Senior Director, Financial Management

Company Description

Uncommon Schools is a nonprofit network of high-performing, public charter schools providing an outstanding K-12 education in historically under-resourced communities. We have proudly built schools that reflect our student population, with more than 60% of our teachers and staff across our network identifying as a person of color. Uncommon currently manages 53 schools serving more than 20,000 students in five cities: Boston, Camden, New York City, Newark and Rochester. We are proud that Uncommon graduates persist in and graduate from college at five times the rate of their peers nationally. We achieve this by offering strong academic, co-curricular, and social-emotional learning that prepares students for success in college and beyond.

Job Description

Reporting to the CFO, the Senior Director of Financial Management leads all aspects of financial planning activities for the Central Office, 53 schools and the organization’s real estate portfolio with a total operating budget of approximately $420 million. They own the financial strategy of a ~$350 million real estate portfolio that Uncommon develops, manages, and leases to schools within its network. The Senior Director has functional responsibility over all financial operations, including budgeting, financial forecasting, investment strategy and cash management. The Senior Director supervises three direct reports and a team of ten staff members.

Duties and Responsibilities:

Financial Planning and Analysis

• In partnership with the CFO, engage CEO and Senior Management, the Finance Committee and the Uncommon Board on budget and strategic financial planning.
• Apply financial models to support strategic decision-making across the organization.
• Develop systems to critically assess financial performance across all entities, highlighting risks and mitigating factors.
• Partner with the Development team to build a multi-year, philanthropic strategy.
• Supervise the budget process for all entities, including identifying potential sources of funding, ensuring alignment with organization’s strategic plans and providing cost/benefit analysis of proposed investments.
• Develop and implement the organization’s cash management strategy.

Real Estate Financing and Debt Compliance

• Serve as a strategic thought partner to the CFO for all real estate transactions, including sizing and sourcing of debt vs equity contributions.
• Manage $350MM real estate portfolio, associated debt structures, and relationships with external consultants.
• Manage relationships with current and prospective lenders, bond holders, rating agencies, and/or underwriters.
• Oversee all financial modeling, debt compliance, lender reporting, and the use of restricted funding.
• Oversee the use of restricted funding, including drawdowns on bond funds.
• Negotiate and manage lease agreements with schools.

FP&A Team Leadership

• Manage the FP&A team of ten members by supporting individual growth and setting a positive team culture.
• Develop strong working relationships with regional leadership and Home Office Team Leads.
• Develop credibility with Uncommon and regional boards and serve as finance liaison.
• Establish a network of external partners to help design and implement integrated accounting, financial planning, and human resources business and technology systems to support all aspects of Uncommon’s management and operations.

Qualifications

• BA/BS in Finance or related field, MBA or other advanced degree preferred
• 10 years of experience required, with at least 5 years in a management role
• Financial modeling expertise and excellent quantitative skills
• Budget development and implementation experience in a complex, multi-entity organization preferred
• Familiarity with non-profit and/or K-12 educational organizations preferred
• Familiarity with real estate finance preferred
• Facility with complex financial systems; experience with Workday and/or Adaptive a plus
• Highly effective communicator, capable of providing financial information for collaborators at various levels throughout the organization
• Ability to manage and inspire a team effectively

Additional information

Our people are what make us uncommon. It’s important to us that our compensation practices align with our values and enhance our ability to attract and retain talent. Our compensation philosophy is focused on equity and fairness, retaining our talented staff and valuing their expertise, and transparency and clarity.

Compensation for this position:  The starting compensation for this role based in New York, NY is between $166,800 to $203,800. The starting pay will depend on a variety of factors that may include but are not limited to experience, education, training, certification, and location. Because we value staff staying in their roles over time, we do not currently cap salary ranges.

Uncommon believes in the importance of being a diverse, equitable and inclusive organization that enables our students and staff to thrive. We are committed to building a talented team that reflects the diverse backgrounds and experiences of our students. At the same time, we work to ensure an inclusive community through creating a space for meaningful dialogue about issues of race and identity for our staff and students. As an equal opportunity employer, we hire without consideration to race, religion, creed, color, national origin, age, gender, sexual orientation, marital status, veteran status or disability.