ABOUT THE FINANCE TEAM

As a key member of the four-person finance team reporting to the Director of Finance, the AD of Strategic Finance is responsible for serving as a financial adviser and running the analyses behind our key organizational risks. As a function, the finance team reports directly to the CFO and serves as a strategic internal consultancy on major decisions.
The objective of the finance team is to maximize student outcomes over the long term through the efficient, effective, and sustainable allocation of financial resources. This is accomplished through an effective balance of hard and soft skills, as our work is rooted in empowering organizational leaders, who bring academic expertise and proximity to students, with high-quality financial information and advising to make effective decisions.

POSITION SUMMARY

As the Associate Director of Strategic Finance, you will be a key leader on our finance team, bringing a blend of technical expertise and strong strategic thinking to guide the organization’s financial health. This role will focus on both long-term financial strategy and day-to-day fiscal operations, ensuring the delivery of accurate, reliable financial information that drives strategic decision-making, organizational improvement, and efficient resource allocation. By building strong processes, sustainable financial models, and clear analytical frameworks, you will give valuable time back to our school and regional teams.
Core to the role is serving as a financial advisor to our principals, operations managers, and senior leaders, managing a portfolio of cross-functional projects at the intersection of real estate, compensation, and general operations. You’ll lead all real estate financing efforts, from due diligence on large loans to capital planning, and own the annual compensation process for the region. Attention to detail and proactiveness are essential, as you will be responsible for both executing on our financial strategy and anticipating challenges before they become problems.
The ideal candidate is a proactive and resourceful problem-solver who thrives in a collaborative environment. They bring curiosity, flexibility, and a strong ability to translate complex financial analysis into clear, actionable insights for non-financial audiences. This role is a critical member of the finance team.
This role sits on our Finance Team and reports to our Director of Finance. This is a hybrid role with the expectation that 3 days per week be spent at our Regional Support Office in Oakland.
This position has the potential to manage a Finance Manager.

EDUCATION:

• A Bachelor’s degree is required, with a strong preference for a degree in Finance or Economics

EXPERIENCE:

• 5+ years of progressive experience in finance, with a strong preference for experience in non-profit finance or education finance. Experience working in K-12 charter education is a plus.
• Direct participation in financial planning and analysis, with proven ability to manage large-scale budgets.
• Demonstrated experience in compensation analysis and benchmarking.
• Experience with cross-functional project leadership, collaborating with various teams and stakeholders to achieve organizational goals.
• People management experience is preferred

KNOWLEDGE/SKILLS REQUIRED:

• Proficient to advanced skills in Excel and financial software, specifically with Workday Adaptive Planning (formerly Workday Adaptive Insights).
• Strong skills and comfort with Microsoft Excel, PowerPoint, and Google Suite
• Strong analytical skills with the ability to translate financial data into clear, actionable insights for non-financial audiences.
• Expert at (and enjoys) building models and structuring analyses
• Analytical and strategic thinker who considers pros and cons across multiple functions and stakeholders
• Manages up and sets expectations constantly against competing deadlines from stakeholders
• Results-oriented with attention to detail
• Builds relationships with a broad range of stakeholders and utilizes strong communication and presentation skills to influence across functions

• Serve as key finance team leader
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• Shape the multi-year vision and annual initiatives for the finance team.

• Own bi-weekly Finance Team Meeting in collaboration with the Director of Finance, continuously re-prioritizing work to track the team towards quarterly department goals.
• Identify and recommend opportunities to streamline processes and/or improve results.
• Serve as a financial adviser
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• Advise and serve as a thought partner with school principals and operations managers (5-10 schools) on fiscal operating decisions and multi-year planning, and collaborate with them to achieve financial sustainability goals.

• Partner closely with Regional Directors and other Budget Managers to drive strong financial outcomes through collaborative planning, data-informed decision-making, and proactive support on regional budgeting and sustainability efforts.
• Run analyses, monitor financial performance, and recommend solutions. Analyze trends in spending and behavior to maximize resource allocation and student results.
• Thought partnering with our Special Education team on their $20M annual budget, spending decisions, communications, and multi-year expense projections.
• Lead our partnership with the Real Estate team, ensuring that all of our facility expense forecasts across the region are prudent and accurate. Support the Real Estate team on the financial affordability of any facility agreements.
• Serve as the co-finance lead of our annual Planning and Budgeting processes
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• Prepares and presents our annual draft and final Organization Plan and Budget to key regional stakeholders.

• Lead the finance team in developing planning tools, timelines, and processes that support effective enrollment target setting and contingency planning.
• Lead analysis and metrics for key strategic initiatives
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• Lead all real estate financing efforts, including financial modeling for project underwriting, due diligence on $10M+ loan issuances, and capital planning. Support senior finance leaders in executing real estate financial strategy, assessing new campus viability, monitoring financial health, managing lender relationships, securing short-term construction financing, and determining timing for tax-exempt bond offerings.

• Own and lead all compensation work for the region, including conducting annual compensation refreshes for faculty and staff, gathering and analyzing market benchmarks, developing compensation recommendations, and updating compensation structures to ensure equity, competitiveness, and financial sustainability.
• Own the cash management strategy, including monitoring cash flow, updating interest income projections, and optimizing liquidity to maximize returns.
• Special projects as determined.