Vice President of Investor Relations

FIRST GROUP AMERICA INC; Cincinnati (OH); On-site; USD 180,000 - 320,000; Full time

Job summary

First Student seeks a seasoned Vice President of Investor Relations to lead engagement with the investment community, shape the equity story, and advise senior management on market expectations. You will oversee quarterly earnings processes, coordinate with finance, legal, and corporate communications, and guide investor-day events.

The role requires deep capital markets knowledge, executive presence, and 12–15+ years in IR or related fields.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Finance, Accounting, Economics, or related field.
• 12-15+ years in investor relations, equity research, corporate finance, investment banking, or buy-side investing with significant IR leadership at a public company.
• Strong understanding of financial statements, valuation methods, and capital markets.
• Excellent written and verbal communication, ability to distill complex information into clear messages.
• Executive presence and credibility with senior management, the Board, and the investment community.
• Working knowledge of SEC rules, Regulation FD, and public company disclosure requirements.
• Preferred MBA and/or CFA.
• Prior sell-side or buy-side experience valued for credibility with investors.
• Industry experience relevant to the company's sector.
• Experience with activist defense, Investor Days, M&A communications, or IPO/spin-offs.

Responsibilities

• Lead the strategy and equity story aligned with corporate strategy and capital allocation priorities.
• Own earnings process: press release, call script, slides, and Q&A.
• Coordinate with CFO, Controller, FP&A, Legal, and Corporate Communications.
• Shape investor messaging for major corporate events (M&A, divestitures, spin-offs).
• Plan Investor Day events and manage analyst models and coverage.
• Monitor shareholder activity, sentiment, and activist risk with legal teams.
• Collaborate on ESG and governance communications with investors.

Skills

Strong communication

Executive presence

Capital markets knowledge

Leadership in IR

Strategic thinking

Financial statement proficiency

Education

Bachelor's degree in Finance, Accounting, Economics, or related field

MBA and/or CFA

Job description

The Vice President of Investor Relations leads the company's engagement with the investment community, including institutional shareholders, prospective investors, sell-side analysts, and, in partnership with Treasury, debt investors. This role shapes and communicates the company's equity story, ensures the market understands the company's strategy and financial performance, and brings investor perspectives back to senior management and the Board. The VP of IR is a trusted advisor to the CEO and CFO on market expectations, valuation, and shareholder sentiment.

Key Responsibilities

Strategy and Equity Story

• Develop and refine the company's investment thesis and equity story, aligned with corporate strategy and capital allocation priorities.
• Design and execute a proactive IR strategy, including targeting of long-term institutional investors that fit the company's profile.
• Benchmark valuation, performance, and disclosure practices against peers and advise management on how the market views the company.

Earnings and Financial Communications

• Lead the quarterly earnings process, including the press release, earnings call script, slide presentation, and Q&A preparation.
• Coordinate closely with the CFO, Controller, FP&A, Legal, and Corporate Communications to ensure accuracy, consistency, and timely release.
• Manage financial guidance practices and help shape how guidance is set, communicated, and updated.
• Contribute to the investor-facing sections of the 10-K, 10-Q, proxy statement, and annual report.

Investor and Analyst Engagement

• Serve as the primary point of contact for institutional investors and sell-side analysts.
• Plan and execute non-deal roadshows, investor conferences, site visits, and one-on-1 and group meetings for the CEO, CFO, and other executives.
• Manage analyst models and consensus estimates, and monitor coverage to ensure the market's expectations are well-informed.
• Lead planning and execution of Investor Day events.

Market Intelligence and Feedback

• Monitor shareholder base, trading activity, ownership changes, short interest, and peer developments.
• Provide regular reporting to the CEO, CFO, and Board on investor sentiment, perception studies, and market feedback.
• Identify and assess activist investor risk, and maintain an activism preparedness plan in partnership with Legal, the Corporate Secretary, and outside advisors.

Governance, ESG, and Shareholder Engagement

• Partner with the Corporate Secretary and Legal on proxy season outreach, shareholder proposals, and say-on-pay engagement.
• Coordinate ESG and sustainability messaging to investors, including engagement with ESG rating agencies and stewardship teams at large asset managers.

Compliance and Disclosure Controls

• Ensure compliance with Regulation FD, SEC disclosure rules, insider trading policies, and stock exchange requirements.
• Serve on or support the company's Disclosure Committee.
• Maintain IR policies, quiet period practices, and spokesperson guidelines.

Corporate Transactions

• Support communication of major corporate events such as M&A, divestitures, spin-offs, restructurings, capital returns, and leadership changes.
• Develop investor messaging and Q&A for material announcements.

Leadership

• Build and develop a high-performing IR team.
• Manage IR budget and relationships with outside vendors (IR website, webcast providers, perception study firms, surveillance and proxy solicitation firms).

Qualifications Required

• Bachelor's degree in Finance, Accounting, Economics, or a related field.
• 12-15+ years of experience in investor relations, equity research, corporate finance, investment banking, or buy-side investing, including significant IR leadership experience at a public company.
• Strong understanding of financial statements, valuation methods, and capital markets.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to distill complex information into clear, compelling messages.
• Executive presence and credibility with senior management, the Board, and the investment community.
• Working knowledge of SEC rules, Regulation FD, and public company disclosure requirements.
• Preferred MBA and/or CFA.
• Prior sell-side or buy-side experience, which is highly valued for credibility with investors.
• Industry experience relevant to the company's sector.
• Experience with activist defense, Investor Days, M&A communications, or IPO/spin-off transactions.

Language Requirement

This role requires English proficiency. Federal, state, and local requirements, including U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) regulations, require training, safety communications, company policies, employment documents, and other job-related communications be conducted in English.

First for a reason:

First for a reason: At First Student, we are a family of 60,000+ employees who take pride in safely transporting more than 5 million students and passengers to and from their destinations each day! Our family of brands include Transco, Total Transportation, Maggies Paratransit, and GVC II. Our employees are at the forefront of safety and innovation; they create and implement the most advanced training and technology the transportation industry has to offer. In the state of Washington, all technician and driving positions, including but not limited to van drivers and any other position requiring employees to drive a company-owned vehicle, are considered safety-sensitive and therefore subject to drug and alcohol testing, including cannabis.

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability or veteran status.

First is also committed to providing a drug-free workplace. First will consider for employment qualified applicants with criminal histories consistent with the requirements of the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, Los Angeles Fair Chance Ordinance, and any other fair chance law.

Philadelphia’s Fair Criminal Record Screening Standards Ordinance Poster is at this link or upon request https://www.phila.gov/media/20210423160847/Fair-Chance-Hiring-law-poster.pdf.

MISSION

Provide unmatched care and the safest ride to school, so when students arrive, they start and end their day with an exceptional experience and are ready to achieve their full potential.

FOCUS ON SAFETY

Safety is at the heart of everything we do

CARE FOR OUR STUDENTS

Ensure our vehicles are welcoming and trusted places where students feel comfortable and secure

SURPASS CUSTOMER EXPECTATIONS

Go the extra mile to deliver an extraordinary experience for our customers and communities

FOSTER TEAMWORK

Work together, act with integrity, respect each other, champion diversity and inclusion

SET THE HIGHEST STANDARDS

Continually seek a better way to do things with innovation, sustainable practices, financial discipline, commercial excellence, and operational excellence