Director of Teacher Finance

About City Teaching Alliance

Our mission is to improve educational and life outcomes of children in urban schools by preparing culturally responsive, effective career educators who accelerate student achievement and disrupt systems of racial and socioeconomic inequity. City Teaching Alliance accomplishes this by recruiting outstanding candidates, equipping them with state-of-the-art training, and linking their certification to their demonstration of effective teaching practices and skills. Our residents and teachers will provide the necessary proof points to make a national case for educator effectiveness and accountability. Learn more about City Teaching Alliance on our website: https://www.cityteachingalliance.org/

Overview

Reporting to the Managing Director of Teacher Experience, the Director of Teacher Finance is responsible for developing and implementing programs and initiatives that make our program more affordable and accessible to all. This includes directing financial assistance grants, identifying and developing partnerships with financial services providers, and leading the communication of available services and resources to applicants, teachers, and alumni, and improving the systems and processes through which our teachers access available benefits. The Director of Teacher Finance will manage two direct reports: Assistant Director of Teacher Finance, who curates the data management of available financial offerings for the cohorts and facilitates needs-based grant distribution, and the Assistant Director of AmeriCorps, who manages cross-site AmeriCorps program operations – a significant financial benefit to our program teachers.

Responsibilities

The primary responsibilities include, but are not limited to, the following:

Set Program Access & Affordability Strategy

• Identify & prioritize annual goals for teacher and alumni engagement with available financial opportunities and partnerships (e.g. AmeriCorps, Mariner Financial Wellness, PeopleJoy, financial needs grants), implement programs and initiatives to achieve those goals, and track progress toward these goals.
• Initiate and lead opportunities to create a more affordable and accessible program, including conducting due diligence to better understand current trends/issues and creating recommendations for strategic initiatives.

Direct Teacher Financial Opportunity Communication and Access

• Identify available and relevant financial aid and financial assistance offerings to applicants, teachers, alumni (Federal, State, and Local) as a means of enhancing the teacher experience and minimizing financial barriers.
• Support the AD of Teacher Finance in curating a teacher finance timeline by Site and program year; In partnership with Marketing & Communications, ensure this information is clearly communicated on the website and in other digital resources.
• Establish regular cadence and process for disseminating relevant & timely teacher finance information to all cohorts such as upcoming application deadlines, eligibility criteria, new partnerships, etc. (via the Portal, site newsletters, individualized communication)
• In partnership with the AD of Teacher Finance, establish financial assistance grants policies & procedures (academic year and summer transition), including the teacher application process, review procedures, and grant determination guidelines.
• Direct the AD of AmeriCorps in the member enrollment and management processes
• Develop an action plan for ensuring participants are better able to access needed resources

Manage Partnerships

• Manage existing partnerships with financial services providers supporting applicants, teachers, and alumni (Mariner Financial Wellness, PeopleJoy)
• Pursue/design new partnerships to further support candidates’ financial and general well-being “to and through” the program
• Liaise with the City Teaching Alliance/American University operations team

Measures of Success:

• Ensure new resident engagement rate of 90% with financial wellness partner Mariner Financial Wellness by the end of Summer Institute.
• Ensure Fellow Year 3 and Fellow Year 4 engagement rate of 80%.
• Ensure AmeriCorps enrollment rates of at least 90% for rising Fellow Year 1 and 80% for rising Fellow Years 2 & 3.
• Increase teacher satisfaction with and access to available financial benefits by 50% between Year 1 and Year 3 as measured by end-of-year teacher surveys.
• Additional measures of success will be co-developed with the Director of Teacher Finance and other stakeholders.

Target Start Date: September 2023

Location: Remote with a strong preference for Baltimore, Dallas, Philadelphia, or Washington DC

Compensation: $94,451 - $102,109 & is subject to a geographic differential which could increase or decrease it by 4% or 8% depending on city of residence. We are an anti-racist organization that prioritizes equity so we do not negotiate salaries.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree
• 3+ years of experience in financial aid/assistance, financial wellness services, or a related field
• Strong understanding of financial aid and financial assistance programs and policies
• Existing knowledge of and prior experience with financial wellness programs and resources available to educators
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills
• Strong people management skills
• Process-oriented and highly organized
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team
• Ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously
• Ability to build and maintain relationships in across a virtual team
• Experience developing and facilitating PD/training sessions
• Experience working with Salesforce and user-centered design strongly preferred

City Teaching Alliance Values

WE SERVE CHILDREN.

Children are the center of our work. We rely on the communities we serve to guide and inform the decisions we make about our curriculum, program and practice.

WE ARE AN ANTI-RACIST ORGANIZATION.

We are committed to ongoing knowledge seeking, reflection, and action to deliberately oppose racism. We are an inclusive organization that values the diversity of people, backgrounds and perspectives. We are active allies who pursue justice in the communities in which we live and work.

WE ARE LIFE-LONG LEARNERS.

We are dedicated to continuous improvement, innovation and excellence. We strive to be on the forefront of what is best for teacher education and students based on research and practice.

WE VALUE EACH OTHER.

We value each other as whole people. We are servant leaders who foster a supportive working environment that is empathetic and caring, and values direct, constructive feedback.

EOE Statement: We are an equal employment opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status or any other characteristic protected by law.