CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER/DIRECTOR OF FINANCE

Denver Academy | Denver, Colorado
Start Date: July 1, 2027*

Full-Time | 12-Month Position | On–Site, Denver, Colorado

Application Deadline: November 30, 2026

Denver Academy seeks an accomplished, collaborative, and strategic Chief Financial Officer (CFO)/Director of Finance to serve as the school’s senior financial leader and a trusted partner to the Head of School, Senior Administration Team, and Board of Trustees.

The next CFO will join Denver Academy at an important and exciting time in the school’s history. With more than 50 years of experience educating bright students with varied learning profiles, Denver Academy has developed a distinctive educational model, an exceptional faculty, a beautiful 21-acre campus, and a strong commitment to long-term institutional sustainability.

Denver Academy’s mission is to inspire and empower diverse learners through student-centered, differentiated, and transformative education.

Reporting directly to the Head of School, the CFO will provide both strategic leadership and hands-on financial oversight. The CFO will help shape the school’s financial future while ensuring that its financial operations, systems, controls, and reporting meet the highest standards.

THE OPPORTUNITY

The CFO will serve as an important institutional leader whose work extends well beyond the traditional Business Office.

Key responsibilities include:

• Serving as the primary financial advisor and strategic thought partner to the Head of School.
• Leading annual and long-range financial planning, forecasting, and scenario modeling.
• Developing and overseeing the school’s operating and capital budgets.
• Providing timely and insightful financial reporting to school leadership and the Board.
• Serving as the primary administrative liaison to the Board Finance Committee and supporting other financially related Board committees.
• Overseeing accounting, financial reporting, internal controls, cash management, tuition receivables, and Business Office operations.
• Leading the annual audit and coordinating tax and regulatory reporting.
• Overseeing endowment, investment, reserve, and debt-related financial matters.
• Partnering with Enrollment Management on tuition, enrollment, financial assistance, and net tuition revenue analysis.
• Partnering with Advancement on gifts, endowment, restricted funds, campaigns, and capital initiatives.
• Providing financial leadership for campus planning, major capital projects, and long-term facilities investment.
• Supporting compensation, benefits, and workforce financial planning.
• Recruiting, leading, and developing a strong Business Office team.
• Identifying financial opportunities and risks and helping Denver Academy make thoughtful, data-informed decisions.

The successful candidate will combine strategic perspective with operational competence. Denver Academy seeks a CFO who understands that excellent financial leadership is not simply about managing numbers—it is about helping an institution deploy its resources in ways that best serve its mission, people, and future.

THE IDEAL CANDIDATE

Strong candidates will bring significant progressive financial leadership experience and demonstrated expertise in budgeting, accounting, forecasting, financial analysis, internal controls, and organizational financial strategy.

We are particularly interested in candidates who:

• Are genuinely interested in the mission and work of an independent school.
• Think strategically and can also execute effectively.
• Have experience advising a CEO, Head of School, Executive Director, or comparable organizational leader.
• Can communicate complex financial information clearly to people who are not financial professionals.
• Have experience working with governing boards and finance committees.
• Are skilled at building long-range financial models and evaluating competing strategic choices.
• Build strong relationships and thrive in collaborative leadership environments.
• Lead with integrity, discretion, intellectual curiosity, humility, and sound judgment.
• Understand the importance of strong systems, documentation, controls, and accountability.
• Enjoy leading and developing others.

A bachelor’s degree in finance, accounting, business, or a related field is required, along with a minimum of seven years of progressively responsible financial

leadership experience. A CPA, MBA, other relevant graduate degree or professional credential is preferred.

Independent-school experience is valuable but not required. Denver Academy is interested in exceptional candidates from independent schools, higher education, nonprofit organizations, public accounting, and other complex organizations who are drawn to mission-driven leadership.

WHY DENVER ACADEMY?

Denver Academy is an independent nonprofit school serving students in grades 2–12 on a 21-acre campus in Denver, Colorado.

For more than five decades, Denver Academy has helped students with varied learning profiles—including students with dyslexia, ADHD, executive-function challenges, and twice-exceptional learners—recognize their strengths, develop confidence, and achieve success.

Our teachers and staff share a deep commitment to knowing students well and providing an education designed around how individual students learn best.

The CFO will join a school that values thoughtful leadership, long-term stewardship, strong relationships, and the belief that financial resources should ultimately serve students and teachers.

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS

The anticipated salary range for this 12-month position is $160,000–$190,000. This range reflects the compensation Denver Academy in good faith expects to pay for this position at the time of posting. Placement within the range depends on the selected candidate’s experience, qualifications, and relevant expertise. No bonus or commission compensation is offered for this position.

