Lead, Financial Planning & Analysis

About the role

We are looking for a strategic, high-performing finance leader to serve as a senior member of the FP&A team and a trusted advisor to leaders across the organization. The Lead, FP&A will own the financial planning, forecasting, and analysis function for a major area of the business, set the standard for analytical rigor, and build the systems, processes, and talent that allow Finance to scale with our growth. Reporting to the Head, FP&A, the Lead operates as a strategic partner to senior management, including the CFO. This person will translate complex financial data into clear, actionable insights, drive fiscal discipline across schools and network functions, and play a central role in shaping the long-range financial strategy of a rapidly expanding organization. This role has broad exposure across all levels and functions, so the ideal candidate combines deep technical expertise with the leadership presence and communication skills to influence decisions at the most senior levels.

Responsibilities

• Financial Planning & Forecasting: Own the annual budgeting and monthly re-forecasting processes for your area of the business, establishing standard methodologies for short-, medium-, and long-term forecasts and overseeing the models and dashboards that support them.
• Strategic Partnership: Serve as the senior Finance point of contact for school operations and network functions, partnering with leaders to inform strategic and operational decisions and to drive fiscal responsibility across the organization.
• Performance Management & Insight: Oversee detailed reporting on performance, including variance analysis (actuals vs. budget/forecast), risks and opportunities tracking, KPI monitoring, and trend analysis, and interpret results to provide management with concise, actionable insight.
• Executive Reporting: Lead the preparation of monthly financial reporting and presentation materials for senior management, and present financial updates directly to executive leadership and other key stakeholders.
• Scenario & Decision Support: Develop financial impact models and sensitivity analyses for key business scenarios, and provide ad hoc decision support to the CFO, CEO, and other functional leaders.
• Process & Systems Improvement: Drive operational efficiencies throughout the organization-automating tasks wherever possible and strengthening financial systems, controls, and processes to support consistency and scale.
• Enablement: Establish and lead training for business partners on financial systems and budget management best practices to ensure consistency in data collection and execution across the organization.
• A successful applicant will have the following experiences and education:
• Required Qualifications
• Bachelor's degree and 7-10 years of relevant financial planning & analysis experience
• Demonstrated experience leading and developing a team
• Advanced analytical, quantitative, and problem-solving skills
• Expertise building and working in complex financial models
• Strong understanding of financial statements including P&L, balance sheet, and cash flow
• Takes ownership of the accuracy and timeliness of deliverables
• Highly detail-oriented, while also balancing the big-picture view
• Adapts quickly to changes and able to manage multiple competing priorities
• Excellent communication skills, able to clearly and accurately convey messages to senior leaders and varied audiences across the organization
• Advanced knowledge of Excel, PowerPoint, Google Sheets, and Slides
• Experience with an ERP system and/or similar reporting tools
• Personal Characteristics
• Highest integrity and ethics
• Intellectually curious and able to think deeply and qualitatively about business problems, breaking down issues and presenting solutions
• Holds themself and others to very high standards of excellence
• Takes pride in taking a high degree of ownership
• Positive, cooperative attitude; collaborative with a track record of building strong relationships and leading teams
• Entrepreneurial with unrelenting drive and comfortable operating in ambiguity
• Analytical and metrics-driven, regularly leveraging data to support business decisions
• Open, secure, and humble, with demonstrated resilience
• Passion for education and a commitment to the mission of Success Academy
• Success Academy Charter Schools is an equal opportunity

Additional Information

Thanks for your interest in Success Academy! Running a large, fast-growing, and high-performing network of public charter schools takes a village - families, children, teachers, staff and faculty, advocates, and supporters alike. We are growing fast in New York and expanding to Florida, and we would love to welcome you to our community! We work tirelessly every day to ensure children have access to a fun, rigorous, whole-child education regardless of zip code or economic status. When you join SA, you play a part in giving every student who walks through our doors a fair shot at reaching his or her potential.

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