The Baldwin School
Chief Financial Officer
The Baldwin School, located in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, is pleased to announce a national search for a new Chief Financial Officer. This high visibility opportunity is available immediately, and will be filled following a comprehensive national search and the candidate of choice is identified.
The Baldwin School seeks a strategic, collaborative leader to serve as its Chief Financial Officer. The CFO reports to and works closely with the Head of School, to oversee all aspects of the School’s financial management. A member of the School’s eleven-person Leadership Team, the CFO helps develop strategic priorities for the School and works closely with the Board of Trustees on long-term financial planning, investment strategies, fiscal policies, and related practices. The CFO also oversees many aspects of Baldwin’s operations and facilities management, including the Director of Facilities, Director of Technology, and Director of Human Resources, and helps lead their respective teams. Strategically oriented, experienced in financial oversight, and expert at managing people, the successful candidate is expected to be an active partner in interactions with members of the Baldwin community, including Trustees, parents, faculty, and staff. For more information about Baldwin, please visit www.baldwinschool.org
Primary Responsibilities
- Develop and maintain a highly collaborative working relationship with the Head of School, to ensure cohesive messaging of the head’s institutional strategic goals and objectives, including alternatives and their financial implications, for consideration by board committees and other constituencies.
- Oversee the development, administration, and reporting on the operating budget to the School’s Board of Trustees, the auditors, federal, state, and local authorities, rating agencies and bond information agencies, donors, and various Baldwin School administrative offices.
- Manage, lead, and oversee a total staff of more than 25 employees through 6 direct reports.
- Works closely with and advises the Head of School to set strategic vision for maintaining the financial sustainability of the School, including staying abreast of emerging trends in non-profit financial management and new approaches to financial planning and forecasting.
- Oversee employee salaries and benefits, compliance with federal and state regulations, preparation of the annual budget, and the development of a sustainable, multi-year financial model capable of ensuring the School’s financial stability.
- Work closely and in concert with all activities of independent auditors and third-party consultants for specific projects, including review of annual financial statements and retirement plans.
- Responsible for other specific areas of financial and operational best practices including risk management.
- Assume administrative responsibility for the School’s endowment, providing appropriate information on invested funds and implementing decisions of the Finance Committee; coordinate with the endowment consultants, investment managers, and custodian(s) implementing effective endowment allocations, performance, and reporting.
- Organize and coordinate agendas and meeting material for the Board Finance Committee and Buildings & Grounds Committee.
- Collaborate with general counsel regarding all risk management matters.
- Collaborate with other School administrators to manage positive relations with the local township, county, and city officials.
- Oversee auxiliary services including all campus stores and dining services.
- Supervise certain key School professional staff including the Director of Budgets and Accounting, Director of Human Resources, Director of Facilities, Director of Food Services, and the Director of Information Technology.
- Oversee the:
- planning, contracting, and administration of construction projects for the School, and all aspects of facilities management, including safety and security, with the Director of Facilities.
- implementation and functioning of technology and telecommunications, with the Director of Information Technology.
- food services management, with the Director of Food Services.
- employment policies, staffing levels for all professional staff and staff functions, compensation and benefits programs, with the Director of Human Resources
- Other duties as requested or assigned by the Head of School.
Job Specifications
- The ability to work effectively with all levels of a socially and culturally rich and diverse independent all-girls day school, ultimately serving as a role model to promote a positive and productive work climate.
- The ability to serve as a critical business thinker, capable of providing positive and proactive solutions to business issues.
- Excellent communication skills, both oral and written.
- Knowledge and experience in setting up and monitoring effective financial controls, and proven financial modeling and forecasting skills.
- Effective negotiation skills in developing contracts with external vendors.
- Creativity, analytical skills, project development and management skills.
- Ability to motivate and manage a high-quality staff, and hire new talent when needed.
- An effective financial and business manager, capable of earning the respect and trust of the Head of School, faculty, administration, staff, students, and the Board of Trustees.
- Experience in an independent secondary school, college, or university setting preferred though individuals with strong financial and leadership skills in a related field are encouraged to explore this high-visibility opportunity.
- 10+ years’ of work experience in a financial and business leadership position.
- Bachelor’s degree required, M.B.A. and/or a master’s degree in a related field strongly preferred.
The Baldwin School
Over the course of more than 130 years, The Baldwin School has earned its reputation as one of the best private schools in the Philadelphia area and one of the top all-girls schools in the nation. Baldwin combines a premier college preparatory curriculum with distinguished arts, athletics, and community engagement programs. Students at Baldwin are guided by top faculty who are experts in girls’ education, offering an experiential learning environment within a supportive and encouraging educational community. Why Baldwin?
