Company Description

About KIPP New Jersey

KIPP New Jersey is part of the nationally recognized "Knowledge Is Power Program" network of free, open-enrollment, college-preparatory public schools dedicated to preparing students for success in college and in life. In 2002, KIPP New Jersey first opened its doors in Newark's South Ward as a single class of 80 fifth graders and has since grown to educate 7,035 students in grades K-12 across 15 schools in Newark and Camden. More than 90% of KIPP New Jersey students currently qualify for free or reduced meals.

By 2025, KIPP New Jersey will have fifteen schools in Newark and five in Camden providing a world-class education to over 10,300 students. To learn more, visit www.kippnj.org .

Job Description

Here's what you need to know:

KIPP TEAM & Family Schools is looking for a Finance Associate to support our growing network of schools with strong financial management practices. The Finance Associate serves as the point person for internal stakeholders for all finance tools, data, and the processes associated with building and maintaining budgets, and will be integral to the selection, implementation, and ongoing ownership of a new integrated budgeting platform. This person also provides direct analytical and project execution support to our finance team and other organizational leaders.

The Finance Associate will play a critical role within a five-person finance team that supports all of our schools and centralized functions across three cities, and also will collaborate closely with accounting, compliance, human resources, development (fundraising), purchasing, and regional operations teams.

Here's what you'll be doing:

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  Create and maintain a suite of Excel- and Google Sheet-based financial tools used by approximately 100 stakeholders across our schools and centralized functions.
  
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  Perform quality control on all tools and data issued by the finance team to internal stakeholders, as well as on all budgets submitted by school, leadership, and support teams.
  
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  Collaborate with accounting, HR, purchasing and IT teammates to ensure data that impacts our financial statements are accurately loaded and maintained in our accounting, HR, and purchasing systems.
  
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  Otherwise support the annual budgeting and in-year re-forecasting processes for the organization; provide training to new budget managers, well-articulated processes against which all budget managers can execute, and ad hoc analytical support for budget managers.
  
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  Participate in cross-functional planning to ensure restricted public funding streams, which will total over $100M across our schools' budgets over the next several years, are going to be appropriately used and accounted for.
  
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  Produce accurate, timely financial reports with commentary, some regular and some ad hoc, for certain internal and external stakeholders.
  
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  In partnership with others on the finance and IT teams, select, implement, and support organization-wide migration to a new integrated budgeting platform.
  
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  Serve as the finance team's "owner" of the new integrated budgeting platform, once implemented.
  
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  Drive other operational efficiencies/process improvements for the finance team, including related to its points of collaboration with other teams.
  

Qualifications

Must haves:

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  Bachelor's Degree.
  
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  3-5 years of relevant experience, e.g. in a role within a finance function, or otherwise with budgets, financial data, financial systems, or other types of analytically rigorous work.
  
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  Understanding of financial statements.
  
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  Advanced knowledge of Excel and Google Sheets; strong proficiency with other Microsoft and Google applications.
  
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  Meticulous attention to detail, and methodical and organized in approach to work.
  
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  Strength at analytical work as well as communicating the output of such work to others in a clear manner.
  
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  Ability to manage work in a proactive, self-directed manner, e.g.: seeking out necessary information and collaboration rather than awaiting direction; progressing medium- and long-term projects without compromising the integrity of recurring responsibilities.
  
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  Motivation and determination to solve problems and continuously improve, in anticipation of organizational growth and in response to feedback and unforeseen challenges.
  
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  Strong customer-service orientation, excellent teamwork skills, and desire to work in a highly collaborative environment.
  

Nice to haves:

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  Financial experience in the K-12 education sector.
  
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  Experience working with general ledger, ERP, budgeting platform, or similar systems.
  
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  Experience working on a project team that deployed a new system across an organization.
  

Additional Information

Compensation & Benefits

In addition to a competitive salary, KIPP NJ offers a full comprehensive benefits plan, including health care, retirement, an optional subsidized wireless plan through Verizon, a school laptop and transportation benefits for TEAMmates commuting into New Jersey from the New York City or Philadelphia area.

KIPP New Jersey | KIPP Miami is an equal opportunity employer