Chief Financial Officer
PENDERGAST ELEMENTARY SCHOOL DISTRICT Job Description JOB TITLE: Chief Financial Officer EXEMPT: Yes JOB CODE: SALARY LEVEL: Administrative DEPARTMENT: Finance LOCATION: Superintendent’s Office TERM OF EMPLOYMENT: 12 Month REPORTS TO: Superintendent DATE APPROVED: February 3, 2026 POSITION LEVEL: Cabinet SUMMARY: The Chief Financial Officer (CFO) serves as the district’s senior executive responsible for financial stewardship, fiscal strategy, and the integrity of all financial systems supporting district operations and long-term sustainability. Working collaboratively with the Superintendent and executive leadership, the CFO ensures financial practices are transparent, compliant, and aligned to strategic priorities and community expectations. The CFO leads a disciplined, forward-looking finance enterprise that ensures responsible budgeting, strong internal controls, accurate reporting, and effective stewardship of public resources. In alignment with the district’s strategic plan and social enterprise operating model, the CFO provides strategic financial leadership that supports instructional priorities, operational excellence, and the development of diversified revenue streams. The CFO leads through principled, collaborative decision-making—balancing stewardship, transparency, and fiscal discipline with a commitment to enabling progress. Rather than serving solely as a gatekeeper, the CFO listens deeply in order to partner with district leaders to clarify tradeoffs, align resources to priorities, and identify responsible paths forward. The CFO strengthens organizational trust through intentional collaboration and clear communication, and ensures financial systems support innovation while protecting the district’s long-term stability and public responsibility, while maintaining full compliance with all federal, state, and local requirements. REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS: Bachelor’s degree in finance, accounting, business administration, public administration, educational leadership, or a related field. Progressive senior-level financial leadership experience in a public-sector, education, or similarly complex, regulated organization. Demonstrated expertise in public finance, including budgeting, financial reporting, internal controls, audits, compliance, and long-range financial planning. Knowledge of applicable laws and regulations governing school district budgeting, accounting, and financial reporting, including USFR and Arizona school finance. Proven experience leading and developing finance teams, including setting clear expectations, building trust, and ensuring accountability. Strong collaborative leadership skills, with demonstrated ability to partner effectively with executive leaders, governing boards, school leaders, and cross-functional teams. Ability to communicate complex financial information clearly to non-financial audiences to support informed decision-making. Demonstrated commitment to ethical leadership, transparency, and accountability in the stewardship of public resources. Ability to lead through influence rather than authority, modeling professionalism, humility, and shared ownership of outcomes PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS: Master’s degree in finance, accounting, public administration, educational leadership, or a related field. Leadership experience in an educational setting, with direct exposure to instructional systems and school-based decision-making. Multiple years of financial leadership experience, preferably including experience in a school district or public education environment. Instructional background or meaningful experience working alongside instructional leaders, supporting alignment between financial strategy and student learning priorities. Experience supporting enterprise, revenue-generating, or sustainability initiatives within a public or mission-driven organization. Experience with integrated financial systems, enterprise budgeting, or cross-functional planning frameworks. Experience developing or supporting equity-driven resource allocation models tied to student outcomes and district strategy. * Arizona Superintendent or Administrative Certification or demonstrated eligibility. Such alternatives to the above required \& preferred qualifications as the Superintendent/Designee may find appropriate and acceptable ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES: The Chief Financial Officer (CFO) provides executive leadership for the district’s financial enterprise, ensuring fiscal stewardship, strategic alignment, and organizational trust. Essential duties include, but are not limited to, the following: 1. Partner with the Superintendent, Governing Board, and executive leaders to align financial strategy with instructional priorities, workforce planning, facilities, enrollment trends, and district strategic goals. 2. Lead the collaborative development, implementation, and monitoring of annual and multi-year budgets, long-range financial plans, and forecasts in alignment with ADM trends, capital needs, and district core values to ensure the district remains fiscally sound. 3. Provide clear, timely financial analysis and forecasting to support informed decision-making and strategic tradeoffs. 4. Design, oversee, and continuously improve integrated financial systems, processes, and controls that promote accuracy, transparency, efficiency, scalability, and organizational trust. 5. Work in close partnership with the executive leadership team to ensure financial systems function as enterprise services that support innovation, operational effectiveness, and long-term sustainability while maintaining fiscal discipline. 6. Align financial practices across departments to support cohesive service delivery and organizational effectiveness. 7. Collaborate with the Chief Operations Officer and Chief Learning and Innovation Officer to support diversification of revenue through enterprise initiatives, fundraising partnerships, and sound financial modeling and governance. 8. Maintain awareness of emerging revenue opportunities, legislative changes, and funding developments that may impact the district. 9. Partner with enterprise teams to ensure revenue-generating efforts are mission-aligned, fiscally responsible, and well- governed. 10. Ensure compliance with all applicable federal, state, and local laws, regulations, reporting requirements, and USFR standards governing school district finance. 11. Oversee audits, financial reporting, internal controls, and risk management practices to protect public resources and maintain public trust. 12. Proactively identify financial risks and develop mitigation strategies in collaboration with executive leadership. 13. Serve as a strategic partner to district leaders, supporting responsible solutions through collaboration rather than control. 14. Lead, develop, and support a high-performing finance team through clear expectations, coaching, recognition, shared accountability, and succession planning. 15. Foster a culture of professionalism, ethical leadership, continuous improvement, and shared ownership of outcomes within the finance organization. 16. Serve as the district’s primary financial advisor to the Superintendent and Governing Board. 17. Prepare and present financial reports, analyses, and recommendations to support effective governance, policy decisions, and public accountability. 18. Serve as a member of the District Leadership Team and Superintendent’s Cabinet, contributing to enterprise-wide leadership and decision-making. 19. Provide principled, respectful counsel and candid feedback at all levels of the organization, including upward; ensuring alignment with district values, brand integrity, and public transparency 20. Adheres to District policies, procedures/processes. 21. Perform other duties and responsibilities as assigned by the Superintendent or designee. EVALUATION: At least once annually in accordance with Governing Board Policy REASONING ABILITY: Ability to define problems, collect data, establish facts, and draw conclusions; ability to interpret an extensive variety of technical instructions in mathematical or diagram form and deal with several concrete variables LANGUAGE SKILLS: Ability to read, analyze, and interpret education materials and programs; ability to write reports, procedure manuals, and correspondence; ability to effectively present information and respond to questions from groups of teachers, students, administration, and the community. MATHEMATICAL SKILLS: Ability to work with mathematical data such as probability and statistical inference; ability to apply concepts such as fractions, percentages, ratios, and proportions to practical situations. PHYSICAL DEMANDS: The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is required to talk and hear. The employee frequently is required to stand, walk, sit, and use hands to handle, or feel objects, or controls; and reach with hands and arms. The employee is occasionally required to climb or balance and stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl. The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 25 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and the ability to adjust focus. WORK ENVIRONMENT: The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of the job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate. SUPERVISION: Business Services, Account Payable, and Payroll.