Finance and Operations Manager

About SMART

SMART (Schools, Mentoring and Resource Team, Inc.) champions education equity by supporting students in overcoming systemic barriers on their journey to a college degree. We envision a community with equitable pathways to college graduation for every student in San Francisco. SMART provides a unique twelve-year continuum of support that starts in 4th grade and extends through college, including school support, after-school enrichment, summer programming, college prep, and college persistence support. As a result, SMART Scholars are more than four times more likely to graduate college when compared to their peers. Furthermore, while only 21% of low-income students who enter college will graduate within six years, SMART Scholars are currently persisting at a rate of more than 80%.

SMART’s Values:

• Community: We build a community that celebrates diversity, thrives on teamwork, and appreciates everyone’s contributions. Through community, we are stronger.
• Equity: We are committed to systems and processes that are just, fair, and inclusive, enabling all people the opportunity to belong, participate, and reach their full potential.
• Empowerment: We believe the path to empowerment and self-advocacy is through the encouragement, support, and guidance of those around us.
• Learning: We believe education and life-long learning enhance our understanding of our world, our place within it, and provide the tools to change it. Through embracing challenges and learning opportunities, we make progress.
• Joy: We center joy in our community and practice. We view joy as an act of liberation, which unleashes creativity, strengthens relationships, and propels the work that we do.

Position Description 

Reporting to the Executive Director, the Finance and Operations Manager coordinates, supports, and executes key aspects of SMART’s financial systems, human resources, and organizational operations and administration. This includes areas such as financial accounting and reporting, operational planning, credit card management, IT systems, insurance, and more. In addition, the Manager oversees day-to-day operations, HR, and payroll functions. The ideal candidate is a proven finance and operations professional, highly organized, attentive to details, with excellent communication skills, and a passion for youth development and supporting underserved communities.

Responsibilities

Finance  

• Manage relationships with external bookkeeping services including ensuring accuracy and timeliness in all financial transactions, support the execution of monthly close and preparation of financial materials for meetings of the Board of Directors.
• Coordinate vendor contracting and payments; maintain staff credit cards, including coordinating with staff to facilitate receipt collection and ensuring proper account coding.
• Support SMART’s annual budgeting process involving multiple staff. 
• Support the annual audit and Form 990 filing process (in collaboration with external bookkeeping service, fractional CFO, and auditors).
• Coordinate grant budgets and reporting with the development team, fractional CFO and/or Executive Director as needed. 
• Process donations, including record updating, donor acknowledgment, and gift recognition.
• Maintain and update donor database (Salesforce) and ensure data integrity.

Operations and Administration

• Promote workplace health, safety, and preparedness for emergencies, coordinate compliance trainings and risk management.  
• Oversee administrative and technology systems (IT), ensuring stability, health, and efficiency, and conduct occasional evaluation of all administrative and technology practices to assess needs, improve workflows, and manage organizational risk.
• Submit nonprofit legal filings as required by city, state, and federal law; maintain and ensure compliance with contracts and leases.
• Manage purchasing of equipment, office materials, cleaning supplies, and other day-to-day items.
• Communicate with building management and/or other external vendors regarding maintenance, repairs and other matters, and coordinate office cleaning services.

People and Talent

• Coordinate systems and documentation relating to HR and people operations, including (but not limited to): payroll, benefits, insurance, personnel policies, contracts, employee leave, workers' compensation, unemployment, and updating job descriptions.
• Promote staff utilization of available benefits and send annual reminders about policies and procedures; serve as a point-of-contact for staff questions around organizational policies.
• Coordinate the annual performance and professional growth cycle.
• Coordinate logistics for staff and board retreats, meetings, and celebrations including holidays, birthdays and work anniversaries. 

Organization-wide Responsibilities

• Participate in organization-wide events.
• Participate in cross-department committees and teams.
• Other duties and special projects as needed.

Qualifications

Essential Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or 7+ years of relevant work experience required in lieu of a bachelor’s degree.
• 3-5 years of progressively responsible experience, including at least two years of experience with nonprofit financial, operations, and/or office management.
• Experience with nonprofit budgeting and administrative functions.
• Proficiency in Excel and/or Google Sheets, including use of formulas and other features.
• Familiarity with California employment regulations and at least 2 years of experience supporting HR processes.
• Exceptional attention to detail and obsession with accuracy.
• A commitment to professionalism, with strong judgment and discretion, even when no one is looking.
• Excellent communication and collaboration skills, excellent interpersonal skills, demonstrated ability to take initiative, multi-task, and capacity to work independently to move strategic projects forward.
• Passion for SMART’s commitment to issues of educational equity for students from underserved communities.
• Proficiency with G-Suite (Gmail, Calendar, Drive, Docs, and Sheets).

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with QuickBooks Online, BILL.com, and Salesforce.
• Experience with nonprofit accounting, financial reporting, and audits.
• Experience with payroll or HRIS systems and understanding of employee benefits management (SMART currently uses JustWorks PEO).

Additional Workplace Expectations:

• This is a full-time exempt position.
• Occasional evening work required.
• SMART employees currently work on a hybrid schedule - three days per week at our office in San Francisco and two days per week remote.

Compensation and Benefits:

• Annual starting salary range for this position is $75,000-$81,000.
• SMART is also offers additional competitive benefits, including: 13 paid holidays, generous paid time off policy and parental leave policy, week-long office closures during winter holidays and during summer, three department wellness days, 100% coverage of employee medical, dental, and vision insurance (and 50% coverage of dependent coverage), reimbursement for cell phone and home internet, employer sponsored life insurance and long-term disability insurance, and access to pre-tax benefit programs such as commuter benefits, flexible spending accounts, and a 401K account.

How to Apply:

• Please submit a thoughtful cover letter and resume to Teresa Arriaga, Executive Director, at careers@thesmartprogram.org.
• Please write your name and the title for this position in the subject line of your email.
• Due to the volume of applications we receive, please no phone calls.
• Deadline to apply: Applications accepted until position is filled.

SMART is an equal opportunity employer and encourages applicants from all racial, ethnic, and religious backgrounds, national origins, sexual orientations and genders. Learn more about SMART’s commitment to equity, inclusion, and diversity at www.thesmartprogram.org/equity.

All job applicants and employees must be currently authorized to work in the United States for any employer

on a full-time basis without the need for visa sponsorship now or in the future. Positions at SMART are not

eligible for employer visa sponsorship, and SMART is not able to sponsor applicants or employees for work-

related visa status. Any offer of employment is contingent on clearance of Checkr background check.