About the Organization 

KIPP Public Schools is a national network of tuition-free public charter schools that prepares students with the skills and confidence to create the future they want for themselves, their communities, and us all. We are a network of 278 schools, nearly 16,500 educators, and nearly 190,000 students and alumni.    

Our mission: Together with families and communities, we create joyful, academically excellent schools that prepare students with the skills and confidence to pursue the paths they choose—college, career, and beyond—so they can lead fulfilling lives and build a more just world. 

Our vision: Every child grows up free to create the future they want for themselves and their communities. 

The KIPP Foundation is a nonprofit organization that supports KIPP schools across the country. The KIPP Foundation trains and develops outstanding educators to lead KIPP public schools; provides tools, resources and training for excellent teaching and learning; promotes innovation; and facilitates the exchange of insights and ideas across KIPP and other public schools and organizations. 

About Our Values: 

Excellent Results for Students: We value results over effort and know that our work is not finished until all students thrive. We maintain high expectations for self, team, and students. We drive outcomes by operating with agility, removing barriers, differentiating support, and prioritizing student-centered solutions—especially for those at the margins. 

Collective Impact: We are one team. We win together. We embody a one-team mindset by working collaboratively across teams, aligning goals, and leveraging the strengths of all teammates. We build trust-based relationships and ensure inclusive decision-making by engaging those closest to the work. We provide clarity through simple, repeatable systems and goals that enable transformational outcomes. 

Courageous Action: Our belief in what we can achieve is unwavering, fueling our optimism and commitment to overcome any challenge. We demonstrate an unwavering belief in students' potential and a commitment to addressing systemic inequities. We approach challenges with resilience, a solutions-focused mindset, and adaptability. We foster a psychologically safe environment centered on trust and accountability where feedback is encouraged. We leverage data to reflect on progress, own setbacks, celebrate successes, and continuously improve to maximize impact. 

About The Position 

The KIPP Foundation is hiring a Vice President, Finance, Controller who will be responsible for ensuring accuracy and integrity of the KIPP Foundation’s financial and reporting systems. The Controller will lead and manage all daily accounting operations, audit, compliance, and monthly/annual financial reporting for a growing $100MM+ annual budget. The Vice President, Finance will manage the execution of financial compliance, the general ledger, procurement including vendor relationships, payroll, grants management, and the annual audit process for KIPP Foundation. They will also provide guidance and set the bar of excellence for finance functions, and support systems and process optimization to finance leaders across the KIPP Network’s 28 regions. 

The Vice President, Finance will lead a team of 9 which includes direct supervision of the Sr. Director of Accounting & Audit, Director, Systems & Payables, Senior Payroll Accounting and Sr. Director, Grants Management.  The Vice President, Finance will report directly to the Chief Financial Officer. 

Responsibilities 

• Finance and Accounting Management: Oversee the daily operations of the accounting department including control systems, transaction-processing, and policies and procedures; Manage month-end and year-end closing process; Develop and maintain a well-documented and effective system of finance and accounting procedures to ensure financial controls are implemented and monitored. 

• Financial Policies and Procedures: Develop, analyze and make recommendations relating to accounting and financial data processing systems to ensure effective and efficient financial operations; Assist CFO in the development of accounting and financial policies and procedures, review current procedures and monitor for compliance; Provide effective training to end users to ensure organizational compliance with financial policies.   

• Audit and Compliance: Ensure compliance with local, state, and federal government reporting requirements and tax filings; Safeguard assets and ensure accurate and timely recording of all transactions by implementing disciplines of internal audits, controls and checks across all departments; Serve as the primary contact during audit season for all audit requests, in coordination with the managing director of finance (including the workers' compensation audit)  

• Financial Reporting: Prepare financial reports to key stakeholders, including partnering with development and grants team to provide reports to funders and to the federal government; providing financial reporting packages to Board of Directors, Audit Committee and Leadership Team.  In addition, oversee the annual financial statement and A-133 Single audit 

• Team Leadership: Serve as member of the Expanded Leadership Team and contribute to org-wide initiative, while always operating as a culture and brand ambassador for KIPP to both internal and external audiences; lead, manage, and coach a high-performing team of fiancé professionals; advise and consult finance leaders across KIPP network to promote financial best practices. 

