About Center for the Collaborative Classroom
Our Mission: Collaborative Classroom is a mission-driven, nonprofit organization committed to ensuring that all students become readers, writers, and thinkers who learn from, care for, and respect one another.
Our Approach: We develop high-quality educational curriculum and professional learning resources that support student growth, teacher effectiveness, and equitable outcomes in the K–5 space, and we partner with schools and educators to advance literacy, collaboration, and academic success for children.
As one of the few nonprofit organizations in the country that develops, disseminates, and implements curriculum at scale, Collaborative Classroom is dedicated to putting students, educators, and research at the center of every decision and providing personalized, cutting-edge implementation supports for the schools and students we serve.
Our Impact: Collaborative Classroom programs and professional learning are currently used by educators in all 50 states in over 1,000 school districts. Since the organization’s founding, our work has reached more than 10 million students and 440,000 educators across the country, developing fluent readers and skilled writers, supporting instructional equity, transforming discipline practices, and bolstering student and teacher engagement.
Opportunity
Center for the Collaborative Classroom seeks a strategic, mission-driven, and operationally strong Chief Financial Officer (CFO) to join the executive leadership team and help guide the organization through its next phase of impact and growth. The CFO will lead financial planning, accounting, budgeting, forecasting, audit, investment oversight, and operational finance, while also providing executive oversight of business technology, human resources, and business operations.
The CFO will serve as a key strategic partner to the CEO and Board of Directors, with responsibility for ensuring the financial strength, strategic focus, and operational discipline needed to expand impact and sustain long-term success. Financial modelling, scenario planning and evaluation of strategic options is a core part of the job. The CFO must be equally comfortable operating at the strategic level and engaging in the details of financial management, revenue modeling, and operational execution.
Who you are
While experience with nonprofit finance is desired, the type of business acumen associated with for-profit companies is essential. The Center for the Collaborative Classroom develops, manufactures, warehouses, and distributes curriculum products and operates an extensive national sales force. Our revenue primarily comes from the sale of curriculum materials and implementation services to school districts and we compete against large publishing companies for business. The ideal candidate brings expertise with revenue models involving product sales, services, grants, contracts, subscriptions, or blended nonprofit earned-income streams, and an ability to quickly grasp the economics of educational publishing, curriculum development, and supply chain management.
Key Responsibilities
Strategic Financial Leadership
- Serve as a key member of the executive leadership team, contributing to enterprise-wide strategy, planning, and decision-making.
- Advise the CEO and Board on financial strategy, organizational sustainability, risk, and growth opportunities.
- Develop multi-year financial strategies that align resources with mission, programmatic priorities, and operational goals.
- Provide financial analysis and decision support for major initiatives, including product investments, pricing, channel strategies, partnerships, technology investments, and organizational expansion.
- Translate financial data into actionable insights for non-financial leaders by helping leaders understand cost structure, gross margins, operating leverage, and financial tradeoffs.
- Provide leadership and problem solving on publishing supply chain issues including offshore outsourcing, economic order quantities, warehousing and transportation.
- Assist with business development efforts including working with attorneys on royalty agreements, licensing agreements, resale agreements and asset acquisition/merger agreements.
Financial Planning, Budgeting, and Analysis
- Lead the annual budgeting process and long-range financial planning including generating forecasts, financial scenarios, cash flow projections, and variance analysis by partnering with department leaders to build budgets, monitor performance, and improve financial accountability.
- Develop clear reporting on financial performance, key drivers, trends, and risks.
- Perform financial modeling and performance analysis related to curriculum products, customer segments, and revenue streams.
- Maintain financial models in support of fundraising needs and the capital campaign.
Accounting and Financial Operations
- Oversee all accounting operations, including general ledger, accounts payable, accounts receivable, payroll, monthly close, sales tax reporting, royalty statement reporting and financial reporting and ensuring timely and accurate preparation of monthly and annual financial statements.
- Oversee revenue recognition, restricted and unrestricted funds, grants, contracts, deferred revenue, and other nonprofit accounting matters as applicable.
- Ensure appropriate systems, workflows, and controls are in place to support operational excellence and maintain strong internal controls, policies, and procedures to safeguard organizational assets.
Operational Oversight
- Manage the Business Technology team and provide executive oversight of all internal business technology functions including: cybersecurity, identity and access management, technology vendor management, systems administration, mobile device management platforms, data backups and archives, internal help desk support, office infrastructure, website, phone system, license and equipment inventories, and reference materials.
- Manage the Human Resources function by providing executive oversight for HR strategy, workforce planning, organizational policies, compensation administration, benefits, compliance, and employee relations.
- Manage the Business Operations team and provide executive oversight for key operational functions, including client support, inventory management, logistics, and warehouse operations.
Board, Audit, and Compliance
- Partner with the Finance Committee, Audit Committee, and Board of Directors on financial oversight and reporting.
- Lead preparation for the annual audit and serve as primary liaison with external auditors.
- Ensure compliance with nonprofit accounting standards, tax filings, regulatory requirements, and donor or grantor restrictions.
- Oversee Form 990 preparation and review, as well as any state and local reporting requirements.
- Maintain compliance with applicable federal, state, and nonprofit governance requirements.
Cash, Investment, and Risk Management
- Oversee cash management, liquidity planning, reserves, and investment monitoring.
- Recommend policies and practices related to financial risk management and operating reserves.
- Evaluate insurance coverage, contractual risk, and financial exposure across the organization.
- Ensure the organization has sound financial infrastructure to support both stability and strategic flexibility.
Qualifications
Required Education & Experience
- Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Accounting, Business Administration, or related field.
- 12+ years of progressive financial leadership experience, including senior finance roles with organization-wide responsibility.
- Excellent problem-solving skills.
- Demonstrated success leading budgeting, forecasting, and strategic financial planning; expertise in financial modeling and scenario planning.
- Familiarity with revenue models involving product sales, services, grants, contracts, subscriptions, or blended nonprofit earned-income streams.
- Experience with cloud-based Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems such as Netsuite.
- Strong knowledge of GAAP, nonprofit accounting principles, internal controls, and financial reporting.
- Experience presenting financial information to executive teams, boards, and committees.
- Strong leadership, communication, and cross-functional partnership skills.
- High level of integrity, judgment, and mission commitment.
Preferred Qualifications & Experience
- CPA and/or MBA strongly preferred.
- Experience overseeing business operations functions that include: Human Resources, accounting, payroll, customer support, and logistics as well as supply chain management (inventory, logistics, distribution, and warehousing) and knowledge of supply chain issues including offshore outsourcing, economic order quantities, warehousing and transportation.
- Experience with internal business systems including desktop support, internal systems and cybersecurity.
- Experience in working with attorneys in drafting, reviewing and negotiating legal agreements pertaining to royalties, licensing, resale and asset acquisition/merger.
Compensation and Benefits
Compensation Range: $250,000- $275,000 annual salary.
This is the pay range for this position that we reasonably expect to pay. The base pay offered will take into account the candidate’s geographic location, education, demonstrable experience as a C-suite leader, as well as job-related knowledge, competencies and experience. This range is for the CA geographic location and may be adjusted to the labor market in other geographic areas.
As part of our Total Compensation Program, Collaborative Classroom offers a comprehensive employee benefits package that includes: a 403b plan with company contributions; group medical, dental and vision coverage; Flexible Spending Account or Health Savings Account options; company-paid life, AD&D and disability insurance; as well as voluntary life and long-term care options.
