Financial Officer at St. Mark’s will join a school that is both thriving in the present and fully committed to continued evolution and improvement. This spring, their predecessor will complete over two decades of service to the school and is respected for her financial acumen, compassionate leadership, and impressive emotional intelligence. The appointee will be welcomed by a strong senior leadership team, a talented and thoughtful Board of Trustees, and an experienced, well-regarded Business Office.

The key challenge for the next CFO will be to maintain and expand the extremely high standards of St. Mark’s--occupying a seat at the center of the strategic decision-making process--while fully embracing the community, fellowship, and mission of the school. This is a school that thinks in decades, so the next CFO will need to listen and absorb the culture and mission first and foremost. There is something magical about the St. Mark’s community that draws the best people in and keeps them for long tenures. The next CFO will be a steward of this proud legacy and a long-serving, key player in its evolution.

The priorities, opportunities, and challenges ahead for the CFO include:

• Serving as a thought partner to Head of School to ensure alignment of the school’s finances with the goals, mission, and values of the school;
• Overseeing the team members in the Business Office, providing counsel, direction, and feedback on policies and procedures;
• Developing strategy with the Director of Enrollment Management to manage an expanded financial program and budget;
• Effectively partnering with the Assistant Headmaster for External Affairs on the planning and execution of St. Mark’s largest campaign in its history;
• Supporting the Director of Operations and her team and providing support and guidance on current and upcoming capital projects;
• Collaborating with the Board of Trustees to ensure the short and long-term financial stewardship of St. Mark’s;
• Supporting the continued growth, investment, and utilization of St. Mark’s $180 million endowment.

Responsibilities

In addition to embracing St. Mark’s mission, supporting its Head and leadership, and representing the school at professional and public forums, the new CFO has a number of primary responsibilities:

• Provide strategic leadership, analysis, and management of finances and operations.
• Establish financial and capital strategies that are consistent with strategic priorities.
• Serve on the Head of School’s senior leadership team and lead, co-lead, or participate in several other teams and committees.
• Oversee all business office functions including all financial reporting to the Head of School, Board of Trustees, and various committees.
• Serve as chief staff liaison to select Board committees.
• Build and/or maintain the school’s short- and long-term strategic financial models.
• Oversee the administration of the school’s endowment.
• Oversee school operations including personnel, maintenance, and vendors.
• Maintain strong relationships with banks and lenders to ensure that funding is secured for the needs of the school and compliance with loan terms.
• Administer and manage all employee benefit programs including health insurance, retirement, worker’s compensation, life insurance, and other related plans.
• Manage insurance programs including property, casualty, medical, workers’ compensation.
• Ensure compliance with all local and state reporting requirements.
• Collaborate effectively with Advancement, Enrollment Management, and other departments.
• Coordinate closely with the Director of Operations and Director of Physical Plant on oversight of the physical plant, grounds, and construction functions.

Qualifications and Personal Attributes

• Bachelor’s degree required, MBA or CPA preferred;
• 10-15 years of senior-level experience creating and executing financial planning and management strategies;
• Experience in an independent school preferred, though individuals with strong financial and leadership skills developed in other industries are welcome;
• Experience managing a team, setting clear goals, responsibilities, expectations, and clear methods of accountability;
• Experience managing a team, successfully creating cohesion among the team itself;
• Superb communication skills; excellent written, verbal, and presentation skills;
• Demonstrated ability to understand complex subjects, distill them, and then communicate them to varied audiences;
• Experience on senior administrative teams and working with non-profit Boards;
• Demonstrated experience in measuring and improving organization-wide productivity;
• Demonstrated experience in the development of analysis for strategic decision-making, such as key cost drivers, competitive analysis, market analysis, organizational strengths, and weaknesses, etc.;
• Experience in human resource management, employee benefits (including pension plans), and payroll procedures. Knowledge of business and not-for-profit accounting policies, procedures, practices, facilities, and software programs. Blackbaud experience a plus;
• Ability to think and plan strategically and creatively;
• Ability to supervise, manage, and delegate multiple functions and activities;
• Ability to remain calm, flexible, and work effectively under pressure;
• Skilled at negotiating and initiating contracts with external vendors;
• Aptitude for high customer-service standards;
• Consistent demonstration of an entrepreneurial mindset;
• Demonstrated commitment to equitable and inclusive practices;
• A track record of strong integrity.

To Apply

Interested and qualified candidates are invited to contact the consultants in confidence. Candidates will ultimately need to submit the following materials as separate PDF documents:

• A cover letter expressing their interest in this particular position;
• A current résumé;
• A list of five professional references with name, relationship, phone number, and email address of each (references will not be contacted without the candidate’s permission) to:

Greg Britton

Chief Operating Officer, Search & Consulting Group

ggb@carneysandoe.com

Sara Shulman

Practice Leader – Development and Finance

sara.shulman@carneysandoe.com