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SalaryPosition Summary
Reporting directly to the CEO, the Chief Financial Officer (CFO), is a trusted and key strategic advisor to the CEO, Executive Leadership Team and Rocketship Public School's Board. The Chief Financial Officer is a critical executive leader in ensuring that Rocketship continues to optimize our resources to provide top-tier elementary communities for our team, kids, and families while also driving toward organizational sustainability and key opportunities to grow our impact while demonstrating what is possible in public education regardless of zip code or demographics.
The CFO will work to ensure Rocketship remains a model for financial operations among public school networks (charter and traditional districts). Part of this effort should be to help Rocketship be one of the first charter management organizations to achieve financial self-sufficiency at scale, operating solely on public dollars. The CFO will oversee a team of nineteen (ten in accounting, seven in finance, and two in payroll) with additional consultants and part-time support for several of the teams. The CFO must effectively interact with executive leadership, school-level administrators, funders, donors, and board members.
Candidate Profile
The ideal Chief Financial Officer candidate will align with Rocketship's Vision, Mission, and Value, as well as our DEI vision and ultimate goal of being a fully sustainable organization. The candidate will establish and lead a cohesive strategy/vision across FP&A and Accounting departments and reinforce a positive culture within the teams to ensure Rocketship remains a model in public education. This leader will have a strong executive presence, excellent communication skills, and a significant ability to motivate and influence others; they will have proven experience successfully managing diverse teams and realizing strong outcomes. The candidate should combine a capacity for systems-level and strategic thinking, careful attention to detail, and strong interpersonal skills in building relationships with critical internal and external stakeholders, as well as possess exceptional strategic management, analytical, and problem-solving skills with a track record of delivering on commitments through excellent execution. The ideal candidate will be a results-oriented, determined, skilled finance leader with a record of experience.
Primary job responsibilities for the incoming Chief Financial Officer include:
Financial Management
- Implement sound financial processes and systems.
- Provide expert financial leadership and insight.
- Ensure compliance with fiscal policies, systems, and procedures.
- Manage cash, financing, debt facilities, and investments.
- Evaluate and enforce fiscal accountability.
- Maintain fiscal stewardship and oversight of internal controls to safeguard Rocketship's assets
Strategic Leadership
- Create and articulate an inspiring vision for the organization.
- Serve as a strategic counselor and thought partner to the CEO and Network Executive Team.
- Contribute to setting the vision and strategic direction for the organization.
Strategic Planning and Budget
- Work closely with the Board of Directors and Business Committee(s) to maintain a strategic financial plan.
- Lead long-term financial planning, forecasting, and economic modeling.
- Own the annual budgeting process and develop a budget consistent with long-term goals.
- Assess the financial implications of potential strategic and growth alternatives.
Team Leadership
- Strong understanding and oversight of the accounting and payroll function
- Oversee training and support for regional, network, and school-based staff in financial operations.
Stakeholder Relationships
- Build strong relationships, maintain open lines of communication, and work effectively with peers, board members, and lenders.
- Successfully represent Rocketship’s financial needs, interests, and results with internal and external stakeholders.