History
In 1888, Miss Florence Baldwin founded Miss Baldwin’s School for Girls, Preparatory for Bryn Mawr College, in her mother’s house at the corner of Montgomery and Morris Avenues in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania. Thirteen girls were enrolled in the first class. The establishment of the School was frowned upon by many as a “preposterous extravagance” because, in the latter part of the 19th century, women’s education was still considered unnecessary and potentially dangerous. Still located in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, The Baldwin School champions women’s education 136 years later as a leading independent, college preparatory day school for girls with more than 4,000 living alumnae nationwide and worldwide. Enrolling more than 560 girls in Pre-Kindergarten through Grade 12, The Baldwin School offers academic excellence in a supportive atmosphere with an average class size of 14 and a student-to-faculty ratio of 6:1. The School employs over 100 full-time faculty members, 80 percent of whom hold advanced degrees. The Baldwin community embraces socioeconomic, ethnic, and religious diversity, a commitment reflected in its student body’s composition. Baldwin students can foster their creativity, athleticism, leadership skills, curiosity, and sense of adventure outside the classroom through the arts, competitive athletics, and extracurricular programs. Baldwin students strive to develop scholarship, leadership, and citizenship within a community that emphasizes intellectual engagement, ethical integrity, and independence of thought.
Head of School, Lynne Macziewski
Baldwin’s foundation of academic excellence, focusing on how girls learn best and what girls need to thrive, is at the heart of our mission to educate young women who will become the leaders of future generations. We are strong believers in the power of the student voice in guiding their learning and educational experience, especially in young women. The Baldwin School offers myriad opportunities for each girl to explore her passions, develop her confidence and build her competencies for future success. A Baldwin girl has the opportunity to become anything she wants to be.
We are excited to welcome new students into our community. To invite in girls who will enjoy the innovative and experiential liberal arts education Baldwin offers in every grade, where we aim to maximize the potential in every student. Our imaginative STEM Lab will energize girls. Our extensive visual and performing arts offerings and award-winning athletics program will also help young women find their voice in a community that becomes their second home.
Along with an excellent educational experience, we strive to create an environment where each girl knows she belongs and is proud to be a member of the Baldwin community. In and out of the classroom, we want our girls to find inspiration and joy throughout their time at Baldwin and in all they do. We know that a foundational piece of this journey is the strong relationships built between students, teachers, coaches, directors, and other community members. These relationships, and the nurturing environment we seek to create at Baldwin, are at the heart of our institution. The sense of community and connection is palpable and creates bonds that last a lifetime. For more information about Lynne Macziewski click here.
Mission
The Baldwin School, an independent college preparatory school, develops talented girls into confident young women with vision, global understanding and the competency to make significant and enduring contributions to the world. The School nurtures our students’ passion for intellectual rigor in academics, creativity in the arts and competition in athletics, forming women capable of leading their generation while living balanced lives.
Core Values
Learning, Respect, Responsibility, Compassion, and Honesty
Campus
The Baldwin School is located on a 25-acre campus in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, a Main Line suburb of Philadelphia. The heart of the School is the Residence, a five-story chateau-style former hotel designed in the late 1800s by noted Philadelphia architect Frank Furness. The Residence was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979.
The campus also consists of a separate science building, four DREAM labs, the Simpson Center for the Performing Arts, and a 48,000-square-foot Athletic Center.
As a part of the school’s most recent strategic plan, and a commitment to interdisciplinary learning, the Innovation Center was created. The former pool house was expertly and creatively transformed into the Innovation Center – a building dedicated to the tangible, hands-on work of interdisciplinary learning that will allow students across grades and classes to focus on problem-solving, creativity, teamwork, and adaptability.
While the entire campus is interconnected, each division has its own distinct space on campus. Pre-K and Kindergarten classes are located on the ground floors of the historic Residence building, while the Middle School occupies the second floor. The Lower School building is home to Grades 1 through 5, a bright and bustling space. The Upper School classrooms are located in the Schoolhouse building. The schoolhouse features the latest technology and a variety of flexible layouts, allowing for different kinds of teaching and learning. The Schoolhouse also houses Baldwin’s exceptional Anne Frank Library.
Governance
The Baldwin School is overseen by a 31-member, volunteer Board of Trustees. Included among the trustees are five ex-officio members representing the parents’ association, faculty, and alumnae. The Board of Trustees, in partnership with the Head of School, oversees an operating budget of $23.3 million, which includes $3.5 million in student financial assistance and an endowment of over $37 million.
The Head of School oversees a professional team of 11: the Dean of Academic Affairs, Directors of the Lower, Middle, and Upper Schools, Athletics, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, Marketing and Communications, Chief Enrollment Management Officer, Chief Financial Officer, Chief Development Officer, and the Executive Assistant to the Head of School and Board of Trustees.