• Regional Support: Support KIPP regions in maintaining strong financial operations by setting the bar of excellence for financial management, providing guidance to execute and building connections across regions through finance communities of practice. This includes supporting accurate accounting practices, managing the purchasing function, fiscal compliance, and strengthening finance internal controls. This role will offer hands-on support to regions requiring intensive assistance and leverage KIPP Foundation resources to enhance financial operations and long-term sustainability across the network.

Skills and Mindsets 

• Mission & Student Focus: Demonstrates passion and commitment to KIPP’s mission and possesses the desire and ability to uphold KIPP’s core values (Focus on Excellent Results, Collective Impact, and Courageous Action)  

• Achievement and Outcomes Orientation: Demonstrated record of setting and achieving ambitious goals for their departments in complex or ambiguous environment; uses data, research, and analysis to set a high bar of excellence for goal setting; effectively distributes and redistributes work among direct reports, teammates, and teams to optimizes goal attainments; effectively sets and fosters a culture that enables and celebrates teammates’ achievements and goals attainment. 

• Process Management: Able to build and align goals and project plans with organization priorities; Develops and codifies processes that promote coordination, efficiency and efficacy across KF and the Network; Prioritizes processes that ensure sustainability and scalability; ensures team is finding efficiencies through process implementation and improvement, resource sharing, or other methods 

• Effective Work Management: Sets a clear vision that ensures alignment of the teams work to organizational goals.  Effectively prioritizes and delivers on work products that ensure sustainability and scalability of work.  Develops and implements agile project plans that ensure cross functional collaboration an resource sharing to ensure achieving organizational goals; creates and ensures systems are in place for knowledge management. 

• People Management & Development: Effectively ensures strong professional development and coaching for teammates through layers; proficient in the mechanics of succession management and performance management for teammates; able to coach manager of managers; skilled at setting and fostering a positive team culture in which teammates feel ownership and accountability for their own and the broader team’s work and results; this also includes financial leadership, such as a strong example and effectively holds team members accountable to organizational financial guidelines.  

• Change Management & Communications: Effectively articulates case for change to multiple functions, teams, and/or offices through clear and compelling presentations, tailoring communications and engagement approach for different audiences.  Effectively translates vision into actionable plans among across team stakeholders; Champions KF and networkwide change with all stakeholders. 

Experience and Qualifications 

• Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance or Business or 10 years of equivalent experience.  CPA Designation or MBA is preferred for this role 

• Expertise and experience with nonprofit accounting systems and fund accounting, with a strong preference for experience in public accounting 

• Exemplary integrity, discretion, and cultural competence while working with staff and with confidential/sensitive information. 

• Strong commitment to providing superior customer service 

• Strong management skills, including people management, team management, and project management. 

• Comfort and desire to work with in a collaborative, agile, outcomes-focused, equity-driven, and learning-oriented team. 

Work Conditions 

• Travel requirements: Up to 10% travel requested

• Full-time, Exempt role 

Location 

It is preferred, but not mandatory for this role to be based out of a KIPP Foundation office. This role also has the option of working from a remote office full-time. KIPP Foundation offices are in NYC and Chicago. 

Compensation and Benefits 

In compliance with local law, we are disclosing the compensation, or a range thereof, for roles in locations where legally required. Actual salaries will vary based on several factors, including but not limited to external market data, internal equity, and relevant experience.  The salary range for this position is $190,000-$227,000. In addition, KIPP Foundation provides a variety of benefits to employees, including:  

• 26 holidays for + 18 days additional flexible PTO days (flexible PTO increases to 23 days for years 3 and 4 and to 28 days for years 5+). 

• 100% paid parental leave 

• 100% coverage of the premium for employee and 75% for employee + family’s medical/dental/vision plans. 

• Wellness benefits such as fitness reimbursements, discounted tickets to theme parks/attractions, backup care support for children and adults/elders, and our employee assistance program 

• Finance Security benefits include such as a 401K retirement plan with 4% match, employer-sponsored legal plans, life/disability insurance, and flexible spending accounts 

KIPP Foundation embraces the opportunity to build a workforce that reflects the diversity of the students and communities with whom we work and the world that around them. Being an equal opportunity employer means that we take seriously our responsibility to consider qualified candidates on the basis of merit, without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, mental or physical disability, and genetic information, marital status, citizenship status, military status, protected veteran status or any other category protected by law.