Chicago Public Schools (CPS) is one of the largest school districts in the United States, serving over 320,000 students in 600 schools and employing approximately 40,000 people, most of them teachers. CPS has set ambitious goals to ensure that every student, in every school and every neighborhood, has access to a world-class learning experience that prepares each for success in college, career, and civic life. In order to fulfill this mission, we make three commitments to our students, their families, and all Chicagoans: academic progress, financial stability, and integrity. Six core values are embedded within these commitments – student-centered, whole child, equity, academic excellence, community partnership, and continuous learning.

Nutrition Support Services (NSS) is responsible for supporting the district’s academic community by providing nutritious and appealing meals with excellent customer service, in a safe and clean environment to every student each school day. NSS serves over 60 million meals to 300,000 students daily.

Job Summary:

Under the direction of the Nutrition Support Services (NSS) Director of Business Operations, the Business Operations Administrator oversees the Business Operations Team responsible for providing financial analysis and administrative support for purchasing, accounts payable, cash handling, budgeting, procurement, and contract management activities. As an integral member of the NSS Finance and Business Operations Team, the Business Operations Administrator is responsible for managing grants and overseeing all fiscal processes. The Business Operations Administrator will maintain knowledge of the intricacies of all contracts within the department and will develop, along with the Director of Business Operations and Executive Director, key metrics to manage vendors throughout each contract period. The position will work closely with key internal and external stakeholders to build partnerships.

The Business Operations Administrator will be held accountable for the following responsibilities:

• Serve as the subject matter expert for all vendor contract pricing terms and department grants including, but not limited to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Child Nutrition Program (CNP) grants.
• Oversee all NSS grants from application to auditing, to ensure timely submission of grant applications and claims. Manage program activity in compliance with federal, state and local rules and regulations as well as board policies and procedures.
• .Recruit, onboard, and coach and train the Business Operations team to ensure robust learning, career development, and performance management consistent with the CPS values and mission
• Maintain the fiscal integrity of the department by monitoring, reviewing and approving financial transactions, ensuring adherence to sound fiscal practices, grant rules and regulations, and district policies and procedures. Implement process improvements where appropriate.
• Develop, present, and oversee the department’s annual budget ensuring that budget plans align with departmental objectives.
• Monitor budget performance to plan, explaining variances and flagging potential risks.
• Support the Director of Business Operations in sourcing new funding opportunities.
• Analyze trends, prepare cost estimates and forecast the department’s financial performance in support of periodic reporting and multi-year budget planning. Prepare and present financial reports, summaries and recommendations to senior leadership.
• Assist with annual financial audits and grant administrative reviews.
• Conduct industry and market research to inform procurement strategy in alignment with the department’s long-term purchasing needs.
• Assist the Director of Business Operations with developing operational metrics as well as overseeing vendor performance against established key performance indicators (KPIs) and service level agreements (SLAs).
• Collaborate and build partnerships with key internal and external stakeholders including NSS functional areas (compliance, staffing, IT, nutrition, and operations), the CPS Finance, Procurement, IT and Law departments, the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE), the City of Chicago, various vendors, and industry partners.
• Participate in special projects, as assigned, identifying and implementing process improvements to facilitate operational excellence.
• Train lunchroom staff, vendors and other stakeholders on financial processes and procedures.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

In order to be successful and achieve the above responsibilities, the Business Operations Administrator must possess the following qualifications:

Education Required:

• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university in accounting, finance or a related field.
• Master’s degree in business administration preferred.

Experience Required:

• Minimum of five (5) years of progressive professional finance and accounting experience, including a minimum of two (2) years of experience managing budgets, forecasting trends and/or conducting financial analysis and reporting.
• Minimum of one (1) year of supervisory experience is required.
• Experience managing federal grants is preferred.
• Experience leading the implementation of cross-functional projects is preferred.

Other Requirements:

• Flexibility and willingness to work evenings and weekends and travel to various CPS sites as needed are required.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• Strong analytical skills with high attention to detail and a demonstrated ability to work with large data sets.
• Knowledge of generally accepted accounting principles and their relationship to financial statements and business processes.
• Ability to develop, modify, and implement effective processes.
• Ability to combine quantitative and qualitative analysis to assess historical trends (e.g. volume, financial statements, economic data, consumer preference, headcount) and make future projections.
• Knowledge of grant administration procedures.
• Strong leadership, organizational, project-management, and problem-solving skills with a demonstrated ability to influence others without having formal authority and follow tasks through to completion.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills with the ability to draft business correspondence, presentations, and reports and explain complex financial data clearly.
• Ability to interact with all levels of staff while maintaining a high degree of professionalism, integrity, and tact when dealing with confidential information.
• High proficiency with the use of computers and software including, but not limited to, Microsoft Office Suite and Google applications.
• Ability to work well under pressure in a fast-paced environment.

Conditions of Employment

As a condition of employment with the Chicago Public Schools (CPS), employees are required to:

• Establish/Maintain Chicago Residency - Employees are required to live within the geographic boundaries of the City of Chicago within six months of their CPS hire date and maintain residency throughout their employment with the district. The Chicago residency requirement does not apply to temporary/part-time positions, however, all CPS employees must be residents of Illinois.
• Be Fully Vaccinated Against COVID-19 - Unless approved for a medical or religious exemption, all employees are required to be up-to-date on COVID-19 vaccinations, including boosters, and to submit proof of vaccination to the district within 30 days of hire. “Up-to-date” on vaccination is defined as being at least two weeks past all primary vaccine doses and any applicable boosters.