Managing Director of Financial Strategy

KIPP•Indianapolis, IN

About The Position

KIPP Indy Public Schools seeks a strategic, detail-oriented, and mission-driven Managing Director of Financial Strategy to oversee the financial strategy of the organization and ensure its long-term financial health. This leader will manage annual budget planning, financial forecasting, grants oversight, compliance, and internal controls across the network. Reporting to executive leadership, this role serves as a key financial partner to the leadership team and Board Finance Committee, ensuring strong financial management in support of KIPP Indy’s mission and long-term sustainability.

Requirements

5–7+ years of accounting or finance experience
Strong knowledge of nonprofit accounting, particularly charter school finances
Demonstrated experience with budgeting, forecasting, and financial analysis
Experience leading or supporting annual audits
Proficiency in accounting systems and advanced Excel skills
Experience securing and managing grants
Strong analytical skills with high attention to detail
Effective communication skills with the ability to present financial information to non-financial stakeholders
Commitment to educational equity and the mission of KIPP Indy

Nice To Haves

Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, or related field
CPA or MBA
Experience in charter schools, public education finance, or nonprofit K–12 organizations
Familiarity with Indiana Department of Education reporting requirements
Experience supervising finance staff

Responsibilities

Lead the annual budget planning process, providing strategic guidance and ongoing support to stakeholders to ensure timely completion of all deliverables.
Lead strategic financial planning through financial modeling, scenario analysis, and multi-year projections aligned to enrollment, staffing, grants, strategic initiatives, and relevant legislative and policy changes.
Steward the relationship with KIPP Indy’s external accounting partner to ensure seamless financial operations, timely and accurate deliverables, and alignment between accounting functions and strategic priorities.
Maintain and continuously improve financial policies, procedures, and internal controls to safeguard organizational assets.
Manage banking relationships and monitor cash flow in collaboration with external accounting partner to ensure operational stability.
Monitor budget-to-actual performance across the region and provide variance analysis with clear recommendations for action
Lead the organization's resource-securing strategy, identifying and pursuing new revenue opportunities that align with strategic goals
Serve as the regional team budget manager, monitoring monthly budget reports to hit annual targets.
Lead quarterly budget meetings with regional leaders and school team budget managers to monitor discretionary budget-to-actuals, support annual planning, and provide feedback on day-to-day financial operations.
Collaborate with HR and ED on employee benefits and compensation strategy.
Review and approve weekly accounts payable report and voucher lists to ensure accuracy and compliance with internal controls.
Collaborate with Talent/HR leadership to support bi-weekly payroll processing.
Oversee financial management, spenddown, and reporting of federal, state, and philanthropic grants in collaboration with external accounting partner and internal stakeholders, ensuring compliance with approved budgets, funding requirements, and reporting obligations.
Develop budgets for all secured grants, partnering with key stakeholders to ensure alignment between programmatic priorities and available funding.
Manage the full grant lifecycle for all federal, state, and public grants, from applications through final reporting.
Review and approve all grant claims prepared by external accounting partner.
Monitor restricted funds to ensure expenditures align with donor and grantor intent.
Coordinate and support the annual external audit process in strong collaboration with external accounting partner, including preparation of documentation and auditor communication.
Ensure compliance with applicable federal, state, local nonprofit, and authorizer financial reporting requirements, maintaining documentation and controls to support audits and monitoring visits.
Collaborate with regional operations team on compliance and reporting requirements.
Serve as a financial thought partner to executive leadership on staffing models, enrollment planning, compensation structures, and long-term sustainability.
Serve on the Board Finance Committee, collaborating with senior leadership and the external accounting partner to prepare board materials and financial reports.
Translate complex financial data into clear, concise information for non-financial stakeholders.
Build and maintain strong relationships with auditors, banks, grantors, charter authorizer, Indiana Department of Education, KIPP Foundation, and various other external partners.