Senior Director Of Finance

Company Description

KIPP, the Knowledge Is Power Program, is a national network of free, open enrollment, college preparatory public schools dedicated to preparing students in underserved communities for success in college and life. There are 285 KIPP schools across the nation and the District of Columbia, serving more than 175,000 students and alumni with more than 15,000 educators.

Founded in 2008 with 50 students in 5th grade, KIPP Columbus currently educates more than 2,000 students in grades Kindergarten through twelfth. With a mission to, together with families and the community, create joyful, academically excellent schools that prepare students with the skills and confidence to pursue the paths they choose -- college, career, and beyond -- KIPP has maintained excellence in its growth, and will improve upon that standard – proving what is possible in public education.

KIPP Columbus continues to see incredible academic results, including in our early literacy program where more than 80% of kindergarten and first grade students ended last school year reading on grade level. In addition, in our first four graduating classes (in spring 2020 -2023) 100% of students were accepted to college and/or military service and 100% graduated.

In addition to academic excellence, KIPP Columbus also partners with nearly 100 community organizations to provide extracurricular activities, programming, health and wellness services, meals, and more to KIPP students, families, and the broader community. The KIPP Columbus learning campus will continue to advance student learning, expand partnerships, enable superior programming, and serve as a teaching and leadership lab for schools nationwide, reimagining education through a deeper lens of antiracism, excellence, and joy as we expand to educate nearly 4,000 students on our learning campus in the coming years.

Interested in learning more about our school? Please check out our website: https://www.kippcolumbus.org/

The Opportunity

Reporting to the Chief of Staff, the Senior Director of Finance will be a critical member of the KIPP Columbus team, working cross-functionally as an organizational leader, and will play a key role in partnering to bring KIPP Columbus into its next chapter of growth and innovation. The Senior Director of Finance will oversee functions critical to the campus’ success, including financial compliance, finance and business planning.

This is an ideal opportunity for a seasoned finance and operations professional with a track record of building and right-sizing systems in organizations that have moved from start-up to long-term sustainability. The Senior Director of Finance should be people and community-oriented in their approach to ensuring KIPP Columbus’ schools, families and teams have the resources to thrive.

Responsibilities of KIPP Columbus Senior Director of Finance include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Provide strategic finance and accounting direction and oversight of a ~$40M budget
• Accounting and payroll processes
• Financial reporting, including audit
• Liaise with Finance Committee and larger Board members on all finance matters
• Develop and maintain compliance systems, grant processes and risk management
• Annual budgeting
• Support finance and other operations direct reports to develop next-level financial analysis and reporting -- building models and tools that allow for robust forecasting, scenario planning and real-time decision making, as well as developing an enhanced financial system
• Coordinate the provision of information to external auditors and ensure accuracy of data and information for the annual audit.
• Participate in the KIPP Columbus multi-year planning process to establish the region’s academic, talent, alumni success, community engagement and growth goals, strategies and financial sustainability.
• Refine and lead compensation strategy to ensure KIPP Columbus is a competitive force in the local education market.
• Build and implement a revised approach for revenue and cost allocation across teams in order to support: better fiscal sustainability, including adequate protections, checks and balances against unforeseen fluctuations in revenues or costs; alignment with intended use of funds; clearer expectations; and, appropriate incentives within teams
• Lead region-wide management of legal affairs, insurance, and other risk management strategies.
• Create and maintain organizational policies and administrative guidelines.
• Serve as a thought-partner to school and regional leaders in all aspects of financial decision-making through strong budgeting processes, financial reporting, and analysis
• Oversee KIPP Columbus’s federal, state, and private/passthrough grants to ensure grants are secured, allocated, budgeted, tracked, and in compliance.
• Conduct financial analyses as needed
• Oversee annual and strategic planning process and monitor progress toward multi-year goals and strategic priorities
• Create and manage various financial reports to assist with budget and grant analyses
• Actively monitor encumbered grants and work with entities to ensure maximum benefit for students
• Ensure compliance systems are established for charter cycles such that KIPP Columbus fully complies with federal, state, and local legal and regulatory requirements.
• Supervise and execute on organizational-wide financial policies and accounting practices to ensure continuous compliance in all aspects of financial reporting
• Manage the finance team, and collaborate with other departments and leaders on financial planning and process improvement.
• Establish and implement the structures to progress monitor the annual plan.
• Ensure bank reconciliations, financial reports, and state required information is accurate and submitted timely to external stakeholders.
• Review budget variances and report significant issues to management
• Ensure high levels of customer service to internal and external stakeholders
• Oversee the fiscal management of the organization, through supervision of the finance team, including but not limited to the following areas:
• Manage and develop competencies of the regional finance team members
• Oversee the annual planning process for all support service functions to clearly identify annual priorities, initiatives, milestones and owners in line with the 2025 KIPP Columbus plan.
• Develop and maintain KIPP Columbus’s multi-year financial forecasting, including annual staffing plans, detailed analysis of each revenue source and critical expense driver, pro forma financial projections, and financial health and sustainability targets.
• Support KIPP Columbus Directors and managers with the training, tools, and supervision needed to effectively manage financial operations within their department or school
• Fiscal Policies and Procedures

Qualifications

Qualities

An effective Senior Director of Finance must be able to:

• Set and communicate a clear direction, goals and strategy
• Champion a high-performing, equitable culture with aspirations of building an anti-racist organization
• Effectively lead cross-functional teams
• Serve as an activator; Build and integrate systems
• Think critically and make decisions
• Builds relationships with team, colleagues, partners/vendors and members of the board

Qualifications

• Adept at thinking strategically, translating plans into action, and exhibiting excellent judgment
• Exceptional skills in Excel in order to ensure accurate calculations for projections and other modeling
• Approximately 10 years of team management experience in finance; preferably in a school system that has a focus on closing the student opportunity gap between racial, ethnic and economic groups is preferred
• Ability to take and quickly implement feedback
• Technology savvy to efficiently and effectively manage data for financial reporting
• Exceptional organizational skills, particularly in developing and implementing multi-year plans
• Bachelor's Degree required; MBA or Master's Degree in related field preferred
• An integrated systems builder with the ability to both build and scale best practices across multiple schools
• Commitment to building relationships and trust with leaders, teachers, students, parents, and the community of Northeast Columbus
• Strong financial, operational, and/or strategic experience, with preference for 5+ years of progressively increasing management experience and strategic planning for a growing, multi-site organization
• A passion for and understanding of the mission of KIPP Columbus including possessing a deep commitment to improving the lives of kids from low-income communities; knowledge of and experience working with low-income communities, required
• Articulate, professional demeanor with strong self-confidence and initiative
• Experience leading, planning and managing in an entrepreneurial, client-oriented setting
• Ability to negotiate and execute contracts and manage the quality of service providers and vendors

Additional Information

Compensation and Benefits

KIPP Columbus offers a competitive salary and a comprehensive benefit plan including medical and dental insurance, as well as group term life insurance, retirement plan and paid time off.

Statement of Non-Disclosure

KIPP Columbus is committed to a policy of equal treatment for all individuals applying to the school for consideration of any position (admission, employment, etc.). KIPP Columbus does not discriminate on the basis of disability, gender, nationality, race or ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, or any other characteristic that is contained in the definition of hate crimes set forth in Section 4112.02 of the Ohio Revised Code.