Chief Operating Officer

Our vision at SAS explains why we exist. We aspire to be a world leader in education, cultivating exceptional thinkers prepared for the future. We are committed to our mission that has been at the heart of our 65-year history: to provide each student an exemplary American educational experience with an international perspective.

If there is one thing we know about the future, it is that our students will graduate into a rapidly changing, increasingly global world where their success will depend to a large degree on their ability to learn new skills, take on new challenges, and work with a diverse range of people. We aim to build a strong sense of joy and purpose in learning among our students to enable them to do so.

We know that our students’ future success will depend on their ability to develop skills such as critical thinking, creativity, and cultural competence. And, it will depend on the quality of the moral character they develop. We seek to personalize learning for every child to meet their unique learning needs. We know that supporting them in their social-emotional growth is as important as their academic growth. And, we seek to stimulate that growth in a community as rich in equity and inclusion as it is in the extraordinary diversity of our students. Our ability to attract, retain, and develop diverse talented educators, working collaboratively in teams, is vital to our success.

The Chief Operating Officer is an integral member of the Senior Leadership Team and reports directly to the Superintendent. The COO works closely with the leadership team to lead and manage all aspects of the school’s operations including finance, facilities, security, transportation, information technology, and contracted services. This includes the supervision of 4-5 direct reports with 30-40 employees and a large set of contractors.

The COO executes the superintendent’s direction for operations of the school. They are responsible for the development of the financial management strategy and for contributing to the school’s strategic goals.

**Responsibilities**

**Strategy, Vision and Leadership**
- Advise the superintendent and the senior leadership team on financial planning, budgeting, cash flow, and policy.
- Collaborate closely with senior leadership team members to deliver on the school’s vision and strategic plan.
- Serve as the management liaison to the Finance, Facilities, and Investment Advisory Committees of the Board.,
- Supervise and lead on all facilities matters, including the extensive construction and renovation project underway at SAS and the school’s long-term capital needs.
- Develop new systems of financial and operations management that ensures the most effective use of school resources, strong fiscal controls, and supports the objectives of the school.
- Consistently lead for a responsive, service-oriented culture to meet the operational needs of our students, parents and educators.
- Represent SAS externally with parents, businesses, government officials, and community organizations such as the Chamber of Commerce and American Association.
- Promote a culture of high performance and continuous improvement that values learning and a commitment to quality.
- Ensure staff members receive timely and appropriate training and development.
- Mentor and develop staff using a supportive and collaborative approach: assign accountabilities; set objectives; establish priorities; and monitor and evaluate results.

**Finance**
- Develop and manage school’s long-term cash flows and annual budget
- Manage strategic budgeting process to allocate resources to fund key priorities
- Prepare long-term cash flow analyses to meet the school’s future needs
- Oversee and execute SGD180 million annual budget and allocation of reserves
- Oversee the School’s cash flow and work with banks to manage SAS debt and hedging strategy and ensure positive cash management
- Collect, analyze, and present financial information to the Superintendent and SAS Board as requested by the Superintendent.
- Partner with the Superintendent and Board Finance Committee on strategic financial planning, investments, debt, and overall financial operations
- Generate financial models necessary to make sound decisions in regards to establishing annual tuition and fees.
- Create, lead, and execute all financial reporting functions
- Lead purchasing function and negotiation of major contracts
- Oversee annual audit processes, insurance assessment, and SAS risk management
- Create and oversee financial and accounting controls and reporting procedures to ensure tax and legal compliance
- Work closely with the head of human resources to oversee and develop employee salary and benefit plans, with particular emphasis on maximizing a cost-effective and competitive benefits package.

**Risk Management & Insurance**
- Lead all Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) efforts; including leading the ERM Committee
- Understand and mitigate key elem