Project Kitty Hawk

Financial Planning and Analysis

• Serve as the organization's senior financial officer, ensuring accuracy, integrity, and timeliness of all financial operations
• Oversee the Controller and accounting team, including accounts payable/receivable, general ledger, payroll, and month-end close
• Lead annual budget development and multi-year financial projections and planning in partnership with the Executive Leadership Team and service-area leads
• Advise leadership on financial implications of partnerships with universities, including funding structures, cost allocation, and long-term sustainability
• Oversee margin reporting and working with business units on their resource allocation plans within the fiscal year
• Manage the annual audit process and serve as primary liaison with external auditors
• Prepare and present financial reports for the Board of Directors, its Finance Committee, and the UNC System Office
• Ensure compliance with GAAP, nonprofit accounting standards, and all grant and contract reporting requirements
• Monitor cash flow, investment accounts, and reserves; advise leadership on financial risks and opportunities
• Track PKH contracts to assess vendor performance, identify critical deadlines and decision points, and negotiate favorable terms
• Lead and support the Sr. Director of People Operations in setting the strategic direction of the people function, serving as a thought partner on organizational design, workforce planning, compensation philosophy, and culture
• Maintain senior-level accountability for the People Operations function, providing guidance and escalation support on complex employee relations, board and personnel committee matters, and cross-functional people initiatives
• Serve as a member of the senior leadership team, contributing to organizational strategy and culture
• Manage, mentor, and develop direct reports across finance and people operations
• Build and maintain strong cross-functional relationships, acting as a collaborative partner to operations, partnership, and technology teams
• Represent the organization's operational interests to the Board, funders, and external partners as needed, including the UNC System Office
• Work with the Chief Technology Officer to budget for hardware and software procurement for the organization, ensuring staff are equipped with the tools they need
• Manage vendor relationships for IT services, software licenses, and technology support
• Lead financial system upgrades and potential migration

Vice President of Finance and Administration

Affiliate Manager

• Manage the day-to-day activities, priorities, and workload distribution for the APS team assigned to the partner Core Team.
• Own individual and team performance outcomes, monitoring key funnel metrics (contact rate, application completion, admit-to-start conversion, census attendance) and driving corrective action when targets are not met.
• Coach APS team members through regular one-on-ones, call reviews, pipeline audits, and performance conversations. Identify skill gaps and coordinate development plans with the Manager of Admissions Services.
• Identify at-risk students using the Risk Rating Assessment Rubric and direct APS engagement strategies accordingly.
• Review qualitative and quantitative data to recommend coaching strategies and operational adjustments that improve conversion and student progression.
• Develop and maintain deep expertise in the assigned partner institution’s admissions processes, systems, people, policies, and academic requirements.
• Develop a thorough understanding of the student journey and the admissions experience specific to the assigned partner.
• Contribute to and help maintain the internal knowledge base, ensuring documentation is current, accurate, and accessible to the APS team.
• Train APS team members on partner-specific admissions processes, providing guidance and expertise based on institutional knowledge.
• Ensure timely communication of process changes, updates, and partner feedback to APS team members.
• Represent PKH Admissions as the primary SME in partner-facing meetings, including regular admissions, financial aid, and relevant departmental sessions.
• Attend and contribute to STITCH coordination sessions, escalating student issues and providing status updates when appropriate.
• Monitor specific metrics and analyze data to recommend strategies that improve conversion and student progression across the Core Team.

Partner Admissions Lead

Director

• The Director of Higher Education Strategy supports Project Kitty Hawk (PKH) in extending the benefits of public higher education to all North Carolinians.
• Execute the day-to-day operations of the FASTER initiative.
• Utilize project and process management skills to ensure transparent and repeatable delivery of consulting services.
• Measure and report on the progress of initiative-specific milestones and the overall health of campus partnerships.
• Build and manage a pipeline of prospective UNC System and national university partners, from initial prospecting through close.
• Lead solution-scoping conversations with university leadership, translating institutional challenges into partnership opportunities.
• Support development of scope documents and foundational partnership contracts.
• Drive cross-functional collaboration with marketing, admissions, student services, and partnership success teams to identify new solutions.
• Develop mechanisms to synthesize lessons learned from initiatives and inform UNC System President and System Office staff on opportunities for System-wide improvement.