Springfield Public Schools is seeking a highly skilled and strategic financial leader to serve as our Director of Financial Services. This is an exciting opportunity to play a crucial role in shaping the financial future of our district and making a lasting impact on the education of our students.
Please apply at: https://sps.schoolspring.com/
Posting Opens: Tuesday, February 18, 2025
Posting Closes: Open Until Filled*
Application Review Begins: March 21, 2025
First Interviews Begin: Week of April 14, 2025
Contract Begins: July 1, 2025
*Submit your application materials by 4:00pm on Friday, March 21, 2025 in order to be considered during the initial application review process.
Salary & Benefits
The salary range is $129,004 to $155,076 (based on 2024-25 salary schedule) depending on education and experience plus a generous benefit plan including stipends for TSA, Mileage and Cell Phone.
About the District
Springfield Public Schools is located in Springfield, Oregon, in the heart of the Willamette Valley, and serves 185 square miles of the city of Springfield and East/Central Lane County. We are directly to the East of Eugene, where the University of Oregon is located. We currently have about 10,000 students, 1,410 staff members and over almost 700 teachers in our kindergarten through grade 12 school district. Springfield Public Schools believes student success is our most important outcome. The success of our students depends on the collective community coming together to support Every Student, Every Day throughout their K-12 education.
In Springfield Public Schools, we acknowledge that systemic barriers have perpetuated disparities and disproportionate outcomes for students from historically marginalized populations. We believe that educational equity is about providing every student with the opportunities and resources to thrive, and removing the barriers that have led to the predictability of academic success based on identity. We assert that working for educational equity is the responsibility of each person in our system.
We strive to create welcoming and inclusive cultures and environments that embrace and affirm the identity of each student inclusive of race, ethnicity, disability, family economics, mobility, language, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, initial proficiencies, immigration status, and religion. We are committed to standing up to bias and discrimination.
We recognize that achieving educational equity is a process of assessment, reflection, and continuous improvement. We engage in these practices so that across our system, teaching and learning can be appropriately varied and responsive to every student, every day.
Position Overview
This position plans, directs, supervises and reviews the activities and operations of the Financial Services Department, the Payroll Department, and the Benefits Department, including direct supervision of payroll, benefits and financial services staff and associated student body bookkeepers. Indirect reports may include the Nutrition Services Supervisor and Print Services Supervisor. This position is the subject matter expert for accounting functions and the reporting system portions of payroll, benefits and business information management systems and provides professional and strategic analysis, as well as counsel to the Chief Operations Officer, Superintendent, Budget Committee and School Board. This position reports to the Chief Operations Officer.
Essential Duties and Responsibilities
Employees in this position perform some or all of the following tasks. Other related duties as assigned:
Under the guidance and direction of the Chief Operating Officer, plans and supervises the development of District-wide operating and capital budgets.
Plan, organize, and supervise the day-to-day operations of the Financial Services, Payroll, and Benefits departments.
Manage the District's cash flow by analyzing receivables and revenues, authorizing the release of funds for cash disbursements, and reviewing budgets.
Supervise the monitoring of district-wide financial data to ensure compliance with accounting standards, as well as pertinent laws, policies, and procedures.
Supervise classified, confidential, and supervisory staff; duties include instructing, planning and assigning work, maintaining standards, coordinating activities, selecting new employees, acting on employee problems, and recommending employee discipline and discharge as appropriate.
Evaluate the work of subordinates for completeness and accuracy; offer advice and assistance as needed.
Conduct short- and long-range analysis and projections of District income and expenditures.
Analyze growth, development, and changes likely to affect District operations.
Resolve complex accounting problems and develop, recommend, and facilitate the implementation of new or revised accounting systems and related management policies, practices, and procedures.
Analyze the impact of proposed changes in operating programs and legal mandates on accounting systems and design accounting systems to ascertain accounting data and reporting requirements.
Write reports and correspondence containing descriptive, analytical, and evaluative content, including the preparation of projections, conclusions, and recommendations for accounting and financial systems.
Direct the annual audit; prepare work plans and schedules; coordinate the audit process with external auditors, schools, and departments; ensure the timely production and filing of all financial reports in accordance with State law and professional requirements.
Responsible for the preparation, documentation, and compilation of the Annual Comprehensive Financial Report.
Employ judgment in the application of accounting principles, engaging with external advisors where appropriate.
Provide oversight of the district’s P-Card program, including issuance and use of cards.
