What are the responsibilities and job description for the Finance & Grants Manager position at LOUISIANA KEY ACADEMY?

Finance & Grants Manager Position Description

Louisiana Key Academy : Louisiana's Premier School for Children with Dyslexia

THE OPPORTUNITY

Louisiana Key Academy (LKA) is a growing network of public charter schools that utilizes an innovative, evidence-based model to serve students with dyslexia. Founded by two parents of dyslexic students, we are passionate about our vision of all children having the tools they need to thrive. We believe that dyslexics should be identified early and given the education necessary to reach their full potential. LKA is a champion for dyslexics as they engage in an excellent and accessible education.

LKA was founded in Baton Rouge, LA in 2013, opened a second site in Covington, LA in 2022, and opened a third site in Shreveport, LA in 2023. We are in the process of opening other campuses around the state in 2025 and 2026. Our campuses serve varied student populations that represent the communities where they are located, and we focus on meeting the needs of all of our students regardless of learning styles, race, and socioeconomic status. LKA plans to continue expansion across Louisiana and potentially into other states in the years ahead.

LOCATION

Our CMO central office is located in Baton Rouge, LA and that is currently where the majority of central office staff live and work. As we're building a strong team, we desire someone who lives in Baton Rouge or a surrounding city and be willing to be at the CMO office and / or other campuses regularly (up to 5 days per week).

POSITION DETAILS

As LKA has expanded from a single-site school to multiple campuses, we have built a Charter Management Organization (CMO) central office team, largely made up of executive-level roles, who lead and support the school-based teams. The Finance & Grants Manager plays a pivotal role in supporting the CFO in forecasting, budgeting processes, grant compliance and reporting, and general financial administration to ensure these functions are aligned with and supportive of the achievement of the schools' vision, mission, and goals. This is a dynamic role and specific responsibilities may shift, but the Finance & Grants Manager will be responsible for the following :

Financial Management

Prepare accurate and timely financial statements, including creating and posting journal entries and recording transactions to the general ledger
Conduct in-depth reviews of the general ledger, income statements, balance sheet, and budget variances providing commentary to benefit decision making
Collaborate with the CFO to develop and implement uniform financial and operational benchmarks, budgets, and reporting standards across all campuses for all programs and activities, including before and after care, summer camp, athletics, extracurricular activities, field trips, etc
Assist in implementing and enforcing internal controls to maintain the integrity of financial operations and records
Ensure timely entry of financial transactions to ensure real-time data and seamless month-end reconciliation
Reconcile schedules on a monthly basis (accounts receivable, fixed asset depreciation, etc)
Partner with external vendors to manage the audit process

Budgeting & Forecasting

Assist the CFO in preparing annual budgets and multi-year financial forecasts for each campus and the CMO

Provide financial guidance and support to CMO & campus leaders to ensure alignment with budget goals and efficient resource allocation

Monitor budget performance and provide regular updates, identifying deviations and recommending real-time adjustments

Compliance & Reporting

Manage the full lifecycle of grant applications, including preparing and submitting Super App, Minimum Foundation Program (MFP) applications, Maintenance of Effort (MOEs), Periodic Expense Reports (PERs), reimbursements, and other compliance reports

Ensure all application and reporting deadlines are met and funds are received in a timely manner, following up with agencies as needed

Monitor the spending of approved funds to ensure compliance with regulations for programs such as Title I, Title II, IDEA, and Food Service

Stay informed of changes to funding laws and guidelines to maintain compliance

Serve as the organization's expert on allowable and unallowable costs, providing guidance to CMO leadership and key stakeholders

Maintain simplified reports to track awarded versus received funds for transparency

Act as the primary point of contact for DOE grant reviewers, responding promptly to inquiries

Strategic Planning

Provide financial insights and analysis to support organizational decision-making

Collaborate with the CFO and stakeholders to develop and implement long-term financial strategies ensuring multiplication of LKA campuses across Louisiana

Identify and pursue grant opportunities, including public and private funding sources, that align with the organization's mission and goals

SKILLS AND MINDSETS

Belief in LKA's Mission and Model : The Finance & Grants Manager must share LKA's passion for giving all students the tools needed to thrive. We are, at our core, student focused. We are a lean organization with an all-hands-on-deck, do-what-is-needed approach for our students. We work incredibly hard, often long hours, in service of our shared mission and belief of what is possible.