Denver Academy offers a comprehensive benefits package for eligible employees,

which includes:

• Medical, dental, and vision insurance
• Employer-sponsored retirement plan with employer contribution
• Employer-paid basic life and disability insurance
• Health savings and/or flexible spending account options
• Paid time off, including paid school holidays and scheduled school breaks
• Paid sick leave in accordance with the Colorado Healthy Families and

Workplaces Act

• Paid family and medical leave insurance benefits through Colorado FAMLI
• Tuition remission for eligible employees
• Professional development support

TO APPLY

Candidates should submit:

• A letter of interest explaining their interest in Denver Academy and this position;
• A current résumé;
• A list of professional references; and
• Any additional information requested during the search process.

Please submit all materials by email to Rebecca Musil, Executive Assistant to Head of School at: [email protected] or apply online at denveracademy.org. Questions about the position may be directed to the same contact.

Applications will be reviewed as they are received. The deadline to apply is November 30, 2026. If the deadline is extended, this posting will be updated promptly.

Applicants are not required to disclose their age, date of birth, or dates of attendance at or graduation from an educational institution, and may redact that information from any résumé, transcript, certification, or other application material submitted.

Employment is contingent upon successful completion of a background check as required for Colorado school employees, and verification of eligibility to work in the United States.

*The successful candidate will begin employment no later than July 1, 2027. An earlier start may be considered and could be advantageous in providing overlap and transition time.

Denver Academy
4400 E. Iliff Avenue
Denver, Colorado 80222

Denver Academy is committed to creating and sustaining an inclusive community. Denver Academy makes employment decisions without regard to any characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local law.

Denver Academy provides reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities in the application and interview process. To request an accommodation, contact Rebecca Musil at: [email protected].

Denver Academy does not seek or rely on salary history in setting compensation.

The Head of School of Aspen Country Day School (ACDS) will lead one of the most distinctive independent schools in the country. Rooted in the mountains of the Roaring Fork Valley and guided by the "power of three" of academics, arts, and outdoor education, the school provides an education that is rigorous, relevant, and nurturing. At ACDS, students are known, challenged, and supported as they develop confidence, resilience, character, and a lifelong love of learning. Building on the over 50-year history of excellence in early childhood, elementary, and middle school education, the next Head of School will inherit a thriving school with a strong sense of identity, an intentional community, and a clear mission. This leader's opportunity will be to preserve what makes ACDS special, while leading thoughtful evolution in service of the school's long-term aspirations.

Search process

ACDS is being assisted in this recruitment by the leadership advisory firm Spencer Stuart and welcomes nominations or expressions of interest. To submit comments, nominations, or expressions of interest, please send an email with any supporting materials to the confidential email address: [email protected].

ACDS seeks employees of any race, color, gender, sexual orientation, religious affiliation, and national or ethnic origin.

Mission

Aspen Country Day School, through its commitment to rigorous academics, creative arts, and outdoor education, ignites curiosity, confidence, and critical thinking. In an inspiring mountain setting, our nurturing community encourages students to strive for individual excellence and instills in them a lifelong love of learning, sense of purpose, and responsible citizenship. 

Aspen Country Day School serves families from throughout the Roaring Fork Valley, enrolling approximately 300 students from preschool (age 2 1/2) through eighth grade. The educational program is intentionally designed to challenge and nurture students as they build confidence, resilience, and joy in learning.

A strong foundational education

Enthusiastic, engaged learning in academics, arts, and outdoor education happens every day at Aspen Country Day School. Students gradually expand their comfort zone by tackling new experiences in the classroom, in arts studios and on stage, and in the outdoors. They build a strong academic foundation in the core subject areas of math, science, humanities, and world language. They explore music, drama, and studio art in the lower school grades (preschool to fifth grade) with immersive arts experiences in middle school (sixth-eighth grade).

A landmark outdoor education curriculum completes the three-part program. In a robust model that distinguishes ACDS from its peer schools, teachers lead multiple overnight expeditions starting in kindergarten. All children participate, without parent chaperones, on trips that foster independence, create indelible memories, build outdoor skills, and give children a sense of place and connection with the natural world.

The school’s character education program stems directly from the outdoor education curriculum. On expeditions as well as on campus, students develop a deep understanding of the school’s core values of character, respect, responsibility, community, and perseverance.

An ambitious strategic plan: True to Tomorrow

In the past decade, the school has worked purposefully to document its vision and identity via two strategic planning processes (2016 & 2023). The current strategic plan, True to Tomorrow, was officially adopted by the Board of Trustees in 2023. 

Priorities for True to Tomorrow are to ensure:

• An excellent faculty and staff

• A vibrant and engaging education

• A thriving community

• A strong financial future

A capital campaign, also called True to Tomorrow, was launched in 2023 to fund these priorities. The school community has responded enthusiastically, and the campaign has currently raised $14M toward its $25M goal.