Oakland- Vice President of Finance (National)

Vice President of Finance- National (Oakland)

About College Track
College Track is a comprehensive college completion program that empowers students from underserved communities to graduate from college. From ninth grade through college graduation, our 10-year program removes the academic, financial, and social-emotional barriers that prevent low-income and first-generation students from earning their college degree. In 1997, we started with 25 students in East Palo Alto, and today, we have ten centers located in underserved communities across California, Colorado, Louisiana, and the D.C. Metro Area with more than 3,000 students on the path to upward social mobility.

To learn more, please visit www.collegetrack.org

Our Impact
College Track students graduate from college at a rate that is more than double the national average for low-income and first-generation students. Five years out of college, our graduates are employed full-time, and over 85% report earnings greater than their parents. By helping our students maximize the value of their four-year college degree, which includes minimizing student loan debt, securing internships, and limiting the need to work while in college--we prepare them to succeed in the 21st century economy.

Our Values
At College Track, our values drive the way we do our work, and we look for individuals who share our passion. We blend an entrepreneurial spirit with our nonprofit roots, cultivating a dynamic culture where everyone's contributions are valued and encouraged.

* COMMITMENT: We have an unwavering belief in our students.
* PASSION: We are dedicated to changing our nation’s college completion story.
* JOY: We create environments rich with smiles and laughter.
* AUTHENTICITY: We believe relationships matter.
* EXCELLENCE: Our students deserve nothing but the best.

Position Overview
We seek a hands-on, collaborative, enthusiastic, detail-driven individual who understands the outsized impact a high-performing financial team can bring to an organization. S/he will serve a key member of the leadership team and a strategic advisor, functional expert, and thought partner to the leadership team regarding all finance and accounting matters.Our ideal candidate will be a strong manager of people and a true finance business partner in a mission-driven education nonprofit. The Vice President of Finance will be as comfortable digging into numbers, spreadsheets, and formulas, as s/he is at interacting with team members across the organization to support the growth and development of the organization.

The Vice President of Finance will work closely with colleagues across the organization (e.g. program, human resources, development, operations, etc.) to assess and implement business process and system improvements that foster efficient, scalable business processes.

The Vice President of Finance will manage a team and reports to the Chief Finance and Operating Officer.

Primary Responsibilities:
* Financial Planning and Budgeting
- Lead College Track’s annual budgeting process, including collaborating with national departments, regions, and site leaders to understand and decide on financial trade-offs and (dis)/investment opportunities that produces a final, board approved budget with clear links to the annual goals and key strategies from the annual planning process.
- Lead monthly budget vs. actuals reporting and business leader discussions across the organization. The Vice-President of Finance will provide budget owners (some of whom may have limited financial experience) with key insights, actionable intelligence, operational and financial learnings such that they are able to make business decisions accordingly.
- Proactively anticipate and forecast variances to budget, thereby providing early indicators about potential issues, to engage the National Leadership Team and budget owners to create action plans to address negative variances and/or take advantage of investment opportunities.
* Financial Modeling/Strategic Planning
- Create and manage comprehensive financial models that support organization-wide strategic planning, including across multiple business units, product lines, and departments.
- The Vice President of Finance must be adept at partnering with budget owners to help understand and translate business opportunities into multi-variate financial models, including for forecasting, sensitivity analysis, and scenario planning to drive business decision-making.
- Serve as an effective thought partner to organizational leaders through interpretation of complex financial information to assist in decision-making
* Financial Reporting and Development Support
- In collaboration with the Controller, coordinate and monitor cash operations and capital planning, including forecasting needs and developing appropriate financial sources to ensure adequate cash flow and access to working and long-term capital; monitor and report balance sheet items; and assist with audit planning.
- Manage the monthly and annual close process to produce timely, accurate financial statements, including budget to actuals, statement of activities, balance sheets, cash flow, and forecasts.
- Develop and produce key monthly internal financial performance reports and dashboards for the organization that drive organizational accountability and provide high-level results analysis.
- Manage and support nonprofit fund, government, and grant accounting in close collaboration with the Controller, Development staff and program staff.
- Work with the development team to accurately forecast, track, and plan for philanthropic activities.
- Create, manage, and report on grant budgets and reporting tools for internal execution on plan and for external relations with funders. This work includes initial, interim, and final financial funder reports.
- Review and edit grant agreements to ensure alignment with budget and reporting deadlines.
* Oversee all accounting operations and ensure they are carried out with a high level of efficiency, precision and integrity.
- Oversee all accounts, ledgers and reporting systems ensuring compliance with appropriate GAAP standards, regulatory requirements, and board policies.
- Oversee the accurate and timely month and fiscal year end closing process, ensuring completion of all audit and compliance related activities.
- Oversee the tracking and reporting of the organization’s temporarily and permanently restricted fund and administer timely releases.
- Oversee annual audit process and maintain relationship with external auditors; liaise with the finance committee of the board of directors; assess any changes necessary.
- Oversee business insurance, risk management, and legal activities including letters of agreement, contracts, leases and other legal documents and agreements.
* Finance Systems, Processes and Procedures
- Regularly review, monitor and recommend improvements to corporate finance policies and procedures to ensure internal controls are in place that protect the organization against fraud and provide assurances that College Track’s accounting records are accurate and complete.
- Use financial operations expertise and institutional knowledge to help coordinate improvements to the overall organization, with a strong focus on data-driven decision-making and analysis.

