Finance and Operations Manager

Location: San Francisco, California | Type: Full-Time, Exempt

About the Lycée Français de San Francisco

The Lycée Français de San Francisco (the Lycée) is a French immersion and International College Preparatory school with 820+ students across three Bay Area campuses. The Lycée strives to maintain an international community for teachers, parents, and students of diverse social and cultural backgrounds while providing a rich educational environment that emphasizes academic excellence and personal achievement. Our program is based on the highly recognized French national curriculum and IB Curriculum and framework enriched by key American courses, allowing flexibility and academic transfer to leading schools and universities worldwide. The Lycée is a unique environment that promotes initiative, autonomy, cooperation, and individual responsibility.

About the Role

The Finance and Operations Manager is a hands-on leadership role reporting directly to the Chief Financial & Operating Officer (CFOO). This individual owns the integrity of the school’s accounting operations, leading the Business Office team, driving an accurate and on-time full-cycle close, maintaining general ledger accuracy including restricted and unrestricted fund tracking, and producing reliable financial reporting. The Manager also oversees key operational functions across the school’s three campuses, including campus security, student transportation, and insurance/risk management. This is a working-manager role: the successful candidate leads by doing, builds strong processes and controls, and raises the quality bar of the Business Office through training, documentation, and accountability.

Responsibilities

• Accounting Operations & Full-Cycle Close
  • Own the full-cycle monthly, quarterly, and year-end close, delivering an accurate close on a fixed calendar with documented checklists and review controls.
  • Oversee day-to-day Business Office operations, accounts receivable, accounts payable, and the general ledger in accordance with GAAP, FASB standards, and internal policies.
  • Ensure expenses are coded to the correct general ledger accounts, departments, and funds; review and approve journal entries and account classifications.
  • Maintain accurate tracking, release, and reporting of restricted versus unrestricted funds in accordance with donor intent and nonprofit fund accounting standards.
  • Complete monthly bank reconciliations and ensure all balance sheet accounts are reconciled and reviewed on schedule.
  • Ensure vendor payments are accurate and on time; establish AP review controls that prevent late or erroneous payments.
  • Manage cash flow and ensure the Lycée’s cash position is optimized.
  • Lead the automation of accounts payable and other manual processes; identify and implement efficiencies across financial operations.
• Team Leadership & Training
  • Manage, coach, and develop Business Office staff across all three campuses, setting clear expectations and providing performance feedback.
  • Develop and document standard operating procedures for all accounting and finance functions.
  • Train Business Office staff and school employees on accounting procedures, expense policies, and financial systems.
• Financial Reporting & Analysis
  • Produce accurate and timely monthly financial reports for the CFOO, Board of Trustees, and department managers, including statements of activities and financial position by fund.
  • Assist the CFOO with the presentation of accounting and financial data to the Board.
  • Reconcile project cost records and support budget variance analysis.
  • Support preparation of annual operating and capital budgets across multiple departments and funding sources.
• Compliance, Filings & Audit
  • File and manage local property tax returns and other required filings related to school operations across all three campuses.
  • Ensure all annual, quarterly, and periodic federal, state, and local filings are completed accurately and on time, in compliance with requirements applicable to a nonprofit educational institution.
  • Lead audit preparation: year-end schedules, adjusting entries, and responses to auditor inquiries.
  • Implement and enforce accounting policies and internal controls; work cross-departmentally to ensure financial matters comply with Lycée policies and applicable law.
• Operations: Security, Transportation & Risk
  • Oversee campus security operations across all three campuses, including vendor/personnel management, coverage schedules, incident records, and functioning security systems (cameras, access controls, alarms).
  • Oversee the student transportation program with assistance of Transportation Specialist.
  • Monitor and oversee insurance needs across all campuses; liaise with brokers on coverage sufficiency and escalate risk matters to the CFOO and Head of School as appropriate.
  • Take on other operational duties as the school evolves, which may include construction and building projects and other cross-functional initiatives.

Requirements

• A minimum of 5 years of progressively responsible experience in finance and accounting, including ownership of a full-cycle close.
• Strong working knowledge of GAAP, FASB standards, and nonprofit fund accounting, including restricted/unrestricted fund tracking.
• Demonstrated experience supervising, training, and developing accounting staff.
• Track record of building processes and internal controls that improve accuracy and timeliness.
• Systems thinking: capacity to see and improve interconnections between accounting, operations, and compliance workflows.
• Regulatory agility: ability to track and respond to evolving local, state, and federal compliance requirements for educational nonprofits.
• French fluency preferred.

Preferred Qualifications

• CPA or equivalent, or public accounting/audit background.
• Experience with Sage Intacct accounting software, Rippling, and AI tools.
• Experience with payroll registers and journals.

Pay

The salary range is $115,000 to $125,000 depending on experience.

Benefits

• Excellent benefits package including medical, dental, and vision.
• 11 paid holidays.
• Generous paid vacation package.
• Long-term disability and retirement benefits.
• Professional development support.