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.

Job Description

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

1. Provide strategic finance and accounting direction and oversight of a ~$35M budget 

• 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. 
• Oversee the fiscal management of the organization, through supervision of the finance team, including but not limited to the following areas: 
  • Fiscal Policies and Procedures 
  • Accounting and payroll processes 
  • Financial reporting, including audit 
  • Annual budgeting 
• Refine and lead compensation strategy to ensure KIPP Columbus is a competitive force in the local education market. 
• 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 
• 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

2. Develop and maintain compliance systems, grant processes and risk management 

• Ensure compliance systems are established for charter cycles such that KIPP Columbus fully complies with federal, state, and local legal and regulatory requirements.
• Oversee KIPP Columbus’s federal, state, and private/passthrough grants to ensure grants are secured, allocated, budgeted, tracked, and in compliance. 
• Actively monitor encumbered grants and work with en