Finance Assistant Director, Finance and Operations
Job Description
Colorado Education Initiative (CEI) is seeking an Assistant Director, Finance and Operations to join CEI’s finance and operations team. The Assistant Director of Finance and Operations will ensure high-quality execution of CEI’s accounting and operations functions.
The ideal candidate for this role has experience leading accounting and operations functions at nonprofits and/or schools and is skilled in high-quality project management. Additionally, this candidate must be competent at building and leveraging relationships with a variety of stakeholders. This person is drawn to working with diverse, high-performing teams and is energized by and brings joy to creating systems and structures that enable CEI to support Colorado schools and districts in improving outcomes for all students.
The candidate is excited to join a team grounded in the CEI mindsets: dream big, act small, and pivot quickly; constant learning and adaptation; flexible, nimble, and purposeful; and partnership and service orientation. In addition to the qualifications included throughout this description, the candidate will exhibit belief in and comfort with the
CEI Design Commitments, including diversity, equity, and inclusion; youth activation; relevant learning; social emotional development; family and community partnership; and leadership and change management. This position will report to the Chief Operating Officer (COO). There is flexibility in the start date for this position.
About Colorado Education Initiative
CEI is at the forefront of improvement, innovation, and change in Colorado’s public education system. CEI is a statewide nonprofit organization that invests time, expertise, and dollars in K-12 public education. For 15 years, CEI has worked with educators as an inspired and supportive partner on the ground in over 150 urban, suburban, and rural school districts. CEI works as an implementation expert, innovation thought leader, and statewide convener in public education. Our mission is to accelerate improvement and innovation in Colorado schools. Our vision is a future in which every student in Colorado is prepared and unafraid to succeed in school, work, and life, and ready to take on the challenges of today, tomorrow, and beyond. We currently partner deeply in over 98 Colorado school districts and have limited work in other states in the region. In addition to our field implementation work, we engage in important policy and innovation agendas in Colorado. Our success is driven by a passionate team of diverse individuals who truly enjoy working together.
We are committed to prioritizing diversity, equity, and inclusion in the work we support across Colorado. We seek to identify and embed equity-seeking practices in our culture and talent systems and have made a focused set of investments in the related professional development of our team. We believe our work demands this because of the historic and current experiences in the school systems in which we operate and because we believe the outcomes that we seek for students require the prioritization of equity. In all roles, we welcome candidates who are eager to participate in and contribute to this work and whose lived experiences deepen our perspectives on the education system.
Responsibilities:
Financial Accounting and Cash Management
- Provide team management and leadership for accounting functions, including project budgeting, accounts payable, accounts receivable, monthly journal entries, and bank reconciliations.
- Ensure timely and accurate accounting and reporting, leading to clean annual financial audits.
- Ensure compliance with all public funding requirements and policies.
- Oversee the creation and dissemination of multiple project budgets, ensuring project leads have the information and guidance they need to execute all projects on time and on budget.
- Oversee the preparation and execution of quarterly budget management meetings.
- Monitor and manage cash flow and cash projections in compliance with CEI’s investment policy.
- Assist the Chief Operating Officer with financial modeling and forecasting.
Operations
- Work with the Chief Operating Officer and Chief of Research and Development to refine the process for the efficient tracking and processing of all incoming and outgoing contracts, invoices, and payments.
- Lead the finance and operations team to design and implement systems and structures for all internal operations, including updating annual policies and organization-wide time tracking procedures.
- In collaboration with the technology vendor and Manager of Operations, ensure CEI’s technology infrastructure is secure and reliable.
- In collaboration with insurance brokers, manage the renewal of CEI’s liability insurance policies, ensuring adequate coverage, and managing inquiries and/or claims related to liability policies.
Qualifications
A successful candidate will have:
- A proven track record as a successful education or nonprofit leader with at least five years of experience leading accounting and operations functions.
- A CPA certification and/or MBA, along with a strong understanding of GAAP.
Competencies
This position requires strong organizational, interpersonal communication, collaboration, and multi-tasking skills. Our ideal candidate will be able to adapt to a continually evolving environment and thrive in an autonomous and deadline-oriented workplace while managing the finance and operations staff. Of these two bodies of work (e.g., accounting and operations) accounting experience will be prioritized. Although not essential, experience with the operational execution of talent systems would be an asset.
Compensation
- Full-time position
- Salary commensurate with experience in a range of $85,000-$93,500
- Competitive benefits package
- Hybrid work environment that includes some flexible scheduling and work-from-home options (with regular need to attend in-person meetings in Denver and across the state).
- CEI’s headquarters are in Denver, but if you live elsewhere in Colorado, we would love to talk to you.
CEI is an equal opportunity employer that values diversity in the workplace. CEI strives to be an inclusive organization, and as such takes affirmative action to ensure that discrimination does not occur against an employee or applicant on the basis of race, creed, color, age, sex, national origin, marital status, sexual identity, sexual orientation, religious or political affiliation, disability or any other classification considered discriminatory under applicable law.
