Director of Finance - KIPP Metro Atlanta Schools

KIPP (Knowledge is Power Program) is a national network of free, open enrollment, college preparatory schools dedicated to preparing students in underserved communities for success in college and in life. There are 280 KIPP schools in 21 states and the District of Columbia serving more than 175,000 scholars and alumni. KIPP Metro Atlanta currently operates twelve schools including five primary schools, six middle schools and one high school, as well as KIPP Forward which supports students on their journey “to and through” college, career and beyond. The KIPP Metro Atlanta Regional Support Team provides strategic, financial and operational support and oversight to all KIPP Metro Atlanta schools and drives initiatives designed to strengthen the schools’ academic programming and outcomes.

KIPP Metro Atlanta seeks an experienced and knowledgeable, hands-on Director who will design, lead, and manage all daily financial planning and analysis for a $125M+ annual budget, including four legal entities. The Director will manage the execution of the annual budget process and systems, support the organization’s financial health by providing financial reports and dashboards, and support the organization’s growth by managing the long-term financial model.

Reporting directly to the CFO, the Director will work closely with the Finance Team, school-based Directors of Operations, and regional leadership team members to ensure accurate and effective budget management across multiple entities and funds, maximize revenue, and develop regional procurement processes, while creating standard operating procedures that ensure financial accuracy and provide maximum benefit to the organization. The Director will also contribute to planning for strategic growth in evaluating the financial implications of facilities financing and growth. The Director will manage the regional Finance Manager and regional Finance Analyst.

This job description is intended to describe the type of work being performed by a person assigned to this position. It is not an exhaustive list of all duties and responsibilities required by the employee.

Finance Team Leadership and Management

• Designs coaching sessions for direct reports to ensure they are meeting their performance metrics and development goals. Conducts regular performance evaluations for teammates.
• Leads team meetings to uphold finance team culture and manages capacity to ensure the team is meeting its goals and the needs of the larger organization.
• Supports direct reports’ development by providing feedback and conducting training on new skills 
• Manages major federal grant (CARES) reimbursement process, monitoring data to identify potential errors, escalate to district partners when necessary
• Builds and maintains relationships with district team to ensure compliance with various finance-related requests and requirements
• Partners with CFO and Controller in leadership of finance function for the organization; informing the the department’s annual plans and executing the finance function’s annual plan; regularly reviewing key performance indicators and course-correcting when needed

Modeling Revenue and Expense Parameters

• Designs a flexible, multi-year, complex financial model and updates it as events and new inputs change 
• Monitors news and state legislature updates about events that will impact revenue 
• Monitors APS board meetings and budget commission for updates to forecasted revenue and expenses
• Monitors enrollment to gauge financial implications, communicating them to stakeholders throughout the enrollment season 
• Develops and leads a values-based budget building process, including spending parameters and allocation methodology 
• Leads and manages the execution of the budget development process including training for ~50 stakeholders dispersed across the organization
• Evaluates new spending requests as they arise through the year
• Ensures correctness of per-pupil district calculations and follow-up with district partners for corrections as needed 
• Monitors major compliance submission (CPI) and estimate financial impact

Building and Improving Tools

• Designs new tools and dashboards using our reporting solution, Vena, to support compliance with finance process and policy, and user access to and analysis of data
• Collaborates with and supports improvements to other functions’ processes for improvement (example: deposit logs)
• Acts as expert in troubleshooting bugs in Vena budget management tool 

Analyzing Financials, Troubleshooting Errors and Ad Hoc Analysis

• Performs monthly budget-to-actuals analysis for entire organization ($125MM budget), sharing findings with CFO and designing strategies for going forward
• Designs and supports the execution of strategic, financial analysis as an internal control for the accounting team
• Leads the organization-wide forecast process
• Creates reports and presents them to the Finance Committee 

• Analyzes possible revenue maximization opportunities and other expenses (examples include: analyzing the financial impact of out-sourcing various support functions or health insurance funding model) to produce recommendations for leadership and the Finance Committee
• Designs internal audit process and oversees the audit of at least 1 major policy per year
• Designs and executes treasury management strategy

Managing Organization Budget

• Execute monthly meetings with school and regional budget owners; prioritizing and planning for meetings with teammates or schools that are off track from goals
• Partner with budget owners to problem solve and re-forecast financials.

• Bachelor’s degree in Finance or Accounting required;
  • MBA and/or CPA strongly preferred
• Five to ten years of experience in a senior‐level finance or accounting role with a successful track record; prior nonprofit experience is preferred
• Technology savvy with high capacity to efficiently and effectively manage data for financial reporting; knowledge of Vena desired
• Demonstrated success in developing and monitoring systems to manage internal operations and processes to meet monthly, quarterly and annual deadlines
• Ability to anticipate the infrastructure and systems needed in a growing multi‐entity nonprofit
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills; ability to translate financial concepts to individuals at all levels including finance and non‐finance managers
• Keen analytical and problem-solving skills
• Strong organizational skills and attention to detail
• Strong time management and ability to prioritize
• Strong judgment and decision‐making skills
• Flexible with strong ability to manage competing priorities
• Goal and deadline‐driven
• Team‐player capable of working both collaboratively and independently
• Ability to work within an ambiguous environment while also driving toward clarity and solutions
• Thorough understanding of accounting industry standards and requirements
• Highly detail‐oriented with excellent follow‐up and follow‐through
• Personal qualities of integrity, credibility, and commitment to the mission of KIPP Metro Atlanta
• Strong written and oral communication skills
• Flexible, willing to learn and take on new responsibilities; ability to manage ambiguity and multiple priorities
• Ability to work as a leader and as part of a team; previous experience leading and developing teams and individuals

Compensation:

The salary range for this position is $105,000-$115,000 and depends on prior experience. A competitive benefits package will also be offered including

• Healthcare (medical, vision, and dental) 
• Life and Long-term Disability
• Additional Voluntary Supplemental Insurance 
• Enrollment in the Teachers Retirement System of Georgia (mandatory for all employees)  

Statement of Non-Discrimination:

KIPP Metro Atlanta is committed to a policy of equal treatment for all individuals applying. KIPP Metro Atlanta does not discriminate based on race, color, gender, handicap, age, religion, sexual orientation, or national or ethnic origin.