Chief Financial Officer Full-time

Tennessee Department of Education
Operations Division
Nashville, TN
The annual salary range is anticipated to be $165,000.00 – $195,000.00
Closing Date: 11/30/2026

This position will work primarily in office, with occasional days working from a home residence pursuant to the Departments Alternative Workplace Solutions policy

For more information, visit the link below:
https://wwwtngov/education/career-opportunitieshtml

Who we are and what we do:

This position is responsible for both the department’s internal financial planning and resource management and its financial partnership with Tennessee school districts, including administration of state education funding, district financial reporting and technical assistance, and fiscal oversight of state and federal grants.

How you make a difference in this role:

The Tennessee Department of Education is seeking a strategic, collaborative, and service-oriented Chief Financial Officer (CFO) to lead the department’s financial strategy and key financial operations and support the responsible stewardship of state and federal education resources across Tennessee. The CFO provides executive leadership for the department’s budget, procurement, local finance, local disbursement, and grants-related financial functions.

Job Overview:

The CFO serves as a key financial advisor to department leadership and works closely with school districts, state agencies, federal partners, and other stakeholders to ensure resources are managed responsibly, transparently, and in alignment with Tennessee’s educational priorities. This position reports to the Deputy Commissioner of Operations and serves as a member of the department’s executive leadership team.

Key Responsibilities:

Essential Functions:

• District Finance, Grants, and State Education Funding
• Provide executive leadership for the department’s financial relationship with Tennessee school districts and other recipients of state and federal education funds.
• Oversee the administration, calculation, distribution, reconciliation, and financial reporting of state education funding, including the Tennessee Investment in Student Achievement (TISA) formula in collaboration with the Operational Data Strategy team.
• Establish and oversee processes, guidance, and technical assistance that support accurate, timely, and consistent district financial reporting.
• Lead fiscal administration and oversight of state and federal grants, including budgeting, reimbursement, financial monitoring, compliance, disbursement, and closeout.
• Ensure districts and grant recipients receive clear and timely guidance regarding funding requirements, allowable costs, reporting, reimbursement, and fiscal compliance.
• Strengthen district financial capacity through high-quality tools, training, technical assistance, data, and partnerships with school business officials and other stakeholders.

Agency Budget and Financial Management:

• Lead development and execution of the department’s annual budget and multi-year financial planning across state, federal, and other funding sources.
• Establish budget development, monitoring, forecasting, and management reporting processes that support effective resource allocation and executive decision-making.
• Monitor expenditures, revenues, obligations, grants, and fund balances and proactively identify significant financial risks, variances, and opportunities.
• Develop fiscal analyses related to proposed legislation, new initiatives, policy decisions, and significant operational investments.
• Provide department leadership with timely and understandable financial forecasts, analyses, and management information.
• Partner closely with the agency Controller to support effective financial reporting, controls, reconciliations, audit activities, and compliance with applicable state and federal requirements.
• Establish financial management policies, processes, and controls appropriate to the CFO’s areas of responsibility and coordinate corrective action when financial or compliance risks are identified.

Procurement and Contract Management:

• Provide executive leadership for the department’s procurement and contracting functions.
• Oversee procurement planning and establish effective processes to identify, prioritize, develop, track, and execute procurements supporting department programs and operations.
• Ensure procurement activities comply with applicable state requirements and promote competition, transparency, efficiency, and responsible stewardship of taxpayer resources.
• Partner with program teams to provide timely guidance regarding procurement strategy, scope development, timelines, funding, and contracting requirements.
• Coordinate with the state’s Central Procurement Office, legal counsel, and other partners as appropriate.
• Integrate procurement and contract planning with budget development and financial forecasting.
• Promote continuous improvement in procurement processes, controls, cycle times, customer service, and contract management.

Strategic and Organizational Leadership:

• Serve as a principal financial advisor to the Commissioner, Deputy Commission of Operations, and executive leadership team on fiscal policy, financial risk, resource allocation, and major investments.
• Align financial resources and operations with the department’s strategic priorities and educational objectives.
• Represent the department on financial matters with state agencies, school districts, legislative bodies, federal partners, auditors, and other stakeholders.
• Lead, develop, and retain high-performing teams responsible for budget, procurement, local finance, local disbursement, grants-related financial administration, and other assigned CFO functions.
• Establish clear responsibilities, service expectations, financial controls, operating procedures, and accountability across CFO functions.
• Lead improvements to financial systems, data, reporting, and business processes that strengthen controls, improve transparency, and reduce unnecessary administrative burden.
• Foster a culture of fiscal responsibility, service, accountability, transparency, collaboration, and continuous improvement.

Minimum Qualifications:

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university.
• Five years of progressively responsible professional experience in financial management, budgeting, public finance, grants management, procurement, public administration, or a related field.
• Demonstrated leadership experience managing teams, programs, or complex financial operations.
• Demonstrated ability to analyze complex financial information and communicate effectively with executive leaders and diverse stakeholders.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Master’s degree in Finance, Accounting, Business Administration, Public Administration, Education Administration, or a related field.
• Experience leading or managing financial operations in a K-12 school district or local education agency, with demonstrated knowledge of school district budgeting, state and federal funding, grants management, financial reporting, and the fiscal and operational challenges facing local education agencies.
• Senior financial leadership experience in state or local government, education, or another complex public-sector organization.
• Experience administering federal grants and associated fiscal and compliance requirements.
• Experience with public-sector budgeting, forecasting, procurement, and contract management.
• Experience working collaboratively with governmental accounting, controllership, audit, or other financial-control functions.
• Experience leading financial systems, reporting, or business-process improvements.
• Professional certification such as CPA, CGFM, CPFO, or SFO.

Pursuant to the State of Tennessee’s Workplace Discrimination and Harassment policy, the State is firmly committed to the principle of fair and equal employment opportunities for its citizens and strives to protect the rights and opportunities of all people to seek, obtain, and hold employment without being subjected to illegal discrimination and harassment in the workplace. It is the State’s policy to provide an environment free of discrimination and harassment of an individual because of that person’s race, color, national origin, age (40 and over), sex, pregnancy, religion, creed, disability, veteran’s status or any other category protected by state and/or federal civil rights laws.