THE ORGANIZATION
Founded at the University of Michigan Medical School, TRAILS (Transforming Research into Action to Improve the Lives of Students) is among the most innovative and rapidly-growing school-based mental health solutions in the country. Today, our growing team is working toward the TRAILS mission of transforming the landscape of youth mental health care delivery by equipping school staff with the training and resources they need to provide evidence-based and culturally responsible programming to their students.
To date, TRAILS has brought essential skills and resources to more than 14,000 teachers, administrators, and school mental health professionals. Our best-in-class program materials are built specifically for the school setting, and our unique training model is driven by research from the field of implementation science. Our website and library of materials are utilized by educators and clinicians across the United States and in more than 100 countries around the world. While our impact today is greatest in our home state of Michigan, TRAILS is expanding nationally with strong support from education and health sector leaders, public offices, and state policymakers.
As we work to respond to massive demand for TRAILS programming from schools and districts throughout the United States, our team is guided by a core commitment to equity: The TRAILS growth strategy identifies Title I designated schools as our broadest target population, and we aim specifically to impact students who experience high risk for poor mental health outcomes and disproportionate barriers to quality care. As we grow our team, we seek candidates who share our commitment to equity in health and healthcare access, who practice cultural humility, and who thrive in and contribute to an inclusive working environment.
THE ROLE
TRAILS is seeking an experienced, analytical, and strategic Manager, Financial Planning and Analysis to manage key budgeting, forecasting, and financial analysis functions. In collaboration with the VP of Finance, this position plays an integral role in ensuring organizational financial sustainability by providing actionable insights to leadership and enhancing TRAILS’ ability to achieve its goals and prepare for responsible fiscal scaling. The Manager, Financial Planning and Analysis also collaborates with internal team leaders across the organization as well as the other finance team members to make financial planning and analysis-related improvements to organization-wide processes.
THE RESPONSIBILITIES
Budgeting and Forecasting (40%):
- In collaboration with the VP of Finance and other department leaders, drive organization-wide annual budgeting and related processes to ensure alignment with the organization's strategic priorities
- Develop, refine, and maintain financial forecasts with department heads in support of team and organizational objectives and strategic priorities
- Continuously monitor, analyze, and report budget variances and provide clear and actionable recommendations to address financial gaps to enhance overall fiscal health
- Conduct scenario planning and sensitivity analyses to evaluate the financial implications of various strategic priority options/goals
Financial Analysis and Reporting (30%)
- Partner with leadership and across TRAILS teams to support multi-year financial plans that promote organizational health and drive growth
- Develop, track, report key performance indicators (KPIs) to measure organizational impact and efficiency, and drive organizational decision-making
- Analyze and model funding strategies, including grant opportunities, donor contributions, and earned revenue streams to enable data-driven decision-making
- Evaluate program performance and return on investment to further inform decision-making
- Analyze financial data and trends to provide actionable insights and recommendations to leadership
Systems and Process Development and Support (20%)
- Roll out, maintain and continuously improve financial systems and tools to enhance financial data accuracy and accessibility
- Ensure strong and ongoing compliance with internal controls, organizational policies and procedures, and regulatory requirements
- Identify opportunities to streamline processes to improve the efficiency of financial planning and analysis functions
- Collaborate with other teams to integrate financial systems with other organizational tools and technology platforms as needed, with a focus on ensuring seamless data sharing and reporting capabilities
Team Responsibilities (10%)
- Actively participate in all-staff meetings and retreats, workgroups, and other relevant TRAILS events
- Support the TRAILS team with all-hands-on-deck events and other team initiatives
- Provide ad-hoc finance and project support to the finance team and broader organization as needed
THE PERSON
- 4+ years experience building and managing financial planning and analysis functions, preferably in a non-profit setting
- 4+ years experience supporting organizational financial health and growth-related planning functions
- 4+ years experience facilitating budgeting and forecasting functions in collaboration with department leaders
- Demonstrated experience utilizing a range of project and financial management tools and techniques (e.g., Sage Intacct ERP, SAP Concur, Rippling, or similar
- Demonstrated experience working in the Microsoft Office (including Advanced Excel) and Google Suites and a track record of learning new software
- Demonstrated prior experience in supporting a rapidly growing organization is a plus
Our experience suggests that the following types of skills lend themselves well to this work:
- Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to clearly explain budgeting, forecasting, and other financial topics to non-finance colleagues
- Excellent attention to detail and organizational abilities
- Exhibits a solid understanding of financial planning and analysis concepts, and has a continuous innovation mindset and enthusiasm to learn and apply new methods
- Demonstrated commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging
- Ability to travel within the US for 1-2 multi-day team meetings per year
EDUCATION
Our experience suggests the following certifications and degree(s) lend themselves well to this work:
- Bachelor’s degree in accounting, finance, or a related field
- Applicable experience/competencies may be considered in lieu of formal education
COMPENSATION
The salary range for this role is $107,593 to $113,570.
TRAILS offers a comprehensive benefits package including medical, dental, and vision as well as a 403B with a safe harbor match and short and long term disability. We offer a generous holiday and paid time off package.
APPLICATION NOTES
- Our job descriptions reflect TRAILS’ assignment of essential functions and qualifications of the role. Nothing herein restricts management's right to assign, reassign or eliminate duties and responsibilities to this role at any time.
- We are only considering applicants who are legally authorized to work in the United States.
OUR COMMITMENT TO DIVERSITY, EQUITY, & INCLUSION
Addressing inequities in access to evidence-based mental health care is intrinsic to the TRAILS mission. The intentionality behind this approach is woven into everything we do at TRAILS, resulting in a staff-wide commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion for all facets of our program. If this commitment is something to which you could positively contribute, we encourage you to apply, particularly if your voice represents a historically excluded perspective.
TRAILS is an “at-will” and equal opportunity employer. Applicants and employees shall not be discriminated against because of race, religion, sex, national origin, ethnicity, age, mental or physical disability, sexual orientation, gender (including pregnancy and gender expression) identity, color, marital status, veteran status, medical condition, or any other classification protected by federal, state, or local law or ordinance.
What We Do
For students in need of mental health services, school-delivered programs can be life-changing and life-saving. TRAILS offers the training, materials, and implementation support schools need to provide their students with three tiers of effective, culturally responsible programming:
Tier 1: Universal education and awareness for all students
Tier 2: Early intervention for students impacted by a mental health concern
Tier 3: Crisis intervention for students experiencing suicidality
The demand for effective mental health services is unprecedented, and TRAILS is working hard to increase our ability to onboard new school partners. Our team seeks qualified individuals who are passionate about building systems-level solutions to address the youth mental health crisis
