ABOUT ALLIANCE COLLEGE-READY PUBLIC SCHOOLS
Alliance College-Ready Public Schools was founded based on the belief that all young people, regardless of zip code, are capable of achieving at high levels. Alliance is now one of the largest and more successful public charter school networks in the nation, operating 25 high-performing middle and high schools serving 13,000 scholars in Los Angeles’ more educationally underserved communities. In our 14th school year, Alliance has a proven record of success: though our scholars come to Alliance on average four grade-levels behind in reading, 95% of Alliance graduates have been accepted to college—including 73% to a four-year university in 2018. We strive to truly change the life trajectories of our scholars and communities, with a goal of 75% of Alliance graduates completing a four-year college degree. Now is the time to join our collaborative community to make long-lasting change across Los Angeles.
ROLE SUMMARY
The Director, Business Strategy provides direct support to the Chief Business Officer in ensuring that Alliance’s finance and operational teams provide high value services and supports to our schools, in addition to meeting requirements of authorizers, funders, lenders, and other external parties. The Director is responsible for leading and implementing key initiatives across the Accounting, Facilities, Finance, Information Technology, and Operations Teams. The Director will also act as a point of contact between organization leadership, department team members, and other stakeholders. The Director reports to the Chief Business Officer, and works closely with the Business Leadership Team and the Executive Cabinet. The ideal candidate for this position will be a strong project manager with an ability to manage myriad stakeholder relationships and an aptitude for identifying and addressing diverse stakeholder needs. This is an outstanding opportunity for an experienced operations or finance professional to take a leadership role in helping Alliance achieve our mission of ensuring equity and excellence for students in Los Angeles.
WHAT YOU WILL DO
Strategic Planning
- Manage and lead key strategic projects in collaboration with the Chief Business Officer, and work closely with the Chief Business Officer and other team leaders to support Alliance’s organizational priority initiatives.
- Support the Business Leadership Team through facilitation of regular meetings, management of performance against the Business Team Operating Plan, development and monitoring of multi-year goals and objectives, and management of follow-ups to key actions and decisions.
- Serve as a strategic advisor to the Chief Business Officer.
- Perform analysis and strategic consultation on operational issues impacting the organization. Prepare briefings, memos, or presentations to communicate findings.
Special Projects
- Lead cross-functional teams to achieve objectives of special projects and report on progress to Chief Business Officer and, as required, other senior leadership. Such projects will include, but are not limited to:
- Budgeting, Enrollment, Strategy and Talent: Serve as Business Team lead for Alliance’s annual budgeting and strategy process; work collaboratively with school and Home Office leadership to ensure timely and accurate budgets aligning with key organizational priorities.
- Fiscal Oversight: Manage cross-functional team in support of Alliance’s schools through the annual process of fiscal oversight conducted by the Los Angeles Unified School District.
- Fiscal Accountability: Manage cross-functional team in ensuring organization-wide adherence to Alliance’s Fiscal Policies and Procedures.
- Support in regular management and project management of day-to-day team operations.
- Manage consultant relationships, as needed.
- Work with Business Leadership Team to codify critical processes and train department team members to execute independently.
Team Leadership
- Serve as a member of the Business Leadership Team.
- Provide temporary direct supervisory support to individual teams, as required.
THE IDEAL CANDIDATES WILL HAVE/BE:
- Ability to manage myriad relationships, facilitate collaboration across functional departments, and provide counsel to senior leaders.
- Strong strategic thinking skills with an understanding of the impact that different approaches have on organizational culture and performance.
- Fluency with Excel, Word, PowerPoint and other business and project management software.
- Strong customer service orientation, responding to customer needs in a timely manner.
- Flexibility to adapt to constantly changing environments.
- Belief in and alignment with Alliance’s core beliefs and educational philosophy.
- Excellent communication skills, both verbal and written.
- Entrepreneurial spirit to thrive in a fast-paced and achievement-oriented environment.
- Strong interpersonal skills and ability to build and cultivate relationships with teachers, coaches, school leaders and other home office departments.
- Willingness to go above and beyond to contribute to the success of a dynamic team committed to a new future for urban education.
- Understanding of the nuances of urban school environments and school culture.
- Advanced degree in business, public policy or administration, or related discipline is preferred.
MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS
- At least 4 years of relevant, progressive professional work experience in the private sector and/or education management fields and a Bachelor’s Degree or higher from an accredited college or university
- Proven track record of effective leadership and ability to navigate complex issues and drive strong performance results.
- Strong project management and data analysis skills with the ability to efficiently manage multiple projects and deadlines, work across departments and functions, and translate strategies from plans to action.
COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS
In alignment with our commitment to equity for our scholars, Alliance is committed to equity and transparency for our team and offer competitive salaries commensurate with experience and education, as well as an employer-sponsored 403b plan annual contribution equal to 5% of regular earnings, and a comprehensive group health benefits package, including medical, dental and vision. This position is exempt. The compensation range for this position is $89,000 - $130,000.
APPLICATION PROCESS
Interested candidates should submit their resume and cover letter at www.laalliance.org/careers. Please note that only candidates who are selected for an interview will be contacted.
Alliance College-Ready Public Schools are free public charter schools which do not discriminate against any student, parent, community member, or employee on the basis of actual or perceived ancestry, age, color, disability, gender, gender identity, gender expression, nationality, race or ethnicity, religion, sex, sexual orientation, or association with a person or group with one or more of these actual or perceived characteristics.
