Position Type: School District/Cooperative/Standard ApplicationDate Posted: 7/11/2023Location: Providence Public School DistrictChief Financial Officer Relocation allowance available for an individual moving to Providence to assume the role and/or a signing bonus for an individual with a track record of proven success in a similar position. The Opportunity This role is an exciting opportunity to serve as a leader within a diverse and dynamic team committed to the audacious task of transforming public education in the Providence Public School District (PPSD). By any measure, and over many years, the Providence Public School District has failed to deliver on its most fundamental obligation: fair and equitable access to a rigorous education for all children. The time for change is now. This role is an opportunity to join a diverse team of leaders committed to the transformation of public education in Providence. The Role The Chief Financial Officer (hereinafter, Chief) leads the Finance division of the Providence Public School District, reporting to the Deputy Superintendent of Operations. The Chief provides leadership of the financial services within PPSD to support the Superintendent's strategic direction while ensuring the smooth functioning of day to day operations. Salary range: $144,706.00 - $164,439.00 (Annually). Key responsibilities include: maintaining a multi-year financial outlook, creation of an annual balanced budget, providing financial reporting in accordance state statutes, regularly detailing the financial status of the district, and ensuring appropriate service delivery and outcomes associated with operational functions including Budget, Grants, Accounting, Purchasing, and Payroll. The Chief will be held accountable for the following responsibilities:
- Strategic leadership
- Ensures both the short-term and long-term financial health of the district by making sound financial decisions to balance its budget annually as well as aligning decision-making to the long-term financial outlook for the district.
- Oversees the budget development process. With the support of the Finance staff, facilitates the budget planning process resulting in a clear alignment of financial resources with educational priorities. This includes: estimating resources needed to implement initiatives and sustain ongoing efforts, projecting revenues from city and external sources, benchmarking present expenditure levels.
- Facilitates budget development discussions with the Superintendent and his or her Leadership team resulting in the Superintendent's annual budget recommendation to the School Committee.
- Ensures the coordination of budget/financial services to schools.
- Assures that budget information is presented in a timely, easily understandable, and accessible way for planning, management and reporting purposes.
- Assures responsiveness to school requests and facilitation/support for school-based decision making.
- Supports school-identified initiatives, while assuring compliance with federal and state mandates and collective bargaining provisions.
- Advises, assists, and enables team leaders, principals and headmasters to engage in school-level and team-level budget planning, budget control, expenditure monitoring and reporting.
- Serves as strategic advisor to the Superintendent and Deputy Superintendent of Operations on financial decisions.
- Advise negotiating teams on the financial impact of proposed collective bargaining agreements.
- Budget balance and compliance
- Monitors expenditures of the Providence Public Schools and performs financial analyses on a periodic basis.
- Ensures that system-wide spending aligns with planned spending.
- Ensures that the system's financial practices are of the highest quality and that appropriate procedures are developed to ensure that all school department managers understand their legal and fiscal responsibilities.
- Oversees the maintenance of accurate and complete financial records through sound accounting and auditing procedures. Responsible for meeting all financial reporting requirements of the Providence Public Schools.
- Customer Service
- Ensures budget functions and processes are aligned with school needs.
- Develops and manages a high performing team in the Finance department; oversees and supports the effective operation of the
- Finance department, including Budget, Grants, Accounting, Purchasing, and Payroll.
- Works with all Finance teams to ensure a level of service to schools that is characterized by continuous improvement and responsiveness.
- Communication and Transparency
- Collaborates and communicates with the Superintendent, Rhode Island Department of Education, School Committee, the City of Providence, and other stakeholders on budget development.
- Ensures budget development process is transparent and effectively communicated to district stakeholders.
The Candidate Successful candidates must demonstrate a deep belief in the capacity of all students to achieve at high levels and the ability to work collaboratively with a diverse set of partners and stakeholders to drive transformative change within and outside of an organization. Any successful candidate must be able to translate an educational vision into a financial plan. Ideal candidates will ideally have a minimum of 10 years of supervisory experience in education finance. Knowledge, Skills, and Mindsets Required
- A deep belief in the capacity of all students to achieve at high levels;
- The demonstrated ability to work collaboratively with a diverse set of partners and stakeholders to drive transformative change within and outside of an organization;
- Ability to exercise good judgment and focus on detail as required by job;
- Proven ability to motivate staff/contractors to produce projects on time and within budget;
- Excellent interpersonal skills, exhibiting an ability to effectively communicate with multiple stakeholders across a complex ecosystem, including school leaders, administrators, colleagues, parents, contractors, and other Providence stakeholders;
- Excellent presentation skills, coupled with experience presenting to senior management, board-level staff, and/or elected officials;
- Available outside business hours, as needed, for meetings and project-specific tasks.
Technical Qualifications
- Ideal candidates will ideally have a minimum of 10 years of supervisory experience in school finance.
- Familiarity with federal and state environmental regulations related to school finance.
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