Assistant Director, Finance & Operations, Transportation Department
The Boston Public Schools is the largest school district in Massachusetts with approximately 53,000 students and a $1.3B budget. The Office of Transportation within BPS is one of the largest departments in the district overseeing a $125M annual budget (~10% of total spending). On a daily basis, our 721 buses drive 43K miles bringing over 25K students to 200 schools across the Boston area - not just Boston Public Schools but local parochial, private, and charter schools as well.
Key aspects of the position involve leading the Department’s financial functions and the Department’s operations and compliance team. The former includes financial analysis, budgeting, and collective bargaining agreement negotiation, with an eye towards finding efficiencies where possible. The latter team is responsible for performance management of the Department’s bus operator contractor against the contract, and effective coordination across the bus operator contractor, schools, and various parts of the BPS central office.
Responsibilities:
This person will have a number of critical responsibilities, including but not limited to:
- Financial analysis and budgeting, including:
- Developing annual budget projections based on historical spending patterns;
- Creating spending models to develop a better understanding of cost drivers within the department;
- Developing and implementing strategies to contain and reduce cost growth;
- Prepare and present a monthly operational efficacy and spending report to the Chief of Operations and the Chief Financial Officer;
- Work with Operations and Finance to estimate the financial impact of potential policy changes explored by School Committee, District Leadership, or the City of Boston;
- Manage our ~$100M contract with our transportation vendor by:
- Auditing and verifying the accuracy of business transactions between Transportation Contractors and Boston Public Schools - both at the macro level and at the line item level, as needed;
- Working to lead the three-to-five year procurement process to ensure that BPS is receiving the best possible transportation contract;
- Negotiating the contract between the vendor and BPS.
- Ensuring the transportation contractor is in operational and functional compliance with their contract with the district, as well as all state and federal regulations
- Overseeing the fleet and compliance manager, operations manager, and operations coordinator in their responsibilities, including:
- Performance management of the contractor operations by reviewing vendor performance as well as developing and assisting in implementing strategies, processes, and tools to improve operational performance
- Coordination, problem solving, and communication across the vendor, schools, and other stakeholders to resolve incidents and issues related to bus operations
- Lead performance management initiatives in the department:
- Review operational performance with individual units within the department as well as with the contractor
- Conduct monthly performance meetings to review underperforming functions and drive operational performance
- Managing our collective bargaining agreements:
- Leading efforts to negotiate the various collective bargaining agreements that Transportation is involved in;
- Ensuring that these agreements are faithfully upheld;
- Preparing the district for future CBA negotiations.
- Oversee financial and administrative functions:
- Provide oversight for accounts payable, accounts receivable, and payroll functions
- Oversees two Head Account clerks and other auditors, as neede.
Qualifications - Required:
- Bachelor’s degree.
- 3-5 years experience in auditing, general business, or other related field.
- Extensive experience managing complex projects in a fast-paced environment, with a demonstrated ability to manage high-level relationships with contractors and community
- Extreme proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, and PowerPoint) and Google Suite (Gmail, Google Sheets/Docs, etc.).
- Knowledge of basic aspects of financial management.
- Willingness to learn and adapt -- we are looking for someone who is driven to consistently make improvements.
- Ability to design and execute sophisticated financial analyses.
- An ability to have a strong understanding of the details but also an ability to explain things at a high level to senior district or city leadership
- This position is subject to the City of Boston residency requirement.
- Current authorization to work in the United States - Candidates must have such authorization by their first day of employment
Qualifications - Preferred:
- Master’s Degree - primarily in accounting, finance, or management with a secondary priority in a public policy, education, or urban-planning-relevant field.
- Deep understanding of Collective Bargaining Agreements between BPS and Steelworkers, Teamsters, and United Auto Workers
- Multiple years of auditing, budgeting, accounting, or other financial management, preferably in a public/government setting.
- Excellent public speaking ability, including an ability to communicate in public forums, answer questions clearly and calmly, and demonstrate sensitivity to an ethnically and culturally diverse student, family, and employee population.
Terms: Managerial, D71. Evening & Weekend availability required.
Please refer to www.bostonpublicschools.org/ohc (under "Employee Benefits and Policies") for more information on salary and benefits.
The Boston Public Schools, in accordance with its nondiscrimination policies, does not discriminate in its programs, facilities, or employment or educational opportunities on the basis of race, color, age, criminal record (inquiries only), disability, homelessness, sex/gender, gender identity, religion, national origin, ancestry, sexual orientation, genetics or military status, and does not tolerate any form of retaliation, or bias-based intimidation, threat or harassment that demeans individuals’ dignity or interferes with their ability to learn or work.