Position: Interim Assistant Director, Budget & Financial Operations

Available through no later than June 30, 2024

Cambridge is a vibrant, diverse city and a central hub and driver of the nation’s innovation economy. Home of the renowned educational institutions of Harvard and MIT, Cambridge is also the center of an impressive array of biotechnology, science, and information technology companies.

Educating about 7,000 students JK-12, the Cambridge Public Schools includes award winning faculty, cutting edge technology, and innovative programs. While each of our public schools is unique, they are joined in a shared vision of rigorous, joyful, and culturally responsive learning plus personalized support for every student. Over 30% of CPS students speak a language other than English at home, and over 65 languages are spoken by our families. Among the most common are Spanish, Haitian Creole, Amharic, Arabic, Bengali, Chinese, and Portuguese. Our schools proudly embrace this diversity.

The structure of our school system supports the developmental growth of students over time. Twelve cozy elementary schools feed into five “Upper School” programs, bringing together enough students to allow for greater choice and differentiation without sacrificing the safe feeling of a relatively small environment. The Upper Schools then feed into one high school, the eclectic and innovative Cambridge Rindge and Latin School.

The Opportunity:

The Assistant Director of Budget and Financial Operations is responsible for the day to day operations of the budget office and for oversight of other key financial operations. The Assistant Director has a critical role in budget development and monitoring, position management, grant administration, purchasing, accounts payable, payroll, and reporting and compliance. Equally important is the Assistant Director’s role in supporting the mission of the school district through providing assistance and guidance to principals in managing school fiscal resources. This is a great opportunity for a mission-driven professional who would like to utilize their understanding of finance and accounting best practices to make a significant impact on the lives of children.

Key Responsibilities:

• Play a leading role in the development of the district’s $200 million budget and annual budget publication, including writing and editing key sections.
• Lead financial modeling, trend analysis, forecasting, and projections for budget development and management.
• With a focus on building organizational capacity, provide assistance, guidance and training to a team of 18 school principals and other administrators in managing their budgets and addressing fiscal issues.
• Supervise budget department staff and oversee the day to day operations of the CPS finance department under the direction of the CFO and in collaboration with other department managers.
• Develop, review, and maintain up to date documentation of financial policies and procedures for use by school and department administrators and by internal finance staff.
• Manage grant administration, including guiding and assisting departments in the development of grant budgets, tracking grant revenue, monitoring encumbrances and expenditures, and preparing required reports.
• Develop the end-of-year financial report to the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) and keep track of and oversee the preparation of other required reports.
• Support all CPS internal and external audits, including A133s.
• Stay well-informed about best practices and innovations in the management of public school. finances and oversee compliance with state, city and school district rules, regulations and policies.
• Play a leading role in improving the school district’s business procedures and systems, soliciting feedback and evaluating operations, identifying weaknesses, helping to develop solutions, and directly managing key process improvement projects.
• Collaborate with key external partners including the City of Cambridge and its departments, outside auditing firms and state and federal agencies.
• Attend school committee meetings and public hearings as needed.

Your Skill Set:

As the incoming Assistant Director of Budget and Financial Operations you will possess many, though perhaps not all, of the following characteristics and qualifications:

• Six or more years experience in budget, grants management and financial administration, including financial modeling, trend analysis, and forecasting.
• Refined project management and organizational skills, with the ability to multi-task and seamlessly manage various priorities and tasks simultaneously in a dynamic environment.
• Track record of progressive leadership experience, including staff supervision and a collaborative disposition; strong technical accounting knowledge required, and at least 3 years in nonprofit accounting is strongly preferred.
• Undergraduate degree required. Master’s degree in public administration, business or related field preferred.
• Strong analytical aptitude, with an ability to see the big picture while maintaining impeccable attention to detail.
• Ability to identify and solve problems creatively.
• Strong communication skills (both written and oral), including the ability to communicate effectively with across a diversity of audiences.
• Strong customer service orientation.
• Advanced skill with standard computer applications, including Word, Excel and PowerPoint.
• Experience with PeopleSoft or similar applications, including query writing, is highly desirable.

Cambridge Public Schools is committed to slowing and/or stopping the spread of COVID-19. Therefore, as a condition of employment with Cambridge Public Schools, all new hires will be required to be fully vaccinated for COVID-19 no later than their first day of work. Written requests for either a religious exemption from this requirement based on sincerely held religious beliefs, or for a medical exemption based upon clear documentation from a medical provider should be submitted to the attention of the Chief Talent Officer.

Terms of Employment: 40 hours per week/12 months per year. Manager’s level benefits package.

Salary: $114,404 - $132,091 annually

How to Join Our Team:

Please upload a resume and thoughtful cover letter, outlining how your skills, experience, and commitment to equity in education meet the qualifications of the position as well as stating how you heard about this opportunity.

At the Cambridge Public Schools, we are committed to cultivating an environment where diverse perspectives and backgrounds are embraced, acknowledging that a team reflecting diversity of race, color, ancestry, national origin, religion, age, gender, marital/domestic partner status, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability status, and veteran status allows us to serve our communities better. To that end, we welcome and encourage applicants to bring their authentic selves when considering employment opportunities within our school district.