Uncommon Schools is a nonprofit network of high-performing charter public schools that are closing the academic achievement gap and preparing students from historically underserved communities for success in college and beyond. Uncommon currently manages 55 schools serving more than 20,000 students in six cities: Boston, Camden, New York City, Newark, Rochester, and Troy. Uncommon graduates persist in and graduate from college at rates far higher than their peers. We believe that every child deserves an outstanding education, and we are committed to working beyond the walls of our schools to achieve that goal through our professional development workshops, books, and district partnerships. 

Role Overview

Uncommon’s Data & IT (D&IT) team is undergoing an exciting transformation to improve technology operations and systems! We are seeking a skilled System Manager with experience in large-scale financial system implementation, ongoing management of the financial system, and management of data housed in the system. This role will act as a domain specialist on our finance projects and collaborate with all levels of the Talent, Accounting, Finance, IT, and school-based teams and will supervise the planning, prioritization, and execution of the financial system roadmap.

Core Duties & Responsibilities

Systems design/management

• Run the current systems infrastructure and lead the future implementation and maintenance of financial system solutions based on strategic and functional needs
• Support the Workday project team in documenting existing processes in preparation for the implementation of the financial systems
• Work closely with Talent, Finance, Accounting, and Operations team leaders to identify and implement methods for improving current financial processes, promoting process standardization, efficiency, and standard methodologies within the bounds of the system
• Handle system upgrades, test new features, and functionality additions

Partner Representative

• Deeply understand and represent partners’ goals and use cases for the system
• Understand and champion the appropriate long-term vision for the platform
• Ensure user adoption of new processes by creating training materials and providing mentorship, guidance, support, and performance feedback to front-end users of our financial systems
• Independently create detailed communication and change management plans for workstreams including simple, creative ways to explain sophisticated information for clear decision-making

Data Management and Reporting

• Partner with other IT team members on the data management function in their day-to-day operations (reporting, auditing, integration) to support processes related to budgeting, reconciliations, ledger entries, audits, etc.
• Under the guidance of the Director of IT and Data Governance, create and implement solutions, standards, and controls to ensure financial data accuracy and integrity in the new financial system
• Support the maintenance and upkeep of our existing and upcoming technology tools and understand the integration between them to find efficiencies and tackle issues related to transactional work

Vendor Management

• Contract & Payment: Lead renewal and payment of the yearly contract.
• Establish relationships with vendors, act as a liaison between vendor and Uncommon on any projects, and own school-level issues & difficult conversations.
• Partner concerns: Work with Sr. System Manager to handle vendor issues

Required Skills & Abilities

• Expertise in one or more finance-related areas of Workday (Financial Accounting, Banking and Settlement, Procurement, Commitment Accounting, Supplier Accounts, Business Assets, Revenue Management, Grants Management, Adaptive Planning)
• Candidates with deep systems building and/or technology project management experience outside of the finance field are also encouraged to apply
• Strong data analysis skills and strategic decision-making
• Comfort diving into various content areas to problem solve and identify strategic next steps.
• Demonstrated ability to diagnose issues, identify root causes, and implement effective solutions.
• Ability to find and prioritize critical-path activities, making assumptions and contingencies for potential risks into account
• Maturity, flexibility, comfort with ambiguity, and a sense of optimism in the face of opposing demands and external pressures
• Strong organizational systems for both self and others to ensure accountability for timely, high-quality outcomes
• Excellent written and oral communication skills, with a diverse set of audiences
• Change management skills, and ability to manage up and influence partners without direct authority to make change
• Experience balancing detailed thinking with big picture strategic decisions proven through the ability to break down sophisticated projects into key achievements and concrete action steps
• Experience providing documentation/visibility into key aspects of projects (e.g. progress, achievements, etc.) for senior leadership and other partners
• Action-orientation with excellent follow-through skills
• Works well independently and in teams in a fast-paced, dynamic environment
• Experience running a system of similar complexity in a multisystem environment

Preferred Skills & Abilities

• Prior experience working in education (within schools) and/or urban communities
• Experience with Agile project management
• Proficient in the use of Workday APIs for purposes of integration with other applications
• Experience handling two or more Workday Financials modules (Financial Accounting, Banking and Settlement, Procurement, Commitment Accounting, Supplier Accounts, Business Assets, Revenue Management, Grants Management, Adaptive Planning)

Educational Requirements

• Bachelor's Degree required (Computer Science, Information Systems, Business, or equivalent subject preferred)
• Certificate or coursework in IT System Management or Workday Financials, Workday Adaptive Planning (preferred)

Experience Requirements

• 3 plus years of working experience leading sophisticated, medium to large scale financial systems projects with a business and technology focus (including experience with at least one financial system implementation)
• 1 plus year experience in an enterprise systems management role,
• 1 plus year experience Workday Financials system management
• Prior experience working in schools and/or urban communities (preferred)

Physical Requirements

• Prolonged periods of sitting at a desk and working on a computer
• Working on a computer involving video and audio

Uncommon Schools offers salaries commensurate with experience and a very generous benefits and vacation package. All staff members receive extensive professional development, and are equipped with a laptop computer 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 meaningful 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.