Financial Assistant (Public) jobs in Houston, TX

Great schools begin with great people who believe every day is an opportunity to make a difference. At YES Prep, you have an opportunity to join a family of diverse educators who are leveling the playing field by providing opportunities for a high-quality, college-forward curriculum while also ensuring our students feel supported through their academic journey and empowered to lead choice-filled lives. YES Prep is more than a family of public charter schools, it’s the future of public education—it’s an opportunity to say, “Yes, you can!”

• 17,000 Students
• 2,100 Team Members
• 17 Secondary Campuses
• 6 Elementary Campuses
• 92% Students Who Qualify for Free/Reduced-Price Lunch
• 96% Hispanic & African-American Students
• 97% Students Who Are Accepted to a 4-Year University
• 88% First-Generation College Students
• Top 100 High Schools in the Nation, U.S. News & World Report

We serve the students of Houston, Texas, the 4th largest city across the United States. There are over 20 public-school districts and other great public charter school options, like KIPP Texas-Houston and IDEA Public Schools, within Houston’s city limits serving our increasing population. We are a rapidly growing organization, committed to creating life-changing opportunities for over 23,000 students by 2025.

• Leading the annual budget cycle by setting financial targets, processes, and schedules for the organization;
• Enhancing and monitoring the long-term financial model that sustains the financial health and stability of YES Prep Public Schools;
• Supervising and leading a team of two analysts, developing them professionally and prioritizing their goals and duties;
• Developing financial reports and key metrics for internal analysis and external compliance purposes;
• Supporting all YES Prep budget managers with budget-to-actual spending, planning, and other financial analysis matters;
• Preparing and presenting budget analysis and financial projections to the Board and C-Suite when needed;
• Maintaining a close working relationship with other members of Home Office Team, school directors and relevant campus staff to ensure exchange of best practices, coordination of efforts, and general support for the finance/ accounting department;
• Additional duties as assigned.

• Demonstrate behavior that is professional, ethical, and responsible;
• Participate in workshops, seminars, and conferences to enhance knowledge and skills;
• Demonstrate knowledge, and support of YES Prep Schools mission, values, standards, policies and procedures, confidentiality standards
• Ensure compliance with all state and federal laws, local board policies, administrative guidelines, and the Texas Educators’ Code of Ethics;
• Ability to perform a variety of tasks, often changing assignments on short notice, with little to no direction;
• Ability to communicate effectively and appropriately with others.

• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited four-year educational institution
• Minimum of seven years of professional experience
• Ability to develop and create long term financial models
• Ability to exercise excellent judgment in decision-making, using sound logic to derive answers
• Excellent financial and analytical skills with an ability to communicate complicated financial data to non-finance people
• Ability to manage and mentor your team in positive manner, incrementally developing employees through the process while keeping all deadlines met.
• Detail-oriented to a fault. We double check and triple check our work always
• Self-directed and takes initiative to create or streamline work without being told
• Ability to work outside of normal hours and on weekends

• High level of integrity with fundamental belief in transparency, openness, and teamwork.
• Openness to giving and receiving frequent feedback
• Ability to maintain emotional control under stress
• Ability to handle multiple tasks and initiatives at once
• Ability to work urgently in a fast-paced and results-oriented environment
• A dedication to learn, grow, and develop as a professional

Skills and mindsets needed to be successful in this role

• You should want to present to the Board because you know your stuff.
• You should know how to defend whatever you are recommending in clear, linear manner.
• You should want one of the analysts that you manage to replace you when you move up.
• You should believe that your power does not come from holding the cards but from being able to get others to understand how to do it themselves.
• Mistakes happen….but it should hurt to find out that you made an error that was easily caught by someone.
• Students come first so let’s figure out how best to spend our money getting them into college and not on personality battles.
• Openness to giving and receiving frequent feedback. You should want to hear what it will take for you to be the next CFO, not be upset because you were late and someone called you out on it.
• We are all adults and all jobs will be hard at this level so put your head down and move the work forward each day.

• Belief in and commitment to the mission and core values of YES Prep Public Schools
• Desire to disrupt systemic status quos in education
• Willingness to go above and beyond to disrupt said status quos
• Passion to develop resiliency through a relentless pursuit of jaw-dropping results
• Conviction that high expectations high accountability = high performance and high growth

• Degree in Finance, Accounting, or related field
• Seven years of experience with financial and quantitative analysis
• Master’s in Business Administration
• Public education finance experience
• Previous managerial experience
• Tyler Munis experience and/or ability to learn various financial software platforms
• Ability to juggle multiple tasks and initiatives at once

• Compensation – This position is an exempt, salaried position; offers commensurate with experience.

• Health and Supplemental Insurance – A $0 monthly medical option that includes $600 towards a Health Savings Account, in addition to a variety of supplemental benefits including Dental, Vision, Disability, Life, etc. Employees must work 20 hours a week to be eligible for a full spectrum of benefits, and 10 hours a week minimum for medical benefits.

• 
  Retirement Plans – Participation in Teacher Retirement System of Texas and a 457b Retirement Plan.

• Paid Time Off – Employees working 20 hours a week receive 15 days of Paid Time Off in addition to the system closures during the Academic Calendar.

• 
  Paid Leave Programming – In the event you need to be out due to medical needs (including maternity and paternity leave), YES Prep offers paid leave, paid out at 100%, based on eligibility and tenure.

• Professional Development - YES Prep values longevity and performance over time. We invest in developing leaders through high-quality programs, effective coaching, and ongoing professional development.

• Award Winning Culture – The strong cultures of our campuses and Home Office are just one of many reasons we were named Houston’s Best Place to Work in 2018, 2019, and 2021. We won the 2012 Broad Prize for Excellence in Urban Education and were a 2016 finalist as well.