Uncommon Schools is a non-profit network of 53 outstanding public charter schools in grades K-12 across New York, New Jersey and Massachusetts. Our mission is to start and manage outstanding urban public charter schools that close the achievement gap and prepare students from low-income backgrounds for success in college and beyond. We are accomplishing that mission every day, with a college graduation rate that is well above the national average and thousands of stories of our students and alumni achieving their dreams.

Uncommon Schools accesses the credit market to support capital development of its network of schools and has created a number of corporate entities to facilitate funding. Bond and notes require compliance reporting to lenders and relevant government authorities to ensure that each entity is complying with the debt covenants applicable to the project.

The Director of Grants Management and Real Estate Compliance will serve as the overseer of all grant, loan and public fund reporting (including, private grants, federal grants, state grants, and loan compliance). The Director will lead, develop and support the growth of the grant management team.  The Director will also be responsible for Uncommon’s real estate entities compliance responsibilities with funders and lenders.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES

• Private Grant and Federal Grant Oversight
  • Oversee entire grant reporting portfolio, including private grant portfolio (~$10MM in annual revenue) and federal grant portfolio (~$25MM in annual revenue) to ensure compliance with all reporting requirements, regulations, rules and guidance.
  • Support federal grant process stages including, application, budgeting, budget management, reporting, and compliance
  • Stay abreast of all federal grant requirements; lead adjustments to Uncommon’s processes and policies to ensure continual compliance
  • Review and assess grant opportunities identified by Development team to form concise but detailed cost/benefit analyses of grant opportunities
  • Collaborate with Development and Operations teams to create and maintain systems and processes for applying for, managing and overseeing reporting for all private and federal grants
  • Oversee all federal grant audits including annual uniform audit and ad hoc federal audits
  • Support preparation for federal program officer site visits
• State Funding Management
  • Ensure compliance on spending of state and local funding from all sources (currently across three states)
  • Train appropriate Operations staff on compliance rules; establish compliance accountability monitoring systems
• Loan Compliance (Operating)
  • Ensure all financial covenants are met in collaboration with other finance team members
  • Oversee all reporting required in financial agreements  
• Real Estate Compliance
  • Implement a comprehensive schedule for all funded real estate projects which identifies:
    • Deliverables – monthly and quarterly reports to funders and regulatory agencies including but not limited to quarterly financial reports and compliance with debt covenants
    • Uncommon staff and external parties responsible for providing information necessary to comply with the schedule of deliverables
  • Monitor and review loan documents in their drafting stage prior to closing to ensure consistency with already in place reporting and deliverable requirements and dates
  • Add new loans and their requirements to the schedule identified in 4(a) and ensure that all parties involved in compliance are aware of the requirements and time schedules
  • Ensure the timely submission of all required documentation
  • Together with Controller and CFO maintain working relationship with lenders/funders
• Management & Relationships
  • Manage and train grants management team members 
  • Develop relationships internally and externally, including with auditors, federal grant program officers, peers and other grant resources in order to support financial compliance

ORGANIZATIONAL RELATIONSHIPS
Reports to the Controller and works closely with Financial Management, Accounting, Development, Real Estate and Regional teams; interacts with all Home Office personnel and school-based teams.

• Required knowledge, skills & abilities:
  • A background in federal grant and/or procurement compliance
  • Experience in managing the reporting responsibilities for real estate and related subsidiaries
  • An obsessive attention to detail and follow-through
  • Strong organizational skills
  • Strong written and oral communication skills
  • Ability to create and maintain systems that enhance organizational efficiency
  • Strong problem-solving abilities
  • Ability to work well in a team
  • Experience in managing a team
  • Ability to thrive in a fast-paced, hardworking and entrepreneurial environment; flexible, able to work autonomously as well as take direction as needed
  • Strong computer skills (MS Excel, Word, Outlook, etc.)
• Educational background:
  • Bachelor's Degree required with preference for degree in accounting or public finance
• Experience:
  • 7 years; Finance and/or grant management experience, with at least 3 years of financial grant reporting experience for a non-profit organization (federal grant experience preferred) and/or comparable experience in bond/tax credit financing compliance

Uncommon Schools offers competitive salaries commensurate with experience and a comprehensive benefits package.  Aside from extensive professional development, all our staff members are equipped with a laptop computer, email, and all necessary supplies.

Uncommon believes in the importance of being a diverse, equitable and inclusive organization that enables our students and staff to thrive. We are committed to building a talented team that reflects the diverse backgrounds and experiences of our students. At the same time, we work to ensure an inclusive community through creating a space for important dialogue about issues of race and identity for our staff and students.  As an equal opportunity employer, we hire without consideration to race, religion, creed, color, national origin, age, gender, sexual orientation, marital status, veteran status or disability.