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Manager, Finance and Operations, SeaChange Capital Partners
Position: Manager, Finance and Operations
Functional Area:
Organization: SeaChange Capital Partners
Location: New York, NY
Metro Region:
Overview:
SeaChange is a nonprofit firm that arranges transformational fundings of outstanding nonprofit organizations involved in education reform and youth development for low-income young people in the United States.
The firm was founded in 2006 by Charles Harris and Robert Steel, former Goldman Sachs partners and experienced philanthropists who recognized the need for a more efficient way to raise capital for high-quality nonprofits. They formed SeaChange to bring together wealthy individuals, family foundations, and other donors to pool their donations for greater impact. These fundings make a demonstrable difference for the individual organization and the overall system it addresses. SeaChange has also begun to foster collaborations between nonprofit organizations that will be able to sustain durable programs by merging, coming together in an alliance, or otherwise cooperating.
In 2009, SeaChange committed to its first fundings, of the exceptional charter-management organization Uncommon Schools and of the nationally respected leader in the field of teacher training and mentoring New Teacher Center.
Uncommon is building a critical mass of “no excuses” public charter schools in New York and New Jersey, to close the achievement gap for low-income students and prepare them to graduate from college. SeaChange is arranging an Expansion Fund to support Uncommon’s planned growth over the next five years from 11 schools to 33, with the goal of serving 11,500 students.
The New Teacher Center addresses the challenge of preparing new teachers in underserved school systems. The program pairs new teachers with experienced teachers who serve as their mentors for two years. In 40 states, the nonprofit operates programs that annually support over 10,000 teachers. SeaChange is arranging an Impact Fund to support NTC as a newly independent nonprofit.
SeaChange has been fortunate to attract the backing of highly respected funders: the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Omidyar Network, the Goldman Sachs Group, the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, and others. It has also drawn favorable attention from BusinessWeek, The New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, and a range of observers in the nonprofit sector. The firm is based in midtown Manhattan, with a team of ten and a five-person board of experienced nonprofit leaders. To learn more about SeaChange, please visit http://www.seachangecap.org.
Position:
SeaChange is currently seeking a highly capable and dynamic Manager, Finance and Operations to manage and be responsible for the day-to-day operations of the organization. As such, the Manager will play an integral role in the functioning of the firm. Working closely with the Managing Partner and the other partners, in particular the Executive Partner, the Manager will lead, handle, or support all aspects of the firm’s administration, financial and grants management, operations, personnel, and growth. In addition to being responsible for systems developed internally, like the firm’s customized use of QuickBooks to track all of its financial transactions, s/he will have primary responsibility for developing and maintaining relationships with multiple vendors. This position reports to the Managing Partner and, in SeaChange’s matrix system, supervises the Executive Assistant when that person is involved in operational tasks.
There is no aspect of the organization’s operations in which the Manager will not be involved, which makes this position demanding, wide-ranging, and rewarding and provides a first-rate opportunity to take part in the full range of operational support for a dynamic and growing organization. SeaChange puts a special premium on teamwork in all aspects of its work, internally and externally. This approach is fueld by the unusually collaborative nature of the nonprofit firm’s engagements and is buoyed by the strong sense of common purpose among SeaChange team members.
Responsibilities:
• Oversee all aspects of the daily management of the finance and administration functions, maintaining systems, suggesting improvements, and supporting internal constituents
• Work closely with and negotiate contracts with outside vendors such as SeaChange’s auditors, bookkeeping firm, financial services firm, information-technology consultant, office-equipment providers, employee-benefit providers, and other service providers
• Monitor, measure, and report on the organization’s day-to-day operations according to established policies and procedures and agreed-on formats and deadlines so that the firm maintains its record of paying vendors on time, has the appropriate quality of IT and other services, stays current in its financial and other record-keeping as bases for reporting in a timely fashion to funders and for completing the required annual audit efficiently
• Support the Executive Partner, Managing Partner, and other Partners in their dealings with the firm’s Board of Directors
Qualifications:
• Several years of related operations and/or financial management experience in a nonprofit, philanthropic, or business environment, combined with a demonstrated passion for the work of SeaChange
• Familiarity with nonprofit accounting basics, with the ability to perform calculations in Excel
and other financial programs
• Experience in administration, successfully managing or working with third-party vendors
• Excellent written and oral communication skills and excellent facility with numbers and financial information, combined with strong organizational skills and meticulous attention to detail
• Command of Microsoft Office, including superior knowledge of PowerPoint and Excel and facility with databases
• Demonstrated ability to work independently in a fast-paced environment as well as on team projects, organize time and priorities, meet deadlines, and “manage up”
• A strong work ethic, an enthusiasm for collaborative work, a sense of humor, a spotless record of integrity and reliability, and high degrees of flexibility and nimbleness in problem-solving
• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience required
To Apply:
Please upload your resume with a cover letter that responds to this job description and explains how your background and qualifications meet the requirements of this position, why you are interested in it, and how you heard about it, addressed to Lincoln Caplan, at http://jobs.cgcareers.org/application.aspx?id=1536 Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis.
Compensation is commensurate with experience and includes an attractive benefits package.
SeaChange is an equal opportunity employer.
