Director of Finance, Grants Management

At Rocketship Public Schools, we believe in the infinite possibility of human potential. We believe that every student deserves the right to dream, to discover, and to develop their unique potential and it is our responsibility and our privilege to unleash the potential inside every Rocketeer we serve.

Our non-profit network of public elementary charter schools propels student achievement, develops exceptional educators, and partners with parents who enable high-quality public schools to thrive in their community.

We are a collective of parents, teachers, leaders, and students working together to transform the future for underserved communities across our country.

At Rocketship Public Schools, we are unleashing potential.

Role Summary

The Director of Finance, Grants Management is a full-time, exempt position, reporting to the CFO. The Director will be responsible for leading the overall administration of Rocketship's $25+mm annual public grants budget, including planning and budgeting, ongoing reimbursement and compliance, and annual reporting requirements.

The Director will work directly with the Regional Executive Director(s) and their teams as well as National Leadership Team members to provide support in budgeting, annual and long-term forecasting, reporting and long-term strategic planning.

The Director will serve as a strategic partner to the CFO, Regional Executive Directors, and the National Leadership Team, providing guidance and insight around grant program requirements to facilitate decision making and will work with the CFO to develop informed recommendations for all stakeholders.

Further, the Director will support the preparation of presentations and reports for the Boards of Directors, authorizers and other stakeholders, in partnership with the CFO.

The Director will manage a team of three : one manager and two specialists.

Ideal Candidate

The ideal Director of Finance, Grants Management candidate will align with Rocketship's Vision, Mission, and Values as well as our DEI vision.

In partnership with the CFO, the ideal candidate will establish and lead a cohesive strategy / vision across the grants team and reinforce a positive culture within the team to ensure Rocketship remains a model of excellence in financial stewardship in public education.

This leader will have a strong executive presence, excellent communication skills and significant ability to motivate and influence others.

They will have proven experience successfully managing diverse teams and realizing strong outcomes. The ideal candidate will have a strong understanding of fiscal management and federal and state grant program rules, as well as excellent analytic and strategic planning skills.

The candidate should possess the ability to communicate complex financial and regulatory information in an easily digestible manner to stakeholders who are not well versed in grants or finance.

The candidate should combine a capacity for systems-level thinking, careful attention to detail, and strong interpersonal skills in building relationships with critical internal and external stakeholders.

Essential Functions

• Lead the annual grants management cycle for each of the five Rocketship regions, including planning and budgeting, expense management and reimbursements, and ongoing reporting.
• Develop and implement systems improvements to modernize and streamline Rocketship's systems of grants management, with a focus on payroll tracking tools, revenue accrual reporting, and reimbursement processes.
• Maintain a close working relationship with other members of the Network Support Team (NeST Rocketship's centralized office that operates in support of our schools and regions), school directors, and all school staff (teachers, school leaders, support staff, etc.

to provide actionable data and engage in strategic financial decision making.

• Work with the CFO and other stakeholders to define and implement the grant revenue and expense components of the annual budgeting process.
• Oversee preparation and submission of authorizer and government compliance reports related to public grants.
• Prepare materials and analyses for the annual audit including supports for the Single Audit
• Lead a team of grants analysts, establish team priorities, set expectations and manage team deliverables.
• Provide coaching and development to team members to support growth
• Optimize the grants management process, reporting and system functionality, identifying and integrating improvements
• Analyze and review progress reports towards grant goals, in close partnership with other Finance Department and Accounting leadership
• Partner with cross functional business leaders to establish budgets, build forecasts and communicate results
• Support the preparation of reports and presentations for internal and external audiences (i.e. Authorizers, Senior Leadership, Board Members, and Budget Managers)
• Successfully represent Rocketship's financial needs, interests and results with internal (school leaders, regional leaders, executive team) and external stakeholders and develop trust and leverage influence with external organizations and allies
• Ensure the finance team is viewed as a positive support to the organization's mission and that it is fully aligned with Rocketship's values : Authenticity, Community, Tenacity,Innovation, and Excellence.

Required Qualifications

• A belief in the mission and education model of Rocketship Public Schools with the ability to work in a fast-paced, entrepreneurial, flexible and autonomous environment.
• Bachelor's degree in Finance or Accounting, MBA preferred
• 7+ years of experience in public grants management and compliance.
• Expert level understanding of federal K-12 grant compliance requirements. Experience with California K-12 grant compliance is highly preferred.
• 3 + years of experience directly managing finance team members, driving towards KPIs and establishing metrics
• Strong understanding of, and experience with, accounting principles and financial statements
• Ability to manage a high volume of deadlines and reporting requirements across multiple entities.
• Advanced Excel skills
• Significant experience modeling and forecasting with Adaptive Insights or other Business Intelligence tools
• Experience with accounting systems, such as Intacct, SAP, Netsuite
• Ability to partner cross-functionally, through strong relationship building
• Ability to strategize and deliver results, create metrics and drive accountability
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Highest level of integrity and good judgment
• Comfortable working under pressure
• Possess a service-oriented, positive attitude
• Excellent communication skills especially with critical data, influencing and negotiation skills to interact effectively with all levels of the organization and the school network including presentations to team, senior management, board or other internal and outside partners.
• Experience and comfort working in a fast growing organization
• Possess a commitment to the Rocketship DEI Vision

Physical Demands :

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this position.

Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the functions. While performing the duties of this position, the employee is regularly required to talk, hear, and communicate with both adults and children.

The employee frequently is required to use hands or fingers, handle or feel objects, tools, or controls. The employee is frequently required to stand;

walk; sit; and reach with hands and arms. The employee must occasionally lift and / or move up to 50 pounds and occasionally climb ladders.

Specific vision abilities required by this position include close vision, distance vision, and the ability to adjust focus.

The noise level in the work environment is moderate to high.

Compensation :

Commensurate with qualifications and experience, plus excellent health and wellness benefits, 403b retirement plan, flexible spending account (FSA), and generous paid time off.

Rocketship Public Schools provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, age, disability, genetic information, marital status, amnesty, or status as a covered veteran in accordance with applicable federal, state and local laws.

Rocketship Public Schools complies with applicable state and local laws governing non-discrimination in employment in every location in which the company has facilities.

This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including, but not limited to, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation, and training.

Rocketship Public Schools expressly prohibits any form of unlawful employee harassment based on race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, age, genetic information, disability, or veteran status.

Improper interference with the ability of Rocketship Public Schools' employees to perform their expected job duties is absolutely not tolerated.

Click here for our Sexual Harassment Policy . For questions, concerns, or complaints, please contact Human Resources.

PI250706582