Review and recommend action on proposed and approved legislation and regulations related to school funding and financial matters, as well as matters related to payroll and benefits changes.
Design financial models and create and/or evaluate proposals for changes in financial operations.
Develop, establish, enhance, and review district financial internal controls through policies, procedures, and guidelines. Identify weaknesses in internal controls, evaluate risks, propose solutions, and implement solutions.
Supervise associated student body accounting and provide technical assistance and training as needed.
Provide technical consulting services to schools and departments; advise schools and departments, other agencies, and the public on the District’s financial and accounting policies and federal and state statutes.
Work with principals, directors, and finance professionals to resolve sensitive financial issues.
Manage a comprehensive program to train district staff in payroll, benefits, and financial systems, procedures, budgets, and fund management to ensure the integrity of accounting data so that decision-makers have accurate information.
Evaluate the effectiveness of district-wide financial operations and structures, assist in the development and implementation of financial goals, policies, and procedures; develop financial procedures.
Document and maintain fiscal procedures for schools and departments.
Identify changing systems and business process needs due to legal changes, changes in accounting standards, or budgeting and funding issues. Coordinate with staff to ensure the timeliness, accuracy, and efficiency of implementation.
Oversee the integrity of costing models used in employee group negotiations; if requested, serve on district negotiations teams.
Manage highly complex projects as assigned; provide staff assistance to the Superintendent’s Cabinet, Budget Committee, and School Board in the development and implementation of payroll, benefits, and financial services, including political strategies.
Work with the Department of Education and other agencies on issues related to payroll, benefits, funding, and accounting.
Act as an advisor to the Chief Operations Officer and Superintendent on payroll, benefits, and financial matters of the District.
Minimum Qualifications
Education/Experience:
Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university in finance, accounting, public administration, management, business, or a closely related field: AND
Certified Public Accountant (CPA); OR
Certified Management Accountant (CMA): AND;
Seven (7) years of increasingly responsible experience in public financial management, budgeting, accounting, and auditing, including five (5) years of supervisory responsibility.
Desired Qualifications
Master’s degree in finance, accounting, public administration, management, business, or a related field.
Knowledge, Skills & Abilities
Knowledge of:
Principles and practices of public financial management, including governmental accounting, auditing, financial reporting, payroll, accounts payable, accounts receivable, budgeting, internal control structures and applicable audit procedures.
Knowledge of pertinent Federal, State and local laws, codes and regulations, including laws relating to public finance, fiscal operations and government standards and practices (ethics).
Demonstrated knowledge of Oregon’s Local Budget Law.
Ability to:
Present technical information and data in an effective manner and prepare complex financial statements, reports and analyses.
Work well with others from diverse backgrounds.
Successfully and appropriately communicate and work with students, staff, parents and community members.
Proactively problem solve and facilitate difficult conversations.
Maintain a high level of customer service skills and a problem-solving approach.
Solve practical problems and deal with a variety of concrete variables in situations where only limited standardization exists.
Interpret a variety of instructions furnished in written, oral, diagram and schedule form. Strong computer skills required.
Utilize all appropriate software applications, e-mail, spreadsheets and document processing.
Maintain business information systems for accounting and reporting.
Analyze the flow of information and develop internal procedures for staff to facilitate the timely and accurate entry of financial records.
Identify necessary changes in business processes to ensure efficient workflow and the best utilization of system capabilities to fit the District’s business needs.
To apply, please submit your application materials through the district’s School Spring website. Visit www.springfield.k12.or.us and click on the “Careers” link. Locate the "Search Our Career Opportunities" button and click on the link, which takes you to School Spring.
An Affirmative Action / Equal Opportunity Employer
Springfield Public Schools does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, ancestry, national origin, disability, gender or sexual orientation in admission or access to the treatment of employment in its programs and activities as required by state and federal law. If you have any complaints, please contact Human Resources at (541) 726-3203.
It is our policy to provide qualifying veterans and disabled veterans with preference in employment in accordance with applicable law. Applicants wishing to claim veterans' preference must provide the following military documents verifying their eligibility:
Veterans: A copy of the applicant's Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty (a federal DD Form 214 or 215), which shows character of service upon discharge OR a letter from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs indicating the applicant receives a non-service connected pension.
Disabled Veterans: A copy of the applicant's Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty (a federal DD Form 214 or 215), which shows character of service upon discharge AND a copy of the applicants veteran's disability preference letter from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (unless the information is included on the DD Form 214 or 215).
For veterans' preference to apply, the required military documents must be submitted at the time of application submission.
