Boston Public Schools seeks a Assistant Director of Transportation-Finance

REPORTS TO: Director of Transportation

General Description of Position:

The Boston Public Schools is the largest school district in Massachusetts with approximately 57,000 students and a $1.2B budget. The Office of Transportation within BPS is one of the largest departments in the district overseeing a $120M annual budget (~10% of total spending). On a daily basis, our 650 buses drive 45K miles bringing over 30K students to 200 schools across the Boston area - not just Boston Public Schools but local parochial, private, and charter schools as well.

In 2016, BPS released a Long Term Financial Plan outlining ways that the district could improve its financial sustainability and produce savings which could be invested back into our classrooms. As part of that initiative transportation has been tasked with finding significant cost savings. This position will lead the effort to reduce costs and improve efficiencies from within the department of transportation.

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;
• Overseeing our Head Account Clerk and other auditors, as needed.
• Manage our ~$90M 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.

• 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.

Given the large and rapidly growing costs associated with BPS Transportation, this position will be critical for ensuring the long term financial sustainability of the department of transportation and, by extension, Boston Public Schools.

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 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, Tier D and Occasional Evening & Weekend work 

Please refer to www.bostonpublicschools.org/ohc (under "Employee Benefits and Policies") for more information on salary and compensation.  Salaries are listed by Unions and Grade/Step.

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.