Metro

General Purpose of Job: To inspire and prepare all students with the confidence, courage, and competence to achieve their dreams; contribute to community; and engage in a lifetime of learning.

Job Summary: The Executive Director of Finance and Operations is responsible for setting vision, providing leadership, and promoting continuous improvement of administrative services to ensure that the business and operations functions play a strategic partnership role in accomplishing the mission of the organization. As a member of the superintendent’s cabinet, the Executive Director of Finance and Operations is responsible to oversee essential departmental functions including: finance, business services (including accounting, payroll, purchasing and warehouse), facilities, transportation, nutrition services, health and safety, and governmental relations. The Executive Director leads and manages the overall business and operations functions for the organization by providing system leadership as a member of the superintendent’s cabinet, ensuring processes in alignment with organizational core values, and collaborating with the executive director of human resources to design and communicate the strategies to operationalize the inter/intradepartmental work of the Human and Administrative Resources Team.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

Executive leadership – provide executive leadership to the school district in a systemic and integrated fashion as a member of the superintendent’s cabinet.Provide strategic leadership to the school district through integrated practices designed by the superintendent’s cabinet.
Participate in the development of the strategic plan and monitoring activities with other members of the superintendent’s cabinet.
Contribute to effective school board functioning by meeting with school board members, attending all school board meetings and work sessions, designing and facilitating school board work sessions, writing memos to the superintendent and board, and making school board presentations pertaining to area of responsibility.
Develop, revise, and communicate school board policy and administrative procedures pertaining to areas of responsibility in collaboration with the district’s legal counsel.
Represent the school district in a positive manner at various district and community functions, at state and local organizations, and as a liaison to various partners by demonstrating professional demeanor and confidentiality.
Provide supervision to direct reports, including formative feedback and timely performance evaluations.
Plan, schedule and direct the work of others; delegate tasks and authority appropriately; establish procedures to guide system work; monitor projects to meet deadline.
Assume decision making responsibility and apply effective decision making processes to problems or issues.
Encourage frequent, open communication; maintain accessibility and visibility in the organization; invite suggestion and feedback.
Perceive the needs and concerns of others and provide appropriate support; and resolve conflicts.
Demonstrate cultural responsiveness and lead department work for racial equity, including the equitable distribution of resources.
Demonstrate commitment to professional growth.
Inspire trust by demonstrating competence, reliability, sincerity, and caring; demonstrate adaptability and flexibility.
Ensure continuous improvement for areas of responsibility through implementation of department continuous improvement plans.
Monitor outcomes related to goals for continuous improvement and prepare periodic reports to display progress toward strategic goal accomplishment.
Ensure effective records retention and storage for all district records, including management of the vault.
Establish standards of performance for each area of responsibility and provide professional development to ensure continuous improvement.

Strategic Financial Leadership – Manage financial resources to align with the district’s missions and strategic priorities. Oversee departmental functions including accounting, payroll, purchasing, and warehouse.Develop and lead implementation of the district’s long-range financial planning process including the district’s financial management strategy in alignment with the district’s mission.
Direct the district budget planning, development and implementation process.
Provide technical financial advice and counsel to managers and school board on all financial matters.
Maintain a system of controls and record keeping ensuring that expenditures are within the limitations of the approved budget.
Ensure improvement of budgeting process by educating budget managers.
Maintain accounting and reporting of the financial affairs of the district.
Ensure compliance, accuracy, timeliness and clarity in financial reporting.
Prepare all legal resolutions and publications of a financial nature.
Ensure compliance with regulations from the Minnesota Department of Education.
Convene and facilitate the Financial Involvement School-Community Accountability Liaisons (FISCAL) Advisory Team.
Provide all necessary financial information to support operating or capital levy campaigns.
Responsible for annual tax levy management.
Collaborate with the executive director of human resources to ensure integrated and systemic action by the Human and Administrative Resources Team (HART).
Collaborate with the executive director of human resources and the district’s chief negotiator in the collective bargaining process by participating in contract negotiations and school board negotiations strategy sessions.
Maintain an effective and efficient system for purchasing, storing, and distributing supplies and equipment.
Maintain and improve administrative and operational accounting services for management investments, 403b/457 plans, grants, payroll, accounts payable and purchasing.

Facilities management and operations – Ensure a safe and healthy learning and work environment by managing departmental functions including maintenance, custodial, building/grounds, health/safety, risk management and workers compensation services. Ensure effective and efficient use of district facilities by coordinating enrollment functions across divisions. Plan for future land procurement/sale and facilities development.Manage the purchase and sale of district property.
Convene and facilitate the School Board Property Committee; draft related school board reports for regular school board meetings.
Ensure effective and efficient use of capital resources to ensure a safe and healthy work and learning environment.
Oversee the operation and maintenance of school buildings and grounds.
Coordinate long-range facilities planning, including new construction, remodeling or existing facilities.
Develop and communicate enrollment projections.
Ensure integration of interdepartmental functions related to enrollment management by regularly convening interdepartmental meetings and coordinating interdepartmental action to effectively manage enrollment.
Provide strategic leadership for enrollment management and boundary adjustments to address demographic changes and enrollment trends.

Transportation – Provide oversight and collaboration to ensure safe, effective, and efficient transportation for students. Other duties as assigned – Performs other comparable duties of a like or similar nature as assigned.Oversee the financial and operational performance of the district’s transportation program.
Oversee the specifications and bidding process for transportation contracts(s) and provide administrative recommendations to the school board for bid awards.
Provide leadership to the director and assistant director to establish and communicate transportation processes, practices, policies and procedures.

Nutrition services – Ensure high quality and efficient food and nutrition services.Oversee the district’s food and nutrition services program and operations.
Ensure compliance and timely reporting.

Legislative liaison – Develop and communicate the district’s legislative interests.Stay informed about proposed legislation and analyze local impact for communication to superintendent and staff.
Convene meetings with district legislative delegation.
Communicate with local, state and federal governmental agencies on matters that pertain to school finance.
Testify at legislative hearings when called upon to do so.
Advocate for district interests to Minnesota Department of Education and promote the district’s legislative platform.

Other comparable duties of a like or similar nature as assigned Participate in professional organizations and activities connected to areas of responsibility.