Chief Financial Officer

TITLE: Chief Financial Officer

REPORTS TO: Executive Director

DATE PREPARED: May 16, 2024

STATUS: Full-time, Exempt

JOB OVERVIEW

The Chief Financial Officer (CFO), a pivotal role in our organization, will collaborate with the Executive Director, Board (Finance Committee), and members of the executive leadership team. Together, they will strategically allocate resources to meet programmatic, strategic, and financial goals. The CFO's primary responsibilities will include will leading financial planning, budget management, finance systems, investment decisions, commercial banking business operations and relationships, management of investor and credit rating agency relationships, and various financing strategies. The CFO will also ensure adherence to proper accounting systems and meet federal, state, and local financial compliance regulations. The CFO works closely with school-based staff to ensure the integrity and accuracy of our financial records, enabling us to meet regulatory and audit standards. As part of the executive leadership team, the CFO contributes to key strategic goals, challenges, and approaches.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:

Executive Leadership and Strategy

• Maintain financial best practices, utilize standard operating procedures, and generally serve as a point of reference for financial systems and planning - for both short and long-term goals

• Serve as an internal consultant to the Executive Director and other members of the executive leadership team on financial matters, making recommendations and suggesting proactive strategies to keep GCCS aligned with its financial targets and organizational strategic plans

• Participate in high-level internal planning regarding school initiatives to ensure alignment of proposed initiatives with financial projections

Financial Management

• Support accounting, general ledger, and operations functions, ensuring that systems are in place to guarantee timeliness, accuracy, and controls

• Provide oversight for and manage all budgets, audits, internal financial plans, and processes, and work with key stakeholders to collaborate on financial forecasting for GCCS

• Work closely and collaboratively with the Executive Director and the Finance Committee to ensure GCCS is meeting external compliance expectations as well as fiscal oversight expectations

• Work closely with the Director of Talent on payroll to ensure it is ready for the approval of the Executive Director

• Utilize technology to optimize all reporting, budgeting, forecasting, and analytical functions

Reporting & Compliance

• Establish annual priorities and benchmarks, measure projections against actual performance, and conduct regular reporting to both internal and appropriate external stakeholders

• Generate weekly, monthly, quarterly, and annual reports as needed to monitor, evaluate, and optimize cash flow and liquidity, and keep the senior leadership team, Board, staff, and key external stakeholders up-to-date on the financial status of the school

• Ensure that GCCS meets critical legal compliance benchmarks and annual audit reviews pertaining to public school finance laws and regulations for charter schools

• Liaise directly with the relevant Credit Rating Agencies and GCCS's bond investors as required

General

• Build relationships with key internal and external stakeholders including banks, investors, donors, vendors, outside consultants, and others as needed to keep close to and understand GCCS's major expenditures and sources of revenue

• Keep up with new trends in education, finance, and the financial industry in general, by attending conferences, participating in professional development, and sharing this information with the senior leadership team

• Oversee medium and long-term financial projection models, doing pro formas, and participating in bond reporting and related activities

QUALIFICATIONS

• At least five years' senior financial leadership experience in a charter school or traditional public school preferred

• Experience leading in an organization that has an operating budget in excess of $10 million

• Extensive experience using financial software to improve accounting productivity and accuracy

• Experience working with external auditors, compliance, and regulatory oversight

• A team player who is flexible and able to adapt to circumstances that change and evolve

• Knowledge of and experience with strategic charter school financings, including capital markets transactions, is preferred

• High attention to detail and accuracy

• Excellent computer skills, Excel, and Office software in particular

• Dedication to GCCS' mission

THIS JOB DESCRIPTION IS A CONCISE STATEMENT OF THE DUTIES, RESPONSIBILITIES, AUTHORITIES AND RELATIONSHIPS BUILT INTO THE JOB. THE DESCRIPTION OUTLINES THE REQUIREMENTS FOR PERFORMING THE WORK, ITS FREQUENCY AND SCOPE. IT IS BASED ON THE NATURE OF THE WORK AND NOT ON THE INDIVIDUAL CURRENTLY PERFORMING IT. THIS JOB DESCRIPTION CAN AND WILL BE REVISED AT THE DISCRETION OF THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR.

Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO)

GLOBAL COMMUNITY CHARTER SCHOOL is firmly committed to equal employment opportunity. The School does not discriminate in employment opportunities or practices for all qualified persons on the basis of race, color, religion, creed, sex, gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity, national origin, ancestry, age, disability (including AIDS), marital status, military status, citizenship status, predisposing genetic characteristics, or any other characteristic protected by local, state, or federal law. Employment decisions at the GLOBAL COMMUNITY CHARTER SCHOOL will be made in a non-discriminatory manner and are based on qualifications, abilities, and merit. This policy governs all aspects of employment at this School including recruitment, hiring, assignments, training, promotion, upgrading, demotion, downgrading, transfer, lay-off and termination, compensation, employee benefits, discipline, and other terms and conditions of employment.