Director of Finance and Business Administration

Chinese International School

Chinese International School (CIS) is now inviting applications for the role of Director of Finance and Business Administration.

About CIS

Founded in 1983, CIS is a private non-profit school in Hong Kong offering an international education from Reception through Year 13 in two languages – Mandarin and English. CIS places a strong emphasis on integrating Chinese culture into its curriculum, and broke new ground in 2013 with the launch of a residential study centre in Hangzhou for all of its Year 10 students. The School has approximately 1650 students, aged 4-18 and representing over 30 nationalities. CIS is committed to excellence and innovation in everything it does, with a mission to inspire students to a lifelong love of learning, commitment to service, and stewardship of our future. Further information about CIS is available here: https://www.cis.edu.hk/about-us/about-cis

Transformative Growth under Vision ‘33

CIS is in the midst of a period of exciting and transformative growth guided by Vision ’33, the School’s ambitious road map for the coming decade in the run-up to its 50th anniversary in 2033. Further information about this strategic commitment is available here: https://www.cis.edu.hk/about-us/vision-33.

As part of Vision ‘33, CIS is expanding its campus, redeveloping an adjacent property at 9 Hau Yuen Path that was recently awarded to the School by the Hong Kong Education Bureau (EDB). Envisaged by the EDB to open in August 2028, CIS’s redevelopment of this new site will enable it to house students in Years 2–6 and to create a number of additional spaces for the community as a whole. It will also permit an increase in the School’s overall enrolment, opening up opportunities for more families to join CIS.               

Finance and Business Administration at CIS

CIS’s Business Office covers finance, human resources, and the School’s business administration needs.

The Role

Reporting to the Head of School, serving as a member of the School’s Leadership Team, and working closely with the Board of Governors and its various committees, the Director of Finance & Business Administration plays a vital role in the life of the school, with roles and responsibilities that include the following:

1. Strategic Financial Leadership: Providing financial and administrative leadership for the School; and contributing to whole-school strategy, operational planning, and major institutional decisions aligned with the School’s mission, values and strategic priorities, goals, and initiatives.
2. Finance, Accounting, and Budget Management: Overseeing all financial operations, including accounting, reporting, annual budgeting, internal controls and external audits; and ensuring compliance with accounting standards and tax rules.
3. Treasury, Investments, Debt Management, and Financing: Managing cash flow, reserves, banking relationships, investments and borrowing.
4. Governance, Risk Management, and Compliance: Playing a leading role in school-wide risk and crisis management; overseeing insurance coverage; and ensuring all activities meet legal and regulatory requirements.
5. Human Resources: Overseeing and advising on HR and personnel policies and procedures, pay benchmarking, workforce planning, Hong Kong and Mainland China employment law, and if needed the resolution of staff complaints and disputes.
6. Government Relations: Supporting the Head of School and other members of the CIS Leadership Team in managing the School’s interactions with its various governmental interlocutors.
7. Legal Affairs: Working with external legal services providers as necessary on matters related to finance, human resources, risk management and overall school governance.
8. Procurement, Insurance, and Business Administration: Supervising purchasing, insurance (including medical) and administrative support functions; keeping procurement transparent and cost-effective; and improving day-to-day workflows.
9. Business Development, Capital Projects, and Other Strategic Initiatives: Providing financial leadership on capital projects, campus development and new programmes; and evaluating viability, pricing, tax, legal and accounting implications for School operations.
10. Board and Committee Responsibilities: Serving as an ex officio member of the Board of Governors; working with the Head of School to support the Board’s Finance, Risk Oversight, and Land & Building Committees; and helping to keep Board priorities and day-to-day operations aligned.
11. Team Leadership and Organisational Management: Leading, evaluating and developing the School’s human resources, finance and administration teams; and building a collaborative, high-performing culture through training, streamlined workflows and succession planning.
12. Additional duties and responsibilities: Taking on ad hoc projects, reviews and other duties requested by the Head of School; representing the School with external parties; and contributing to the School’s overall leadership and direction.

The successful candidate for the Director of Finance and Business Administration role will demonstrate a proactive, can-do, hands-on approach to leadership within a diverse and multicultural context. He or she will be remarkably trustworthy, reliable and able to work as part of a results-driven team in a fast-paced environment. Aligned with the School’s Mission and Values, the candidate will be committed to fostering an inclusive and innovative community, and will possess a genuine passion for the transformative power of education to make the world a better place. In particular, CIS invites applications from candidates with the following qualifications:

1. Chartered or Certified Accountant or equivalent. Additional qualifications related to business administration, law, and / or risk management would be an advantage.
2. A minimum of 15 years of professional experience, with at least five years in human resources, financial and administrative leadership in a best-in-class setting;
3. Strong interpersonal skills, with the ability to build relationships across various constituencies, and in CIS’s unique context, across multiple cultures;
4. Proven experience building strong external partnerships, particularly with government counterparts, auditors, regulators and third party service providers.
5. Excellent verbal and written communication skills in English and Cantonese. Proficiency in Mandarin / Putonghua is desirable.
6. Proficiency with office tools, including Microsoft Office Suite, Google Workspace, and other information management systems.
7. Positive disposition towards the use of artificial intelligence to streamline and otherwise improve school operations.

How to Apply

The Chinese International School will be supported in this appointment process by the executive search firm Perrett Laver. Applications for the role of Director of Finance and Business Administration should include the following:

1. CV (maximum 4 pages)
2. Letter of application (1-1.5 pages) with a detailed statement of aspirations and relevance for the position
3. The names and titles of three references (Referees will not be contacted without prior permission.)

Initial enquiries and requests for information may be directed in confidence to Mr. Kieran Pollentine at Kieran.Pollentine@perrettlaver.com

Applications can be submitted via this page, quoting reference number 8690. Review of applications and nominations will continue until the post is filled.

We are an equal opportunity employer and welcome applications from all qualified candidates. Information provided will be treated in strict confidence and used only for recruitment purposes.

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