Director Financial Planning & Analysis – National

Reading Partners is changing the education landscape. We are a leader in working to solve the literacy crisis in our country by leveraging community volunteers in under-resourced schools. Our diverse and expansive volunteer base provides one-on-one tutoring to students twice weekly, and our program is proven to help children master the reading fundamentals they need to unlock their potential as successful, happy and confident readers in school and in life. Our people are our heartbeat and our greatest resource; we are all passionately rallied around our mission to help children become lifelong learners by empowering communities to provide individualized instruction that works. Join our stellar team leading the charge to deepen our impact and expand our service. Watch this video to learn more about Reading Partners.

The high level

The Director of Financial Planning & Analysis (FP&A) is an essential member of the Finance and Accounting team leading the FP&A function and reporting directly to the Chief Finance and Operations Officer (CFOO). The FP&A Director will provide business and financial advice to the CFOO and various budget leaders within a national, distributed organization. The position is responsible for assisting in the preparation of budgets, forecasts, and financial reports and analyses for various national departments and regional Executive Directors and serves as a liaison between national and regional teams. The position provides regular support to other Finance-related functions, such as the month end close process.

The objective of the Finance team is to maximize student outcomes over the long-term through the efficient, effective, and sustainable allocation of financial resources. Our work is rooted in supporting leaders, who bring program expertise and recruit and train community volunteers, in making effective budgetary decisions. We help empower leaders with high quality financial information and advice that is accurate and timely.

What you’ll do

Specific responsibilities for the FP&A Director include, but are not limited to:

Financial Planning & Analysis

• Strategic Planning
• Provide key support to the Executive Team with the annual strategic planning process.
• Build financial models and forecasting tools that allow for long-term scenario planning in support of the strategic planning process.
• Budgeting/ Forecasting
  
• Play a lead role in the creation of our annual budget; support the development of a sustainable $30M+ budget for the 2022 year and forward by developing prudent and realistic forecasts.
• Lead annual budgeting process and monthly forecast process.
• Prepare monthly reporting of financial performance and variance analysis of financial results by region/ function.
• Support executive leadership team in the stewardship of its key financial metrics.
• Work with the CFOO on cash flow forecasts.
• Partner with regional leaders to provide financial support and guidance.
• Advise regional budget leaders on fiscal operating decisions and collaborate with them to achieve financial sustainability goals.
• Analyze trends in spending and behavior in order to maximize resource allocation and results.
• Prepare financial reports and other materials for the quarterly Board of Directors meetings.

Financial Operations and Systems

• Oversee operational excellence across the organization by evaluating, refining, creating, and supporting systems and processes to ensure efficiency and effectiveness as we continue to grow in size and complexity.
• Enhance the use of Adaptive Insights (our financial planning software), which may include integrating with third party software providers, developing new reports, and creating financial dashboards.

Ensure Compliance

• Prepare accurate and timely financial reports to funders/ donors, as required.
• Manage and sign off on all financial information, including support documentation for grant reports and proposals.
• Prepare and submit compliance reports and filings with various state and local entities.
• Track and report compliance with line of credit covenants.

Other duties as needed.

How you’ll do it

Relationship Development & Communication: 

• You establish great working relationships with internal and external stakeholders, including staff, community constituents, as well as board members. You are able to open doors, make connections, tell a compelling story through the use of data, and create pathways to ensure financial sustainability in literacy education within a very competitive market. You are an effective communicator and a natural “connector”, and you have a track record of successfully establishing rapport quickly and maintaining relationships, even at a distance.

Think & Act Strategically: 

• You understand stakeholder goals and respond to and anticipate future needs. You proactively consider possible future challenges and opportunities in making plans and decisions. You understand the connections and relationships between your work and how it impacts others. You possess the ability to anticipate the implications and consequences of situations and take appropriate action to be prepared for possible contingencies

Display Drive & Achieving Results: 

• You identify what needs to be done and do it before being asked or before the situation requires it. You have the ability to focus on the desired result of your work, setting challenging goals, focusing effort on the goals, and meeting or exceeding them.

Financial Expertise: 

• You tackle a problem by using a logical and systematic approach. You synthesize financial data into meaningful information for your stakeholders. You are able to translate analysis into actionable recommendations that support decision making.

About you!

You’ll be successful in this role if you:

• Possess robust and relevant job experience in roles with increasing responsibility; nonprofit experience a plus
• Have experience managing a team
• Display strong analytical and financial modeling skills
• Demonstrate excellent verbal and written communication skills; able to successfully convey financial concepts to non-finance colleagues
• Able to adapt to changing organizational needs and priorities and juggle multiple projects while meeting deadlines
• Demonstrate strategic and analytical thinking abilities and strong problem-solving skills
• Exhibit excellent professional judgment
• Knowledge of financial planning software (e.g. Adaptive, Hyperion, Cognos) strongly preferred; familiarity with Salesforce a plus
• Boast a deep belief in our mission
• Root your work in our core values
• Approach your work with pride and have fun while doing it
• Actively seek professional and personal growth opportunities
• Hold US Citizenship or Permanent Resident Status
• Hold a bachelor’s degree in Accounting or Finance or equivalent experience
• COVID-19 vaccination is required unless a medical or religious accommodation is requested and approved. Please review our Vaccination Policy.

Bonus Points if you:

• Are an AmeriCorps, Peace Corps, or other national service alum/alumna
• Have experience working in launch or growth phases of organizations

What we offer

Reading Partners offers the full package – great benefits, a great place to work and the opportunity to have a glowing and growing career.

• We offer a competitive salary commensurate with experience. This is a full-time, exempt, salaried position.
• We offer a comprehensive benefits package, including medical, dental, vision, disability, life insurance, flex spending accounts, generous paid time off, commuter benefits, an Employee Assistance Program (EAP), and currently a 403(b) match option.
• We offer an exciting and dynamic culture, and we commit to investing in and supporting our amazing people to grow their careers with us.

The other things you need to know:

• Travel: This position may travel for business as needed. This position is headquartered at Reading Partners’ National Headquarters in Oakland, CA.
• Typical Physical & Mental Demands: Requires prolonged sitting with some bending, stooping and stretching, and eye-hand coordination and manual dexterity sufficient to operate a keyboard, telephone, photocopier, calculator and other office equipment. Requires normal range of hearing and eyesight to communicate with volunteers and staff. Also requires flexibility to readily adapt to a changing environment.

What’s Next?

If you’re interested in joining our Reading Partners team, please submit the following application materials to our online job posting:

• A cover letter describing your interest in Reading Partners and how your past experience has prepared you for this role. Please include your salary needs.
• Resume