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Special Projects Manager - Office of Finance

This position is an anticipated vacancy. It is expected to be vacant 7/14/2020. However, the current incumbent has a right to rescind their retirement, leave, or resignation up until the day of the expected vacancy date. Your hire will not be confirmed until the position is vacated.
 
General Information
 
JOB TITLE:   Special Projects Manager
 
REPORTS TO: Deputy Chief Financial Officer
 
Job Description
 
Boston Public Schools is the largest school district in New England. The Office of Finance is responsible for equitably, effectively, and transparently spending $1.4B annually in support of our 55,000 students. Under the guidance of Dr. Brenda Casselius, BPS is working on realigning district spending around her bold vision for change through targeted, strategic, and data-driven, initiatives to implement that vision.
We are looking to hire a Special Projects Manager to support the Finance Office in implementing a number of these initiatives. While the specific approach will be tailored by problem, it will generally involve:
  • Working with CFO and Deputy CFO to identify projects that:
  • Will lead to improved student outcomes;
  • Decreases costs or improves the quality of services for students.
  • Could not be completed without reallocating resources;
  • Are aligned with the district Strategic Plan
  • Leading and supporting these initiatives by:
  • Analyzing the problem by collaborating with relevant stakeholders, analyzing and compiling data, and collecting new information;
  • Developing, proposing, iterating and agreeing upon an action plan with relevant stakeholders;
  • Implementing the initiative -- including by, if necessary, bringing in additional resources (i.e. outside experts);
  • Transition the project back to the existing team. 
These projects are likely to be concentrated in areas of the organization with significant operational concerns and large datasets as identified in the district’s Long-Term Financial Plan (e.g. Finance, Human Capital, Operations) but may include other offices across the organization. It is likely that there will be multiple projects going on across various areas. 
These projects may range in length from several weeks to several years. Sample projects have or may include: 
  • Develop systems and procedures to better understand costs trends in transportation, and develop strategies to reduce those costs. Where necessary, develop new technologies to automate and improve upon existing processes.
  • Identify overlap between student data and financial data to develop tools and processes to help schools better allocate their resources in areas such as Staffing and Master Scheduling
  • Support the development of better budgeting tools for the Office of Budget that leverage per-student expenditure. 
  • Identify inefficiencies in school-based spending decisions and create a plan to help school leaders use resources more effectively
 
In order to ensure that these projects have sufficient support, the Special Projects Manager should develop, maintain, and manage a network of specialized outside partners. This should include traditional researchers, but also outside partners working in or studying Operations Research, Computer Science, Data Analytics, Business Analytics, and related fields. The Manager should work, where possible, to bring these individuals into the district while working to build structures that will help external partners more easily engage in this type of work. 
 
While the ideal experiences of the candidate may vary, we are looking for someone who has experience managing across a number of projects within a large bureaucracy, working with senior leadership to develop and implement turnaround strategies, demonstrated strong analytical skills, and is a team player.
 
QUALIFICATIONS:
  • Bachelor’s degree required
  • Demonstrated experience managing analytical projects, 
  • Demonstrated excellence in quantitative and qualitative analytical thinking.
  • Demonstrated collaborative working style that fosters teamwork, including with multiple internal/external stakeholder groups.
  • Excellent oral and written communication skills, including the ability to communicate complex ideas to a range of audiences.
  • Excellent organizational and multitasking skills.
  • Strong knowledge of Microsoft Office Suite: Outlook, Excel, PowerPoint, and Word required; Stata or R preferred
  • Experience in a school district or other K12 public educational setting preferred.
  • Current authorization to work in the United States - Candidates must have such authorization by their first day of employment .
 
TERMS: 
  • Managerial C This position is subject to the City of Boston residency requirement. 
  • This position involves steady extra time with many deadlines. Nothing in this job description restricts management's right to assign or reassign duties and responsibilities to this job at any time. 
 
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.