The Baldwin School is accredited by the Pennsylvania Association of Independent Schools and the Middle States Association, and is a member of the International Coalition of Girls’ Schools, the National Association of Independent Schools, the Association of Delaware Valley Independent Schools, the Pennsylvania Association of Independent Schools, and the National Business Officers Association.
Academics
The Baldwin School offers a challenging college preparatory curriculum aimed at maximizing the potential of every student, from our youngest Pre-Kindergartners to our Seniors.
Baldwin’s all-girls environment strongly emphasizes fostering independence, leadership, and confidence. In an atmosphere of trust and care, Baldwin girls learn to question, be curious and inventive, love learning, and take risks to help them better understand the world. With a solid commitment to the intersection of disciplines, arts, and athletics, a Baldwin education ensures graduates are poised to contribute to creating a better tomorrow.
Baldwin’s Lower School, for Pre-K through Grade 5, provides a stimulating and supportive atmosphere where each student is encouraged to participate actively. Whether swimming in our indoor pool during The Baldwin School Learn to Swim Program, developing foundational world language skills in French and Spanish, or programming her robot in our Lower School DREAM Lab, every Baldwin girl is encouraged to express herself and develop her voice.
Our Middle School, for Grades 6 through 8, expands upon this strong foundation, adding more rigorous exposure to science, literary studies, world languages, cultural geography, technology, and engineering. In every corner of our Middle School, our students explore their interests as they build a solid foundation of content knowledge, develop their social-emotional and leadership skills, and increase their sense of global awareness.
The Upper School, for Grades 9 through 12, offers an individualized curriculum designed with a strong core of courses across the disciplines through blended learning and curated challenges. In addition, students have the opportunity to take a variety of electives such as artificial intelligence, literature and medicine, and constitutional law. It produces well-rounded girls who are well-prepared for academic achievement at leading colleges and universities worldwide and graduate as life-long learners personally and professionally.
Our students also have access to Baldwin’s Academic Support and Enrichment team of expert faculty who provide academic and learning support and enrichment, social-emotional support, and health and wellness education.
The college counseling process is devoted to providing guidance and support to students and their families. The professional college counseling staff works closely with students on course selection, summer plans, standardized test timelines, building a list of colleges, and reviewing application materials. Baldwin students’ success in the college application process is a testament to the academic rigor and extracurricular breadth of the Baldwin experience. In 2023, Baldwin had 8 National Merit finalists. As a class. the 62 graduates of the Class of 2023 earned 269 acceptances to 183 unique colleges and universities including multiple Ivy League schools. The Baldwin School website has a complete list of the class’s additional distinguished achievements. Class of 2023 Matriculation Information
Interdisciplinary Learning
At Baldwin, we always work to keep our curriculum ahead of the curve. With this goal in mind, we have introduced more interdisciplinary, authentic learning opportunities across all divisions to nurture our girls’ skills further as flexible, collaborative problem-solvers able to draw connections across subjects, communicate across boundaries, and work well in teams.
The Lower School Wyss Interdisciplinary Incubator (i2) involves each grade exploring projects throughout the year that bring together two or more content areas, allowing students to deepen their knowledge while developing essential skills including collaboration, communication, and problem-solving skills. The Middle and Upper School Wyss Interdisciplinary Institute (I2) is a week-long learning experience designed around the exploration of topics at the intersection of disciplines and leverages student choice, creativity, and real-world problem-solving. Students have the opportunity to see and hear how concepts and skills are applied beyond Baldwin’s gates, by connecting with outside experts and participating in several off-campus excursions including museums, nature preserves, art galleries, film institutes, and volunteering opportunities.
Our approach to interdisciplinary studies across all grades and subjects provides the foundation for a rich, student-led learning experience. It helps Baldwin students gain a deeper understanding of multiple disciplines and learn more than just content. Our girls gain both the knowledge basis and ability to apply what they learn in ways that will help them find creative solutions to any challenge they face at school or beyond. We know this future-focused approach to learning is the best way to prepare Baldwin’s students for the fast-paced, ever-changing world that awaits them.
STEAM Education
In 2013, Baldwin launched a cutting-edge STEAM education curriculum for girls through its patented innovative DREAM (Design, Robotics, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics) Lab®. The DREAM Lab, a Lower School initiative that has expanded to the Middle and Upper Schools, puts Baldwin at the forefront of girls’ education in science. It is a creative, blended learning program that vividly engages students to inspire the budding inventors of tomorrow. We continue to expand our programming to prepare our students for an ever-changing world, most recently bringing Cybersecurity & Ethical Hacking and Artificial Intelligence & Society courses to the Upper School.
