Uncommon Schools is a nonprofit network of high-performing, public charter schools providing an outstanding K-12 education in historically under-resourced communities. We have proudly built schools that reflect our student population, with more than 60% of our teachers and staff across our network identifying as a person of color. Uncommon currently manages 53 schools serving more than 20,000 students in five cities: Boston, Camden, New York City, Newark and Rochester. We are proud that Uncommon graduates persist in and graduate from college at five times the rate of their peers nationally. We achieve this by offering strong academic, co-curricular, and social-emotional learning that prepares students for success in college and beyond.

The Specialist, Finance will support the Director of Finance on aspects of financial management including, but not limited to, leading the annual budgeting process, the management of budgets throughout the year, regional cash forecasting and financial analysis. The Specialist will also work closely with other members of the Finance team to support team initiatives and projects, and reporting and compliance, as necessary.

Core Duties & Responsibilities:

• Lead budget development and management processes for their respective region(s)
  • Collaborate with Regional Superintendents of Operations on process, roles, responsibilities, deadlines, and overall project management of budget management and development
  • Conduct budget meetings with school and regional team leaders and report key takeaways to Director and Chiefs of Operations for Schools
  • Document all budget and resource allocation decisions, financial assumptions and financial projections
  • Provide pre-budgeting and staff planning analysis and recommendations
  • Deliver financial management training for school and regional team leaders to foster financial stewardship and fiscal responsibility throughout the organization
  • Review monthly financial reports and address trends and issues with school operations leaders
  • Ensure the production of high quality financial reports and other materials for regional Board and Finance Committee meetings
• Own or manage financial analysis, modeling, and reporting for their respective regions, working with Financial Analysts and Specialists across the finance team to produce exemplary financial analysis
  • Maintain and update regional financial models with current and accurate financial information 
  • Critically assess model assumptions and scenarios, highlighting risks and mitigating factors
  • Define metrics to monitor, predict, and influence the financial performance of the region 
  • Ensure the creation and delivery of accurate reports to charter authorizers, state and federal agencies, and other external audiences as required
• Lead or participate in cross-functional projects that drive organizational priorities
  • Collaborate with Accounting, Compliance, and Development teams on reports, applications, and special projects for donors, funders, authorizers, and other external audiences
  • Work with school operations leaders to drive process improvement and efficiencies for school financial management
  • Support the development and implementation of new financial systems to improve efficiency of service delivery at scale

• 3-4 years of directly related experience
• A BA in Finance or related field
• Strong understanding of finance principles and GAAP accounting
• Ability to create and maintain systems that enhance organizational efficiency
• Experience building and maintaining financial models
• An obsessive attention to detail and follow-through
• Strong organizational skills
• Strong written and oral communication skills
• Strong problem-solving abilities
• Strong process management and ownership of workstreams
• Ability to thrive in a fast-paced, entrepreneurial environment; flexible, able to work autonomously as well as take direction as needed
• Ability to work well in a team
• Strong computer skills (MS Excel, Word, Outlook, internet research, etc.).

Our people are what make us uncommon. It’s important to us that our compensation practices align with our values and enhance our ability to attract and retain talent.  Our compensation philosophy is focused on equity and fairness, retaining our talented staff and valuing their expertise, and transparency and clarity.

Compensation for this position: The starting compensation for this role based in New York City is between $82,500 to $97,000 and generally, we expect that qualified candidates in this location will be made an offer between $82,500 and $87,300. The starting pay will depend on a variety of factors that may include but are not limited to experience, education, training, certification, and location. Because we value staff staying in their roles over time, we do not currently cap salary ranges.

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.