Title: Operator in Residence, Structured Finance

Location: Flexible within the US; Denver or Chicago preferred

BACKGROUND

The Charter School Growth Fund (CSGF) is a leading nonprofit venture philanthropy fund dedicated to identifying the nation’s best public charter schools, investing in  their expansion, and helping to increase their impact. Our “portfolio” includes 140 charter school networks that operate 1,100+ schools and serve more than 500,000 students. We are committed to expanding the impact of schools that are closing achievement and opportunity gaps. CSGF operates with the same strategies, discipline, and focus as a venture capital firm by awarding multi-year grants and loans to talented education entrepreneurs building networks of high-quality charter schools that enroll traditionally underserved students. Ultimately, we think our portfolio can grow to serve ~1,000,000 students within a decade.

This is an exciting time to join the Charter School Growth Fund. We are launching our next philanthropic fund in 2022, building on our 15-year track record of success. CSGF’s new five-year “Fund IV” will be larger in size and scope than previous funds, with a goal to continue to fuel charter sector growth, accelerate innovation, and strengthen long-term outcomes for students, particularly students of color and those from low-income backgrounds. Our new fund will continue to prioritize investments in leaders of color as our current portfolio is led by more than 50% leaders of color and more than 50% female leaders. We believe it is vital for the networks we support to be proximate to the lived experiences of the students and communities they serve.

OPPORTUNITY

Team: CSGF’s structured finance team seeks to ensure that facilities and financing are not a barrier to the growth and success of high-quality charter school networks across the country. In 2010, CSGF launched its initial $20 million Facility Fund to help portfolio members acquire, construct, and renovate buildings for new schools. Over the past ten years, CSGF has utilized this capital to support nearly 100 schools develop over $1 billion in school real estate that will eventually serve 50,000 students each year. Given the success to date, CSGF has expanded our facility loan funds to $150 million which we leverage to solve the most difficult school financing challenges and negotiate the best deals for school leaders.

Role: CSGF is seeking an Operator in Residence of Structured Finance to partner with charter operators and CSGF’s investment team to solve facilities and financing challenges through a combination of technical support to school leaders and the sourcing, structuring, and execution of loans. We are seeking a candidate with a strong results orientation, expert financial and analytical skills, and the ability to manage complex projects, think strategically, and build relationships with diverse groups of stakeholders. The ideal candidate is entrepreneurial, passionate about K‐12 education, and interested in leveraging public and private capital to create long‐term social impact.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

The responsibilities of this role resemble those of a strategy consultant—provide strategic support, serve as a trusted thought partner, solve mission‐critical problems—and those of an impact investor—source and structure deals, conduct due diligence, invest capital, and monitor investments. In addition to the core responsibilities listed below the Operator in Residence, Structured Finance will support the daily operations of CSGF’s structured finance practice including strategic planning, deal and pipeline tracking, internal cash flow management, and investor reporting.

A team of four on Structured Finance, each support a region of CSGF’s portfolio through the following key responsibilities:

SCHOOL LEADER SUPPORT

• Serving as a strategic thought partner and financial advisor for the senior management and board of CSGF’s portfolio members
• Partnering with CSGF’s investment team and the education entrepreneurs they support to develop and execute financial, financing and real estate strategies
• Providing expertise and counsel to charter school operators that are undergoing a strategic planning process, including assisting with financial models, growth strategies and business plans

INVESTMENT ANALYSIS & LENDING

• Leading 6-8 structured finance deals annually including conducting intensive due diligence on high-performing charter school operators: analysis and evaluation of financial models and deal affordability, real estate strategies, market dynamics, leadership teams, and business plans
• Preparing investment analyses, proposals, and recommendations to CSGF’s partner team and board around investments

ECOSYSTEM BUILDING

• Building capacity and knowledge within CSGF’s portfolio and across the industry including capturing and sharing best practices, creating more efficient financial markets, disseminating benchmarking information and creating communities of practice
• Influencing the environment in which schools operate by providing financing, real estate, and financial supports

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

Skills and Characteristics

• Demonstrated expertise in financial modeling, financial statement analysis, and strategic planning
• Passion for creating social change through the impactful investment of public and private capital
• Strong strategic thinking, analytical, and creative problem-solving skills
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, particularly the ability to build strong relationships with diverse groups of stakeholders
• Strong project management experience that drives efficiency and excellence in all aspects of work
• Ability to work seamlessly between high-level strategy and detail-oriented work
• Deep commitment to CSGF’s mission and passion for K-12 education
• Excitement around creating excellent education options for low-income students
• Demonstrated ability to manage complex projects

Educational Background and Work Experience

• Bachelor’s degree required
• Twelve+ years of work experience, preferably including finance leadership at a charter school management organization, finance, private equity, impact investing, venture capital, management consulting, philanthropy, or similar experience

WORKING AT CSGF

We are focused on hiring and developing great people, giving them freedom and autonomy, and maintaining high expectations to help them grow personally and professionally. In return, our team delivers high-quality work that increases our ability to find, fund, and deepen the impact of the highest performing public charter schools in the country. Our core values are:

• Results. We work relentlessly to create efficient, measurable, and sustainable results. We strive for excellence and pursue our mission tenaciously. Ideally, you thrive working in a self-directed manner in a fluid environment where flexibility and tenacity are required.
• Entrepreneurship. We embrace calculated risks and new approaches. We have an entrepreneurial spirit that welcomes innovation, diversity of ideas, and risk. We rely on you to question conventional wisdom and think independently.
• Integrity. We are truthful, fair, and trustworthy in all aspects of our work. We hold ourselves and our partners to the highest ethical standards. We trust you will too.
• Respect. We appreciate the challenges faced by education entrepreneurs and recognize the limits of our own knowledge. We understand that our ultimate success is dependent upon the achievements of our partners. Your humility will be key to building trusted and authentic relationships.
• Teamwork. We value each of our team members as individuals but believe that we achieve the greatest results by working together. We willingly sacrifice individual interests and recognition for greater collective impact. We hope having fun at work is important to you and you enjoy being a team player.

COMPENSATION

Compensation is commensurate with experience and education. The target salary range for this role is $140,000+ annually. CSGF offers a very competitive package of benefits, including: health, life, disability and dental insurance coverage; vacation/holidays and parental leave; and participation in CSGF’s 403(b) plan. Candidates must have permanent authorization to work in the US.

START DATE

CSGF is seeking candidates who can start as soon as possible; flexible for the ideal candidate.