Exceptional Leadership and Management : The Finance & Grants Manager must be skilled at working with a highly diverse team with a high bar for quality work. The Finance & Grants Manager must have a service leadership approach toward management, demonstrating empathy, openness to feedback, team building, and a commitment to continuously improving. They will also demonstrate high levels of self awareness and confidence in their own leadership and strengths and the humility to let others lead in their areas of expertise.

Financial Planning, Oversight, and Management : Our Finance & Grants Manager must have the ability to big-picture forecast, budget, and plan while assisting the CFO oversee all daily financial and accounting functions at a high standard of excellence. We need someone who can build and maintain systems and align our finances with our vision so that we can meet the needs of our students and sustainably run high-quality schools.

Innovative Problem Solving, Strategic Decision Making, and Results Orientation : LKA operates differently from other schools because of our unique mission, and we need leaders who are innovative, solutions orientated, and have strong follow-through. We don't follow the status quo because that is what has typically failed our kids. Our leaders need to be highly adaptable with the ability to see opportunities for improvement and also build sustainable solutions. We need a Finance & Grants Manager who utilizes creative solutions to increasing our revenue streams and is regularly looking for innovative ways to ensure we're doing what's best for our students.

Nuanced Communication and Relationship Building : This position is coming into a largely established team and will need to build trust and strong relationships with the CMO team and school administrators and staff. They will also engage with a variety of external stakeholders. We need someone who is comfortable and skilled at building trusting, authentic relationships with a variety of people and can represent the organization as appropriate for their role.

WHAT MAKES LKA UNIQUE

LKA is a special and unique school specifically designed for dyslexic students to thrive. It's important to us that all of our leaders understand and are committed to our unique model that has led to our success.

A few specific things that we want to highlight about LKA include :

LKA was founded by parents of dyslexic students and is built on a highly researched and medically proven model that works specifically for dyslexic students. Our staffing structure, small group instruction, and curriculum choices are core to our program. The Finance & Grants Manager needs to build an understanding of the model in order to assist in making financial decisions and recommendations grounded in what's best for our students and the organization's effectiveness.

We have a highly engaged and deeply committed board of directors, many of whom were involved in the founding of the school. The Board Chair specifically will be deeply involved, particularly at the beginning. We share this in full transparency as this model may be different from other board relationships that education leaders have experienced.

We run public charter schools, meaning we serve all students who qualify for our schools, something we are deeply proud of and is part of our mission. While we aim to learn from other schools, what works at private schools or other charter schools may not apply to our specialized program and population of students. We work hard to both be driven by evidence and also tailored to our students' needs.

We are driven by our students' needs first and foremost. We'll never spend money in ways that aren't aligned to our mission. We don't have fancy offices but we'll find ways to fund programs that will benefit our students. We aim to keep a lean leadership structure to have as many resources for our students as possible. We need a Finance & Grants Manager that understands this aspect of our organizational priorities and is committed to being all in for what we are working to achieve.

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS

LKA offers a robust benefits and compensation package that includes 100% employer paid medical, dental, and vision benefits for employees and a retirement plan. The starting salary range for this position is between $70,000-$85,000 and will be determined based on prior experience.

LKA is an Equal Opportunity Employer and upholds the principles of equal employment opportunity for all employees and job applicants. LKA makes employment-based decisions, including, but not limited to, recruitment, hiring, assignment, conditions of employment, compensation, benefits, training, promotion, transfer and termination, without regard to race, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, color, age, national or ethnic origin, pregnancy, ancestry, marital status, veteran status, military status, disability, religion, genetic trait or information, or any other legally protected status or characteristic under federal, state, and local law.

Requirements

REQUIRED EXPERIENCE

Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration, Accounting, or a closely related field

At least 3 years of aligned professional experience

Computer software experience working with financial statements, accounts receivable, accounts payable, budget development, cash management, indirect costing and government reporting

Knowledge of acceptable accounting principles

PREFERRED EXPERIENCE

Master's Degree in Business Administration, Accounting, or CPA certification highly desirable

Familiarity with LDOE reporting requirements, funding guidelines, and eGMS

Familiarity operating Sage Intacct

Experience working in and / or with public schools; understanding of school accountability and finances

Local context and / or ties to Baton Rouge and / or other parts of Louisiana

Experience managing vendor and / or auditor relationships

Salary Description

70,000-$85,000 (based on experience)

Salary : $70,000 - $85,000

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