Managing Director, Professional Education Budget and Operations

Location: Flexible within the US

Type: Full-time

Team: Professional Education

Start Date: August 1, 2025

Priority Application Review Deadline: June 13, 2025

Summary:

Relay Graduate School of Education (Relay) is an accredited not-for-profit institution of higher education serving thousands of educators from across the country, from pre-service teachers to system-level leaders. Our mission is to ensure that all students are taught by excellent educators, in order to build a more just world where every student has a clear path to a fulfilling life.

The Professional Education (PE) team at Relay works with teachers and leaders to continuously improve their craft throughout their careers.  Through professional development workshops, fellowship programs, and targeted coaching and support, we help educators strengthen student academic success and well-being. Reporting to the Chief Professional Learning Officer, the Managing Director, PE Budget and Operations, is responsible for the long-term budget forecasting and day-to-day budget operations for the team and oversees the Events and Operations team. This role is responsible for leading the development and oversight of program team budgets, ensuring alignment with strategic goals through close collaboration with program instructional leaders. They prepare regular financial reports, analyze budget variances, and provide actionable insights to inform decision-making. This role works cross-functionally to support financial understanding and alignment across departments. The role also leads the Events and Operations team, responsible for planning and executing high-impact partner-facing events and ensuring seamless day-to-day operational support for the Professional Education division. 

Role’s Contributions (Duties and Responsibilities): 

The essential responsibilities of this position, while not limited to the following, will include: 

Budget management (70%)

• Build and continuously refine financial tools, templates, and dashboards that support cross-functional decision-making across program operations, workforce planning, and pricing. 
• Collaborate closely with the Partnerships team to align pricing strategy, staffing models, and operational costs, ensuring each programmatic offering is both financially sustainable and aligned to partner needs.
•  Act as a strategic finance partner to senior leaders by integrating insights across operating expenses, revenue, and workforce investments to drive comprehensive, data-informed planning.
• Develop and manage quarterly and annual budgets for all Professional Education cost centers, in alignment with organizational financial goals.
• Partner with the finance team to improve budgeting tools, systems, and strategies that ensure program sustainability.
• Collaborate with the partnerships and program team to devise a pricing structure that effectively support revenue projections and aligns with market needs
• Collaborate with program leaders to provide strategic guidance on workforce planning.
• Collaborate with program instructional colleagues to revise and continually adjust financial models to ensure our programs remain financially sustainable and reflective of team and partner needs.
• Review and approve expense requests and invoices, ensuring all costs align with board-approved budget allocations.
• Provide quarterly financial reporting and budget forecasts to the Chief Financial Officer as well as the Chief Professional Learning Officer.
• Other (duties, projects, task) as assigned in support of the team’s goals

Events and Operations Leadership (30%)

• Lead and manage the Professional Education Events and Operations team to ensure high-quality execution of all programs.
• Oversee proactive and efficient partner communication and event operations to support all Professional Education programs, ensuring budget alignment across initiatives.
• Design, implement, and optimize staffing plans, leveraging both full-time and contracted staff, to deliver effective logistics for session planning and registration.
• Coordinate operational support for leadership development and teacher professional education programs to ensure smooth delivery and alignment with program goals.

QUALIFICATIONS

First and foremost, the Managing Director, Professional Education Budget and Operations must share the Relay community’s commitment to working together to improve student growth and achievement through phenomenal teacher preparation grounded in diversity, equity, inclusion, and anti-racism. This includes providing teacher preparation programs that set novice teachers up to succeed in the classroom from day one; leadership programs that train new and veteran school and district leaders to best serve their school communities; and teacher-facing professional education that provides ongoing learning to educators. Additionally, for this position we’re looking for candidates that possess a combination of the following skills:

• Minimum of 7 years of relevant professional experience.
• Demonstrated experience leading and managing teams, including building trust, setting clear expectations, and supporting performance and growth.
• Proficiency in budgeting and financial reporting tools (e.g., Excel and financial management systems).
• Experience preparing and analyzing financial reports, forecasts, and variance analyses.
• Ability to analyze financial data and apply insights to support organizational planning and decision-making.
• Effective communicator, both in written and verbal, with a demonstrated ability to communicate complex financial concepts to non-financial stakeholders.

Preferred Qualifications: 

• 7 years of non-profit budget management experience.
• Proven experience in nonprofit financial and budget management.
• Experience with planning and/or executing large-scale education events.

Relay prepares teachers and school leaders to teach students of all identities and backgrounds in order to push toward a time when this country no longer faces stark educational inequities. We recruit, develop, support, and retain a diverse staff, faculty, and graduate student body because we are committed to creating a diverse, inclusive, and actively anti-racist institution. We know, and the data supports, that diversity, equity, and inclusion cultivate an environment in which people of all backgrounds can thrive and this is critical to achieving our mission of educational excellence and equity.

To fulfill that commitment, Relay encourages applicants of all backgrounds and identities to apply for roles that align with their own interests and career trajectory. If you meet a majority of the qualifications and see yourself in this role, we would love to see your application!

COMPENSATION

Relay is committed to creating and maintaining a compensation and benefits system that supports our ability to recruit and retain a diverse and talented team. As we make decisions about compensation, we will be guided by the following values: clarity, consistency, and internal equity. The salary range for this role is $115,830-$167,954. New hires will be offered a salary at the starting point of the range, $115,830, to allow for an equitable starting salary process and continual salary growth during an employee’s time at Relay GSE.

To ensure internal pay equity:

• Relay does not currently differentiate starting salary offers based on years of experience,
• All staff salaries will be capped at the salary range maximum, and
• Relay does not negotiate salary offers.

Relay offers a comprehensive total rewards package. For full-time roles, this includes health insurance benefits, disability and life insurance, retirement plan, professional development, gym reimbursement, adoption assistance, paid time off (PTO), parental leave, etc. To learn more about Relay’s benefits, please visit here.   

WORK LOCATION POLICY

Employees must have a primary work location within the U.S., where they are legally authorized to work. Relay is a registered employer in the following states: California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Washington State and Washington DC. Please note that Relay Graduate School of Education's headquarters are in New York City. Employees who choose to perform work from states not listed here will be subject to NYC state withholdings.

Relay Graduate School of Education provides equal employment opportunity for all applicants and employees.