Chief Operating & Financial Officer

About The Organization

Founded in 2001, the Massachusetts Charter Public School Association (MCPSA) is a mission driven, strategic, and high performing nonprofit that supports Massachusetts charter public schools in providing an excellent and equitable education to 46,000 students. MCPSA's work is guided by its Equity Vision and a deep belief that every child regardless of race, zip code, or family background deserves equal access to a high quality education. Collectively, Massachusetts charter public schools are widely recognized as among the highest performing charter public schools in the country. MCPSA has an extensive history of supporting and advocating for charter public schools, with the mission of creating and protecting the conditions that will enable the charter sector to thrive, contributing toward the common goal of all children having equitable access to high-quality schools.

MCPSA achieves its mission in three ways

• Providing best practice sharing and professional development for school leaders, educators, and board members to support member schools in offering a high quality education.
• Advocating for public policies that benefit children at all Massachusetts public schools, address the unique needs of member schools, and advance racial justice.
• Amplifying the stories and voices of the charter public school community.
  
  

Across all of its offerings, MCPSA is deeply committed to providing the support and advocacy that schools themselves want, need, and value and recent results from the membership satisfaction survey speak to success in achieving this goal 100% of members reported that they are satisfied or very satisfied with MCPSA. To learn more about MCPSA's robust membership program, check out this brochure.

About The Position

Reporting to the Executive Director, the Chief Operating and Financial Officer (COFO) will serve as a key member of the senior leadership team and partner with the Executive Director in financial leadership, strategic planning, talent and HR management, and implementation of new approaches to achieve defined objectives. The COFO will assume primary responsibility for enhancing the organization's internal processes and infrastructure to support the MCPSA in continued growth and fulfillment of its mission; will lead all finances, and will manage the Operations Team and provide direct supervision to the Senior Operations Manager. Additionally, the COFO will assume financial and operational oversight for MCPSA's sister organization, Advocates for Massachusetts Charter Public Schools (AMCPS).

Responsibilities include, but are not limited to

Financial Leadership & Management

• Lead and support long-term multi-year financial planning and the annual organizational budgeting process, anticipating and tracking changes as needed
• Ensure that relevant financial data is presented to the ED, Board, and Finance Committee as appropriate
• Manage and oversee all financial investments and business transactions
• Develop and administer all financial plans, business policies, and accounting practices
• Manage an external financial consultant in reconciling monthly finances; assume responsibility for accounts payable and receivable
• Supervise and ensure quality results for annual audits
• Ensure that all financial statements, tax returns, Secretary of State filings, and other required reporting and registrations are accurate and current
• Provide support to the Senior Operations Manager for all grant budget reports and proposals
  
  

Talent & HR Management

• Manage and oversee all talent functions, including Recruitment, HR, and DEI, leveraging external consultants and experts as needed
• Retain high performing staff and support recruitment of positions needed for the successful implementation of organizational goals, partnering with Executive Search firms for select roles
• Periodically review and revise job descriptions and MCPSA Personnel Policies and Handbook to ensure accuracy, equity, and compliance
• Ensure regulatory and legal compliance for all MCPSA human resource practices and procedures
• Conduct periodic benchmarking and adjust staff compensation as needed; determine appropriate wage bands, employment terms, and benefits as applicable for all employees
• Procure, manage, and monitor employee benefits
• Develop and oversee an equitable and thoughtful performance management process
• Work collaboratively with the senior leadership team to foster organizational cross-collaboration through effective use of staff meetings and other communication tools
• Coordinate and support the Board of Directors in the timely completion of the Executive Director's annual evaluation
  
  

Operations, Member Services & Technology

• Oversee risk management and review and negotiate agreements, contracts, leases, and other legal documents, with independent consultants as needed
• Work with the Operations Team to oversee and ensure smooth daily operations in support of all member services/programming
• Act as primary liaison for consultants, vendors, and other operational professionals
• Provide high quality operational support to member-facing programs; oversee member outreach and track engagement, including overseeing the annual MCPSA Member Survey
• Work with the ED to provide support and guidance to the MCPSA Board and act as a staff liaison to the Finance and Governance Committees and Board Treasurer
• Work with the Governance Committee to elect board members, officers and at-large members to ensure diversity and demographic representation of member schools; oversee onboarding of new board members
• Perform periodic assessment to measure MCPSA technological needs against current offerings and devise and implement changes as needed
• Select, hire, negotiate and manage external IT consultants as needed; secure all equipment and negotiate contracts, leases and maintenance agreements
• Analyze IT proposals to avoid duplicate spending by implementing present solutions with consideration for anticipated growth and a predictable IT spending environment
  
  

Candidate Requirements

• Strong alignment with MCPSA's mission and its commitment to embracing, embodying, and practicing diversity, equity, and inclusion.
• Bachelor's and/or advanced degree in a relevant field (finance, accounting, administration, business, management, policy, education, communications etc.) or comparable work experience
• 10 years of combined professional experience across relevant functions (finance, HR, recruitment, operations, admin, and/or IT); with at least 3 years in a senior financial leadership role
• Track record of managing a budget of at least $2M, with experience leading budgeting and financial forecasting, ideally for 501c(3)s and 501c(4)s
• Experience managing/overseeing non-profit accounting; experience leading audits preferred
• Exceptional people management skills; experience in building and retaining strong teams and managing external resources, third party vendors, and consultants
• Experience in and/or passion for talent management and HR; ideally with a track record of managing HR/talent functions
• A strategic and systems-thinking approach, with an eye toward both process and outcomes
• Robust project management skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities and direct work flow
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Growth mindset, openness to feedback, and desire to grow with the team
  
  

Studies have shown that leaders from underrepresented groups only apply to jobs if they feel they meet 100% of the qualifications. As no individual candidate meets every qualification, we encourage candidates who meet most of these requirements to apply.

Location

MCPSA is a virtual organization with all team members working remotely. At the time of employment, residence within Massachusetts, and/or within 75 miles from the organization's main office in Hudson, MA, is strongly preferred.

Compensation And Benefits

Compensation $175,000 - $195,000 Benefits MCPSA offers a competitive package, including 25 days of paid time off, office closure between Christmas and New Years, 12 paid holidays, an annual cost of labor adjustment, health insurance, dental, life and disability insurance, a professional development stipend, a 4% 401(k) match, and potential for an annual team bonus.

MCPSA is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will be considered for employment without unlawful discrimination based on race, color, creed, national origin, sex, age, disability, marital status, sexual orientation, military status, prior record of arrest or conviction, or current employment status.

On-Ramps is deeply committed to equity. We believe social change happens when people with a wide range of backgrounds, experiences, and identities come together with a common purpose. We're partnering with the team at MCPSA to build a diverse team. We encourage candidates from all backgrounds to apply.

On-Ramps is committed to the inclusion of all qualified individuals in the hiring process, including but not limited to those with disabilities. If you require reasonable accommodation(s) to participate in the application or interview process, please contact [email protected].