Skills & Experience Required
First and foremost, the Vice President of Finance must embrace the College Track vision of transforming low-income communities into places where college readiness and college graduation are the norms. 

Additionally, candidates must posses the following qualifications:
* Bachelor’s degree required, MBA or Master’s degree with a concentration in finance or similar field preferred.
* Minimum of ten years of professional experience in progressive leadership positions in the areas of FP&A, finance, financial operations, or similar, with 5 years of management experience.
* Significant experience with non-profit accounting systems, fund accounting and government funding compliance.
* A "doer" who eagerly rolls up the sleeves, tackles problems, and generates solutions in a timely manner. Operates with a high sense of urgency and responsiveness balanced by a need for providing accurate information based on strategic priorities.
* Detail-oriented, well-organized, and structured in the creation and presentation of information. Ability to synthesize complex financial matters into clearly articulated financial and business summaries, with not only the "rolled up" numbers but also the explanation / narrative about the business implications.
* Strong communicator in both writing and orally. Can distill complex financial matters into digestible elements.
* Believes that technology enabled, data-driven, people-centric businesses are fun places to be.
* Takes a balanced approach to people and issues: 1) unafraid to take a stand or recommend a hard choice -- such as making a budget change now to avoid a likely negative variance later, 2) while also able to understand others' perspectives and will process new information to refresh one's thinking on a topic.
* Ability to interact pleasantly and productively with individual team members, department leads, senior leaders, board members, and external parties.
* Believes strongly in celebrating success while also always seeking to improve on the current state. Will therefore seek ways to maximize the current operational model, while pursuing targeted initiatives to improve upon it.
* Is obsessively customer-driven -- believing that a good finance partner understands both the explicit and underlying business needs, is proactive, stays on point for strategic value-add, and is responsive without being unproductively reactive to team-member and external-party needs.
* High degree of flexibility and adaptability; can work within an ambitious, fast-moving environment, while also driving toward clarity and solution.
* Above all, wants to make a positive difference in the world through education.

Compensation & Benefits
College Track offers a competitive salary based on the organization’s compensation philosophy, which is grounded in market data. We also offer comprehensive health & welfare benefits and top of the market paid time off.

To Apply
Please upload a resume and a thoughtful cover letter with your application. We will only contact candidates chosen for further consideration. No phone inquiries please.

College Track is an equal opportunity employer fully committed to achieving a diverse workforce. College Track does not discriminate on the basis of race, age, color, religion, national origin or ancestry, sex, gender, disability, veteran status, genetic information, sexual orientation, or gender identity or expression.