Director of School Finance
About The Position
The Director of School Finance provides senior-level strategic leadership for DC PCSB’s financial oversight of public charter schools. This role is accountable for rigorous financial analysis, sound judgment, and the direction of the agency’s school finance oversight strategy and related. The Director serves as a senior thought partner to the Chief Operating Officer. This role leads the School Finance team, translates complex financial information into clear, decision-ready recommendations, and ensures that oversight activities are aligned with our policies and decision-oriented. This position does not manage DC PCSB’s internal agency finances. As DC PCSB’s portfolio and oversight responsibilities have grown in scale and complexity, this role emphasizes strategic judgment, proactive risk management, and executive-level decision support.
Nice To Haves
- Experience with public charter school finance strongly preferred.
- Background in accounting, finance, or a related field.
- Advanced degree or professional credential valued but not required if offset by relevant experience and demonstrated judgment.
Responsibilities
- Lead the assessment and monitoring of school-level financial health across the charter portfolio.
- Apply financial risk thresholds to determine appropriate levels of monitoring, escalation, or intervention.
- Distinguish between technical noncompliance and material financial distress using professional judgment.
- Oversee Financial Corrective Action Plans when needed, balancing accountability and support.
- Anticipate financial risks and guide proactive mitigation strategies.
- Ensure FAR findings inform, but do not substitute for, forward-looking oversight judgment.
- Provide decision-ready recommendations to the COO and senior leadership on complex or high-risk financial matters.
- Synthesize analysis into actionable guidance rather than preliminary findings.
- Apply organizational, political, and operational context when framing recommendations.
- Support high-stakes authorizing decisions, including charter applications, renewals, expansions, and closures.
- Set and refine DC PCSB’s school finance oversight strategy in response to emerging risk and portfolio trends.
- Prioritize oversight attention based on risk and materiality rather than a uniform approach to schools.
- Anticipate second- and third-order impacts of financial oversight decisions.
- Elevate and frame complex issues for executive and Board-level discussion.
- Establish clear strategic priorities and decision-making frameworks for the School Finance team, setting expectations and ensuring consistent execution and follow-through.
- Develop staff judgment, ownership, and communication skills to support independent, aligned work.
- Communicate financial risk and oversight decisions with appropriate care and judgment.
- Coordinate with schools, auditors, lenders, and internal partners as needed.
- Pause and elevate issues with political, public, or Board-level implications for executive review.
- Ensure appropriate circulation and alignment on medium and high-stakes financial decisions
Benefits
- DC PCSB offers a comprehensive benefits plan covering 100% of the employee’s insurance premium.
- If you’re employed by a government or not-for-profit organization, you might be eligible for the PSLF Program.
- DC PCSB offers a generous telecommuting policy.
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Director
Education Level
No Education Listed
