School Superintendent jobs in Massachusetts

JOB TITLE: Assistant Superintendent for Finance & Operations

APPOINTED BY: School Committee
REPORTS TO: Superintendent of Schools

SALARY RANGE: Up to $180,000, commensurate with experience.

DEFINITION

The position of the Assistant Superintendent of Finance & Operations supports in setting the strategic direction and providing leadership of financial and operational services within the Waltham Public Schools to support that direction.

The Assistant Superintendent of Finance & Operations provides leadership to central office administrators, building principals, school committee members, and district staff regarding the day-to-day and long-range management and oversight of the Business Office, Grants, Strategies & Communications, Information & Technology, School Facilities, Food Services, and Parent Information Center, which entails student enrollment, student transportation, and district-wide translation services.

The Assistant Superintendent of Finance & Operations ensures that all staff members working in these areas provide services of a high quality to constituent groups in an effective and efficient manner.  The Assistant Superintendent of Finance & Operations oversight of district finances includes budgets, grants management, purchasing, insurance, and district, state, and
federal reporting.  The Assistant Superintendent of Finance & Operations also provides management oversight of organizational development, contract administration, and collective bargaining to ensure alignment with budgetary resources and system-wide long term financial goals.

QUALIFICATIONS

Education and Experience

• Educational Administration, Business Administration, Accounting or Finance degree is required; master’s preferred.
• Massachusetts Department of Elementary & Secondary Education School Business Administrator and/or Assistant Superintendent licensure is required.
• A minimum of five years’ experience in education or municipal finance, including at least three years’ experience in a supervisory capacity.
• Exemplary performance and demonstrated leadership in business and finance, municipal financial management, or a school administrative position, such as a Director of Finance, Business Manager, School Principal or one of comparable leadership responsibilities.
• Experience working in a business or school system with a diverse population.

Skills, Knowledge and Abilities

• Effective written and oral communication skills, presentation skills, and listening skills.
• Strong analytical and computer skills required to support data base management forecasting, cost-benefit analyses, and decision-making activities.

Such alternatives to the above qualifications as the Superintendent may find appropriate and acceptable.

ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS

• Oversees and supports the effective operation of all financial aspects pertaining to the school system, including budgets, accounting, payrolls, and the issuance of all financial reports required in these.
• Represents the district at all internal and external forums, as necessary and appropriate. Serves as the school district’s prime liaison in the administration of financial matters with city officials and departments.
• Oversees the budget development process. Facilitates the budget planning process resulting in a clear alignment of financial resources with educational priorities. This includes estimating resources needed to implement initiatives and sustain ongoing efforts, projecting revenues from city and external sources, benchmarking present expenditure levels, and generating innovative ways to maximize and leverage existing resources. Facilitates budget development discussions with the leadership team resulting in the Superintendent's annual budget recommendation to the School Committee.
• Works with the Superintendent and School Committee to determine budget guidelines; leads the development of the annual budget in conjunction with the administration, and participates in communicating and presenting the budget to the School Committee, City officials, faculty and staff, taxpayers, and other constituencies.
• Collaborates and communicates with the leadership team, School Committee and the City on budget development. Presents justification and support for funding proposals made to the School Committee and relevant City stakeholders.
• Oversees the maintenance of accurate and complete financial records through sound accounting and auditing procedures. Responsible for meeting all financial reporting requirements of the Waltham Public Schools. This includes, but is notlimited to, ensuring that the annual Commonwealth of Massachusetts DESE End of Year Pupil and Financial Report is filed accurately and on time.
• Provides fiscal accountability for the Waltham Public Schools.
• Ensures the coordination of budget/financial services to schools. Assures that budget information is presented in a timely, easily understandable, and accessible way for planning, management, and reporting purposes. Assures responsiveness to school requests and facilitation/support for school-based decision making.
• Supports school-identified initiatives, while assuring compliance with federal and state mandates and collective bargaining provisions.
• Advises, assists, and enables district leaders to engage in school-level and district-level budget planning, budget control, expenditure monitoring and reporting.
• Monitors expenditures and performs financial analyses on a periodic basis.
• Assures that system-wide spending aligns with planned spending. Assures that the system's financial practices are of the highest quality and that appropriate procedures are developed to ensure that all school and department administrators understand their legal and fiscal responsibilities.
• Works with Central Administration to ensure a level of service to schools that is characterized by continuous improvement and responsiveness.
• Collaborates with district administrators in the development of local, state & federal grants; oversees the financial reporting of all grants. Collaborates with the Administrator of Grants, Strategy & Communications to investigate and processes applications for educational funds and grants made available to the school department through federal, state, educational, and private sources.
• Oversees the Fiscal Coordinator in preparing periodic district, state, and federal reports on the financial status of the district, and financial reports in support of grant compliance requirements.
• Cooperates with auditors during periodic and comprehensive audits of the district's programs.
• Assists the superintendent and the school committee in the collective bargaining process; prepares reports, proposals, and financial analyses as needed.
• Collaborates with City Purchasing Agent in the bid process when seeking formal bids.
• Manages the portfolio of non-employee insurance policies.
• Prepares quarterly reports and projections for the Superintendent and School Committee on the status of the budget versus expenditures; prepares monthly financial reports to the schools; prepares periodic analyses as requested by Superintendent.
• Coordinates with the City’s Purchasing Agent in the competitive bid process and negotiates vendor contracts.
• Ensures compliance with state and federal regulations for the activity in the student transportation and food service programs.
• Leads committees and prepares reports for the Superintendent, as requested; attends School Committee meetings.
• Assists in system-wide strategic and long-range planning; prepares annual enrollment report and K – 12 projections.
• Provides support to Principals and other administrators as they carry out their business management and operations responsibilities.
• Attends conferences and meetings related to current school business practices; represents the Superintendent at local and/or state meetings, as requested.
• Performs other duties as requested by the Superintendent.

Key Deliverables

• Maintaining a multi-year financial outlook
• Creation of an annual budget
• Providing financial reporting in accordance state statutes
• Regularly detailing the financial status of the district
• Ensuring appropriate service delivery and outcomes associated with operational functions.

WORK ENVIRONMENT

• Must be computer literate; familiar with computer software applications such as word processing, spreadsheets and other applications tailored to specific departmental needs.
• Regularly uses computer keyboard, requiring eye-hand coordination and finger dexterity.
• Involves travel to meetings and other communities.
• Involves required attendance at School Committee and other evening meetings.