About Civic Builders

Civic Builders sits at the nexus of community development and education. Dedicated to giving every child the chance to attend a great school, Civic Builders partners with the nation's best educators to finance and build public charter school buildings. We are an experienced team of real estate, finance, and development professionals dedicated to delivering inspirational educational facilities at affordable rates.

We are a highly entrepreneurial organization that is quickly growing and our dedicated and talented team has positioned us to:

• Invest more than $600M into low-income communities: we have developed a million square feet of real estate, representing 27 schools that serve over 13,000 students in the highest need neighborhoods, such as East Harlem, the South Bronx, Bedford-Stuyvesant, and Newark, NJ.
• Receive $118M of New Markets Tax Credits over four award rounds and access funding from the U.S. Department of Education.
• Partner with the Walton Family Foundation and Bank of America to launch an innovative $100M loan fund to provide low-interest capital, at an increased scale, to charter schools that are creating and expanding facilities.

Our Commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

Civic Builders believes that diversity, in all its forms, enriches society and our organization. Because we support students in the highest need neighborhoods, we have a particular charge to understand our schools and their communities. When our staff, board, and partners reflect, value, and embrace the voices and perspectives of those most impacted by what we do, we have a deeper understanding and connection to their needs and more effectively achieve our aspiration of improving lives, revitalizing communities, and helping children receive the education they deserve. To learn more about Civic Builders, please visit www.civicbuilders.org.

About the Chief Operating Officer Position

The Chief Operating Officer (COO) role is a new addition to the executive leadership team.  Reporting directly to the Chief Executive Officer, the COO will play a key role in supporting the next phase of development of Civic Builders by building a strong operational arm in the organization that focuses on building a culture of talent and connectivity, leading Civic Builder’s work to further define how the organization supports and develops talent in every role. The COO will also oversee all aspects of fundraising, asset management, accounting, marketing and financial planning within the organization to ensure Civic Builders operations directionally support the organization's ability to meet its goals.

Duties and Responsibilities

Reporting directly to the CEO, the COO will direct and supervise three departments, currently 6 employees and growing. Oversight over the following duties and responsibilities include:

Human Resources and Talent Management

• Lead talent management and support all components of the talent cycle from recruiting, screening, hiring and ongoing development
• Design and implement comprehensive performance management cycle
• Build and strengthen team culture to further define and reinforce and enforce our culture and support on talent
• Support the leadership team in strategically aligning the organization structure, reviewing and analyzing organizational policies to ensure alignment to the company’s strategic priorities and evolving industry best practices.

Thought Leadership and Stewardship

• Lead a highly effective and innovative team including office management staff supporting the CEO and organization
• Thought partner to the CEO and other members of the cabinet
• Provide strategic leadership and direction in all aspects of the organizations’ financial and sustainability plans
• Work with the CEO to provide staff support, leadership and guidance to the Board of Directors

Governance

• Work to ensure Civic Builders’ is maintaining compliance and adherence to local laws and ordinances
• Report and oversee compliance in monitoring, assessment, reporting and progress monitoring.
• Set operational and/or performance goals for each department

Accounting and Asset Management

• Provide leadership and oversight to strengthen accounting and asset management practices and procedures including the proper maintenance of organizational books and records and ensuring company financials are current
• Implement or strengthen appropriate financial systems, structures and processes
• Provide oversight and regularly report on organization’s portfolio of assets including real estate/property and financial assets
• Create regular reporting structures and systems for internal and external stakeholders about the organization
• Support the research and analysis of ongoing efforts, initiatives and projects to help inform decision-making on future projects

Fundraising and Marketing

• Develop long-term fundraising and marketing strategies
• Lead execution of fundraising strategies for Civic Builders’ operational and capital needs, including management of existing and recruitment of new funding partners
• Research and stay informed around philanthropy and foundations to stay informed on trends in the market
• Define and oversee measures and monitors results for the organizations’ fundraising goals

Key Competencies

The ideal candidate will demonstrate the following skills and abilities to successfully carry out this role:

• Equity Leadership and Commitment to the Civic Builders Mission
  • Passionate about Civic Builders’ mission and core values
  • Experienced in the education landscape that Civic Builders serves
  • Ensures resources and organizational initiatives are implemented using an equity lens aligned to Civic Builders’ mission
  • Operate with a lens of cultural proficiency, sensitivity, and equity

• Accountability and Operational Excellence
  • Enforce a commitment to the highest level of accuracy and integrity for all data collected and reported
  • Demonstrate excellent project management skills, including close attention to detail, ability to balance the big picture with detailed steps to reach the end goal, and ability to balance multiple projects under tight deadlines
  • Continuously monitor progress and demonstrate persistence to overcome obstacles to achieve goals

• Team Leadership and Development
  • Build and lead effective teams to achieve ambitious goals and excited about working with our small, smart, and ambitious team
  • Assess team and individuals’ skills, accurately identify development needs, and provide feedback and support to improve practice, build capacity, and maximize talent
  • Approach work with flexibility and a commitment to teamwork; an effective staff leader who has previously managed staff members and helped them grow in their roles
  • Thrive in high-growth, fast-paced organizational cultures, with the ability to build out new initiatives and navigate ambiguous situations

• Data Management Expertise
  • Ability to analyze and synthesize data and information to support decision making and problem solving
  • Deep understanding of how to develop, implement and revise data management systems
  • Able to create and manage data dashboards, progress reports, and other user-friendly spreadsheets and documents that provide quality information on assessment results to various internal stakeholders

• Innovative and Strategic Execution
  • Proactively offer innovative solutions to seemingly intractable problems
  • Demonstrate critical thinking skills and the ability to analyze data
  • Ability to guide an idea into implementation; has successfully led or participated in developing and/or implementing new product offerings in a financial services environment

Minimum Qualifications

• Bring at least 10 years of professional experience leading accounting, budgeting, asset management, and/or human resources teams in the public or private sector, with specific experience in the real estate, financial services, or non-profit sector. At least 2 years of senior supervisory or executive level experience required.
• Experience with nonprofit public charter schools or education sector experience preferred.
• Possess an MBA, MPP (preferred) or similar advanced degree.
• Excellent written and oral communications skills.
• Exceptional organizational skills
• Proven track record of working in a complex and dynamic organization.
• Commitment to public policy, urban public education, and public-sector work.

Application Instructions

Please visit www.AlmaAdvisoryGroup.com to submit your application

Compensation and Benefits

Salary for this position is competitive and commensurate with prior experience. In addition, a comprehensive benefits package is included.

For more Information

Alma Advisory Group is supporting the search for this position. Please contact Yanika Daniels at [email protected] or call 773-966-4998 with questions.