Development Finance Specialist

Development Finance Specialist

Great Hearts Texas is a nonprofit charter management organization (CMO) that operates classical liberal arts K12 public charter schools. Our academies cultivate the minds and hearts of students through the pursuit of Truth, Goodness, and Beauty. We serve over 15,000 students in Texas and are passionate about restoring excellence to public education.

Position Summary

The Development Finance Specialist is responsible for the processing, reconciliation, and reporting of all philanthropic revenue across Great Hearts Texas, ensuring strong alignment between Development and Finance through donation processing, CRM administration, and financial reconciliation. This role supports operational excellence and compliance by maintaining data integrity across systems, overseeing donor stewardship processes, and preparing documentation for audits and reporting. Reporting directly to the Development Manager, the Development Finance Specialist collaborates closely with Development, Finance, and campus-based teams to ensure all philanthropic activity is accurately recorded, reconciled, and reported.

Duties & Responsibilities

• Manage daily gift processing, gift entry validation, and general ledger (GL) coding
• Prepare and support monthly close processes, including reconciliation packages and variance analysis between Development and Finance records
• Co-own the monthly Development to Finance reconciliation process, ensuring accuracy and timely resolution of discrepancies
• Maintain and document restricted gifts, releases, and supporting documentation in compliance with internal and audit standards
• Provide necessary audit support and documentation
• Support donor CRM administration, including campaign and fund coding, data hygiene, imports, list generation, duplicate management, and workflow improvements.
• Execute gift acknowledgment processes, including receipts, recurring gift management, and donor tasking
• Manage data imports, exception handling, list generation, and duplicate prevention protocols
• Ensure adherence to data privacy standards and protection of personally identifiable information
• Maintain and align gift coding structures with the general ledger to ensure accurate financial reporting
• Track and reconcile matching gifts and employer contributions
• Support donor analytics efforts, including LYBUNT/SYBUNT reporting
• Collaborate with Development team members to ensure accurate campaign tracking and reporting across all fundraising efforts
• Abide by all gift acceptance, financial controls, and stewardship policies established by Great Hearts Texas
• Other duties as assigned

Qualifications and Preferred Experience:

• Bachelor's Degree or greater; preferred in Finance, Accounting, Business, or related field.
• 34 years of experience in nonprofit accounting, finance, development operations, or data management.
• Experience with integrated ERP software; preferred ASCENDER
• Experience with donor CRM systems (Virtuous, Blackbaud, Salesforce, or similar)
• Strong proficiency in financial reconciliation processes; Microsoft Office
• Familiarity with general ledger structures and nonprofit accounting principles
• Attention to detail with strong organizational and data integrity discipline
• Ability to manage multiple systems, deadlines, and workflows simultaneously
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, particularly in reconciliation and variance resolution
• Ability to work independently while collaborating across cross-functional teams
• Clear written and verbal communication skills
• Familiarity with AI-enabled productivity, reporting, or workflow automation
• Commitment to the mission and values of Great Hearts Texas
• Ability to handle sensitive donor and financial information with discretion and professionalism

Additional Requirements:

Type of fingerprint clearance: Must possess or obtain valid Texas Department of Public Safety fingerprint clearance card.

Physical functions: Requires but is not limited to standing, sitting, repetitious hand and body movements, bending, squatting, and reaching. May be required to move or position equipment up to 15 pounds approximately.

Travel required: May need to travel locally to academies as needed.

This description reflects management's assignment of essential functions; it does not exclude or restrict the tasks that may be assigned.

Great Hearts Texas is an Equal Opportunity Employer, and does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, non-disqualifying physical or mental disability, national origin, veteran status or any other basis covered by appropriate law. All employment is decided on the basis of qualifications, merit, and business need.