Student Life
The Baldwin School prides itself on providing students with a well-rounded education that fosters curiosity, adventure, and leadership through extracurricular programs that act as the cornerstone of “beyond the classroom” learning. The Middle and Upper Schools offer a wide range of clubs, organizations, community service opportunities, publications, and athletic teams. Our students graduate with a love of learning, in and out of class, that lasts well beyond Baldwin.
We are also proud of the sense of community and sisterhood that unites our school community across the grades and generations. Time-honored traditions bond today’s Baldwin girls with those who have come before and provide treasured “Baldwin moments” in all our divisions. Bear Day in Lower School, Game Day with The Haverford School in Middle School, and Ring Day in Upper School are just a few traditions that celebrate our school’s history and community spirit.
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
Baldwin is dedicated to the significance of our diverse communities and is committed to creating an inclusive environment where all members feel valued and supported. We recognize and honor the individuals and groups that make up our communities and actively celebrate the unique perspectives and experiences of our students, families, faculty, staff, alumnae, and administration.
We maintain the highest standards regarding the experiences of our students, faculty, and staff. We continuously cultivate a culture of life-long learning that provides opportunities to grow and develop cultural competence and confidence. Baldwin’s environment fosters a foundation for curiosity. We also lead with intersectionality. We recognize that all members of our communities are multi-dimensional. We understand that no community is monolithic. Therefore, we build experiences and resources that reflect this nuance and advocate for individuals beyond a single identity to meet them at their intersections. More about Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at Baldwin
Athletics
Athletics are an integral part of the overall curriculum at Baldwin. Students from all divisions pursue various athletic pursuits while having fun and building core skills. Baldwin Athletics supports and engages in mission-driven, education-based interscholastic programs that provide opportunities for our entire community to gather and promote encouraging sportsmanship and positive competition.
Middle and Upper School students engage in various athletic pursuits as they learn, play, compete, and have fun. They can participate in a sport or fitness class each sports season, helping our girls build confidence and resilience, practice teamwork, sportsmanship, and leadership skills, and improve their health, wellness, and physical abilities.
Baldwin’s competitive athletic programs take place in state-of-the-art athletic facilities. The School is affiliated with the competitive Inter Academic (Inter-Ac) League and . Sixteen middle and upper school sports are offered including cross country, field hockey, soccer, tennis, volleyball, basketball, dance, indoor track, track and field, swimming, diving, squash, crew, golf, lacrosse, and softball.
Arts
The Arts have always been vital to a Baldwin student’s experience, ensuring our girls learn to think creatively and critically, connect across genres, and nurture a spirit of innovation.
All students take visual arts classes from Pre-K through Grade 8. Upper School girls have the opportunity to choose from drawing and painting, sculpture, ceramics, digital photography, graphic arts, art history, and our signature jewelry-making program. A key aim for Baldwin’s visual arts program is to provide a creative curriculum, technical development, and engaging opportunities that ignite a personal passion for the arts in every student.
Music is fundamental to the Baldwin educational experience and echoes throughout our halls. Baldwin’s acclaimed B-Flats a capella group, the Firenze instrumental ensemble, and Baldwin’s handbell choirs are just a few opportunities our girls have to perform locally and internationally. We are also home to The Baldwin Conservatory, which boasts more than 20 professional musicians offering individual extra-curricular music instruction to girls of every age.
Drama classes enrich a student’s education by providing an opportunity to learn through dramatic expression, helping our girls harness the power of their creativity and voice. In addition to providing a variety of performance opportunities for students from Pre-K through Grade 12, our theater program fosters an appreciation for the creative process and a strong understanding of the collaborative nature of the arts.
The Baldwin School Benefits
The Baldwin School offers a dynamic and supportive work environment, competitive salaries, and a generous benefits package including a retirement plan, paid vacations, and the full complement of health and wellness plans.
The Baldwin School is an Equal Opportunity employer. The Baldwin School does not discriminate on the basis of gender, race, religion, color, national or ethnic origin, disabilities, or sexual orientation in the administration of its policies and programs. Candidates are selected by their qualifications to meet the needs of the position.
Contact Information
The Baldwin School has retained the executive search firm of Deerfield Associates Executive Search, Inc. to conduct this high-profile search.
To explore this superb career opportunity on a highly confidential basis please send a resume, letter of interest, and five references (which will only be contacted if mutual interest is determined) to:
Doug Cooney, Executive Search Consultant, DEERFIELD ASSOCIATES Executive Search, Inc.
572 Washington Street, Suite 15, Wellesley, MA 02482 Telephone: 781-237-2800.
Email: jobs@deerfieldassociates.com