Description

The King’s Academy: Business Manager

Mission: The King’s Academy inspires and equips students of all cultural backgrounds to fulfill their God-given potential in a nurturing, college-preparatory community.

Vision: Transformed lives, empowered by Christ-like character, pursuing academic excellence and lifelong service.

Founded in 1880 and located in Seymour, Tennessee, The King’s Academy (TKA) is an independent Christian day and boarding school serving students in Preschool through Grade 12. TKA is dedicated to academic excellence, authentic discipleship, and spiritual growth in a nurturing environment where every student is known, loved, and equipped. Nestled in the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains, TKA offers both day and international boarding programs on a beautiful 67-acre campus. Our close-knit community partners with families to cultivate wisdom, faith, and leadership rooted in a Biblical worldview.

Position Overview
The Business Manager serves as a key member of the administrative leadership team, responsible for overseeing all financial, business, personnel, and operational functions of The King’s Academy. This role requires supervisory experience and benefits from management experience, including strategic input, across finance, HR/payroll, and systems administration. This position ensures that TKA’s financial practices, HR processes, and operational systems align with the school’s mission, vision, and strategic priorities, enabling the institution to thrive both spiritually and fiscally. The Business Manager reports directly to the Head of School and works closely with the Board of Trustees, the Board’s Finance Committee, and other key stakeholders.

Primary Responsibilities

Financial Management & Reporting

• Develop, manage, and monitor the annual operating budget in collaboration with the Head of School and Board of Trustees; steward budget-to-actual performance and midyear re-forecasting.
• Provide financial statements and dashboards to the Head of School and Board Finance Committee; present concise monthly narratives highlighting trends, risks, and opportunities.
• Oversee all accounting functions, including accounts payable/receivable, payroll, general ledger, and month-end close; ensure timely and accurate reconciliations.
• Coordinate and manage relationships for outsourced accounting functions.
• Manage cash flow and banking relationships; oversee tuition management systems (e.g., FACTS) and ensure strong internal controls for receipts and deposits.
• Coordinate the annual financial audit and external audit deliverables (calendar, PBC list, timelines), ensuring compliance with GAAP and FASB ASC 958 nonprofit reporting standards; keep the Finance/Audit Committee informed and support auditor relationship management.
• Maintain compliance with the Tennessee Education Freedom Scholarship (EFS) program and all related funding/financial aid processes.

Investments, Endowment, and Financing

• In partnership with the Finance Committee, develop and implement investment policies for endowment/long-term reserves; prepare quarterly performance and rebalancing recommendations.
• Lead financing strategy for capital projects; evaluate structures and covenants; monitor the debt portfolio and identify refinancing opportunities to reduce interest expense.

Student Accounts & Auxiliary Operations

• Oversee the full student-account lifecycle, including enrollment documentation, payment plan setup, billing, collections, hardship/write-off workflows, and customer service.
• Partner with Admissions, Residential Life, and Advancement to ensure accurate tuition, fees, and crediting of aid/scholarships; ensure timely and accurate donor gift processing in coordination with Advancement.
• Manage campus housing administration, including contracts, assignments, and rate studies for residential life and staff housing in collaboration with Facilities.
   

Human Resources Administration

• Provide oversight of all HR and payroll functions in partnership with administrative staff and outsourced service providers to ensure compliance, accuracy, and timeliness.
• Manage HR operations, including onboarding/offboarding, payroll accuracy, benefits administration (medical, dental, vision, life, disability, and retirement plans), and maintaining required personnel files and documentation.
• Administer payroll and all associated tax filings (federal/state), W-2s/1099s, and charitable donation statements, in conjunction with outsourced providers.
• Serve as liaison for workers’ compensation: maintain incident logs, coordinate claims, and support return-to-work processes.
• Ensure compliance with federal and state employment laws, school policies, and best practices (e.g., FLSA, FMLA, EEO, I-9, background checks).
• Support faculty and staff professional development and school-wide initiatives in collaboration with academic leadership.

Risk Management, Insurance, and Compliance

• Administer the school’s insurance portfolio (property, liability, auto, student accident, etc.); maintain asset/vehicle/building schedules and oversee claims in partnership with carriers/brokers.
• Maintain and monitor internal controls; own the purchase order (PO) system and approval matrix; ensure policy compliance and budget stewardship.
• Maintain the fixed-asset register and capitalization policy; coordinate annual inventory and asset tagging.
• Complete and submit required governmental reports and regulatory filings; maintain current business licenses and permits.

Strategic Planning & Analysis

• Build multi-year financial models and forecasts to support Board strategy and campus planning.
• Provide data-driven insights for tuition setting, compensation planning, class-size modeling, and sustainability initiatives (e.g., energy, fleet, grounds).
• Support capital projects and campus improvements with ROI/NPV analyses and board-ready business cases.

Collaboration & Communication

• Serve as a trusted advisor to the Head of School and Board of Trustees; attend Board/committee meetings as requested and provide clear monthly updates.
• Foster a culture of stewardship, transparency, and accountability across the Academy; build mission-aligned relationships with faculty, staff, families, and community partners. 

Qualifications & Requirements

Degree Requirement:

• Accounting degree from an accredited university, or a business degree with an accounting minor and compensating accounting experience, required; public accounting with nonprofit audit exposure and CPA certification preferred.

Experience: 5+ years of progressive experience in nonprofit, independent school, or educational finance leadership.

• Required: Demonstrated proficiency in budget management, accounting systems, and financial reporting; strong command of GAAP and FASB ASC 958.
• Required: Supervisory experience.
• Preferred: Management experience (including strategic input).
• Preferred: Nonprofit accounting experience (audit, general ledger, or financial reporting in an education setting).
• Preferred: Financial reporting skills, with preference for Board and external audit reporting coordination.
• Preferred: Experience with investment/endowment oversight and debt financing for capital projects.
• Preferred: Hands-on experience with risk/insurance administration and claims, workers’ compensation, and regulatory filings.
• Desirable: Experience with oversight of payroll and HR functions (processing, benefits administration, HR compliance).

Technology Proficiency: Proficiency with FACTS, QuickBooks, Excel, and related systems; familiarity with SIS/HRIS tools preferred; strong IT user skills required.

• Preferred: IT system management skills (accounting/ERP, SIS/HRIS, tuition and donor systems).

Skills: Excellent analytical, organizational, and interpersonal communication skills; ability to summarize complex finance for non-financial audiences.

Character: High degree of integrity, discretion, and professionalism in handling confidential information.

Mission Alignment (Non-negotiable): Self-motivated, high character, outstanding work ethic, committed Christian lifestyle, and alignment with the mission and values of the school and Christian education.
 
Accountability

• Reports to: President/Head of School
• Provides: Quarterly reports to the Board of Trustees/Finance Committee
• Participates in: Annual evaluation and goal-setting
   
  

Application Process

Interested candidates should submit:

• A cover letter expressing their faith, leadership philosophy, and alignment with TKA’s mission
• A current résumé/CV
• Three professional references

Applications and inquiries:
 Dr. Fred Eaves, President/Head of School-Elect
 The King’s Academy
 202 Smothers Road
 Seymour, TN 37865
 feaves@thekingsacademy.net