THE ORGANIZATION

At Lighthouse Community Public Schools (LCPS), we believe an exceptional education brings out each child's unique light and potential. Founded in 2002, LCPS operates two high-achieving K-12 public charter schools--Lighthouse and Lodestar--serving 1,000 students in East Oakland. With a vision of transforming our community through creating a family of exceptional schools serving youth and families in Oakland, our mission is to prepare diverse students for college, a career of their choice, and to be lifelong changemakers. Grounded in our core values of community, integrity, agency, love, and social justice and rooted in the EL Education model, LCPS is a leader in fostering innovative schools achieving exceptional student outcomes where each child is at the center of their own learning. LCPS will continue to increase its impact as we grow to a third site in 2019, ultimately serving 2500 low-income students and their families. Lighthouse exists to counter persistent educational inequity that threatens our collective future. Lighthouse is a beacon for public education and each graduate fulfills the promise of a better, brighter Oakland and our results can testify. 95% of our graduates, almost all of whom are first generation college students, are accepted to four-year colleges. Lighthouse was named the Hart Vision Charter School of the Year in 2013 and Lighthouse Community Charter High School was named the #1 high school for closing the achievement for low-income, Latino students in 2016.

Learn more at www.lighthousecharter.org .

THE OPPORTUNITY

LCPS is looking for a Finance Assistantto join our finance team. This role - based at the LCPS Shared Service office - presents an opportunity to support the Lighthouse mission by providing top-notch business support across our organization. The individual who fills this role will be committed to organization, follow-through, and believe that the work we do to support the business of Lighthouse is important to the overall function of supporting students in their pursuit of the school mission.

CORE COMPETENCIES

• Mission and Core Values Focus: Inspired by our mission and belief that all students can achieve, models the LCPS values of community, integrity, love, social justice, and agency.
• Organization and Attention to Detail: Pays attention to school needs and utilizes organizational skills to make sure Business functions are efficient, accurate, and responsive to the needs of our organization.
• Communication: Displays excellent written and oral communication.
• Responsiveness: Consistently follows through with clarity and urgency with all LCPS community members & external partners in a professional and caring manner.
• Autonomy: Works with a high degree of independence, accuracy, and efficiency.

ROLES & RESPONSIBILITIES

• Accounts Payable:
  
  • Manages vendor relationships for payment, communicating with both external partners and internal staff to ensure smooth execution
  • Processes payments in a timely manner; including payments via invoice, PO, credit cards, etc. while maintaining a high degree of accuracy in aligning to our chart of accounts
• Accounts Receivable functions include:
  
  • Completes deposits on a regular basis, following internal control procedures
  • Communicates appropriately with accounting team regarding proper coding of transactions.
• Support for School Staff on Business functions
  
  • Provides support for site-based Operations staff to intake deposits, invoices and other business-related items in accordance with LCPS Financial Policies
  • Produces spending reports for internal staff members, aligning purchases made to the appropriate internal budgets
  • Refines and establishes clear systems and procedures that ensure smooth execution of financial processes by staff members
• Ordering
  
  • Maintains ordering for LCPS Shared Services office, and provides support / oversight for ordering at school sites
  • Creates and manages online database of vendor profiles for use by LCPS staff and school site personnel
  • Serve as LCPS' administrator for ordering systems (i.e., Staples)
  • Aligns purchasing procedures to requirements of governmental funding, external grants, internal practices, or other needs
• Communication with staff and external partners
  
  • Serve as point person for employees and managers to navigate financial needs. This includes but is not limited to: support with fieldwork, quarterly purchasing, and special projects.
  • Responds quickly and professionally to employee and manager questions and concerns, demonstrating a high level of customer service and urgency
  • Make regular trips to each school site to ensure clear communication, proper functioning of systems, and exchange of mail. This is estimated to be weekly, but will be on an as needed basis.
  • Make trips as needed to external partners (i.e., district office) that require hard copy documentation
• Shared Service Office support
  
  • Coordinate travel as needed for staff's professional development opportunities
  • Complete special projects as needed

• Other duties as assigned by supervisor

Supervision & Collaboration Overview:

• Reports to: Director of Finance
• Key Collaborators: Finance Team & Budget Managers across sites

Minimum Qualifications:

• B.A. or B.S., required
• 2+ years experience in Business Administration, Accounting or Office Management required
• Familiarity with basic accounting skills preferred
• Experience with Google Apps preferred
• Note that a valid CA driver's license and access to a vehicle is required for completion of regular responsibilities within the work week

Time Commitment:

This is a 12-month (220 day) position. The schedule for this position is in accordance with the school calendar, including approximately five weeks off during school vacations/holidays and two additional weeks of vacation determined in conjunction with manager.

Compensation

This role is a full-time, exempt position. Lighthouse offers competitive wages; benefits include a comprehensive employer-contributed retirement plan, medical and dental coverage, and professional development opportunities as well as generous sick and vacation time.

TO APPLY

People of color and bilingual candidates are strongly encouraged to apply.

Interested candidates should submit:

• Resume
• Cover letter describing your interest in this exciting position and why you are an optimal fit
• 3 references with Name, Email, Phone Number and Title/nature of working relationship

Application submission screening and initial phone interviews will be completed on a rolling basis until filled. In-person interviews and performance tasks will take place on-site.

Lighthouse Community Charter Public Schools is an equal opportunity employer committed to diversity at all levels