Senior Director, Financial Planning and Business Analytics

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We are a nonprofit, nongovernmental organization and the leading provider of educational reporting, data exchange, verification, and research services. Serving the education, workforce and learner communities has been at the heart of our mission for over 30 years. Our work - performed in a trusted, secure, and private environment - provides numerous time- and cost-saving benefits to students, schools, administrators, and requestors. Education leaders rely on the Clearinghouse's unique national student data resources to better understand student pathways and outcomes in order to help students succeed, and our research better informs practitioners and policymakers about student educational pathways and enables informed decision making.

The Senior Director, Financial Planning and Business Analytics (FP&BA) is responsible for overseeing the FP&BA department, leading and communicating highly complex and critical financial and business-related analysis to Executive leadership and across the company at all levels. This includes analysis related to budget, forecasting, pricing, product investment, customer and business partner engagement, as well as all associated funding proposals and actions. The incumbent will partner with senior and executive leaders to facilitate understanding the financial impact and key business dynamics are intended to yield and to help determine funding needs and appropriate means to allocate amounts. Furthermore, the incumbent leads the review of significant business proposals that may require in-depth business analysis or complex cost estimates. The Senior Director leads business analysis across the Company by identifying and managing the metrics and key performance indicators (KPI) reporting process to continually assess outcomes of prior investment decisions. The Senior Director regularly monitors the financial performance of business decisions so that proactive corrective actions can be taken, if necessary. The Senior Director leads the preparation of annual budgets and long range financial forecasts, including progress against plan and comparisons to prior projections, and recommends mitigating actions when risks exceed opportunities. The position requires deep business knowledge and insights as well as independent thinking and working with limited supervision. They will represent the Finance function in organization-wide initiatives such as senior management meetings, steering committee meetings, prospective funders, and Board of Directors. They will also lead the quarterly forecast process with executive and senior leaders, managing both the profit and loss (P&L) as well as cash flow and balance sheet forecasting, and preparing and delivering Board of Directors presentations. The position will be responsible for leading a team and managing the grant financial reporting process and engaging with senior leaders.

Currently, this is a remote-first position, and this position may be required to periodically work on-site at our office and the frequency would depend on the department/division's requirements. Therefore, candidates must either reside within a reasonable distance to commute to our office or be willing to travel to our office in Herndon, when required.

• Demonstrate the Clearinghouse's competencies, which align with our corporate values. Manager will provide more detail to candidates as needed.
  
  
  
  • Senior Leadership Competencies include: Balances Stakeholders, Cultivates Innovation, Drives Vision and Purpose, Strategic Mindset, and Understanding the Business.
  
  
  
  

Balances Stakeholders:

• Deal effectively with conflict, reach agreement without damaging relationships and find win-win solutions.
• Develop and foster a partnership relationship with a diverse group of stakeholders at all levels of the organization.
• Provide critical financial, business, and operational visibility to the CEO, CFO, leadership team, and the Board of Directors and make actionable recommendations on both strategy and operations.
• Partner with Senior management in setting direction and managing key financial priorities and executing successfully against those priorities.
• Balance the needs of various stakeholders focusing on delivering value added solutions and services. (e.g., work closely with the accounting team on financial analysis and ensuring proper reporting of financial data. Partner with Accounting and HR leadership as it relates to process improvement of time tracking, distribution code tracking and payroll systems.)
• Partner with service line teams to complete analytical work; create, refine and report service line performance metrics to management.
• Serve as an advisor to the CFO in managing the Clearinghouse's corporate finance activities, including credit lines and other financial transactions
• Lead preparation and presentation of all Board of Directors communications, including annual and interim reporting packages, liquidity threshold analysis, and risks and opportunities frameworks.

Cultivating Innovation:

• Work closely, drive and lead key internal resources that will drive new business/solutions.
• Encourage and support creativity, ideation, and innovated thinking by staff and create plans for implementation. Views failures as opportunity to learn.
• Move beyond traditional ways of doing things and push past the status quo.
• Identify opportunities for cost optimization and efficiency, and drive initiatives to enhance profitability
• Streamline the company's financial systems and seek innovative solutions to optimize, improve processes and generate efficiencies.
• Establish departmental policies, practices, and procedures that have a significant impact on the organization's long-term success.

Drives Vision and Purpose:

• Direct and oversees the Clearinghouse's financial planning and business analytics activities.
• Lead by example with a high level of emotional intelligence and demonstrate a positive and intellectually curious demeanor about the Clearinghouse's mission, vision, values, and opportunities for the Clearinghouse to provide value to the education community and learners.
• Guide staff on how they contribute to the company mission and vision in a clear, relatable, and optimistic manner.
• Demonstrate and instill our cultural values and transparent communication philosophies.
• Direct the rolling forecast, budget and long-range financial forecast processes with executive and senior management.
• Manage the grants from a financial perspective and collaborates with groups involved in setting and execution of grant management plans. Lead financial analyst on grant responsibilities and reporting requirements.
• Establish credibility throughout the organization as an effective leader, developing solutions to business challenges.

Strategic Mindset:

• Review trends, anticipate future needs, and create a vision of possibilities for sustainable value and opportunities
• Perform analyses utilizing internal and external data sources to support business/project evaluation, decision-making and strategy development.
• Analyze historical and forecast results to identify trends and make business recommendations.
• Provide guidance and expert advice to the Clearinghouse leadership team or other groups on data consultation, data gathering, and data analysis.
• Develop and implement comprehensive financial strategies and planning processes that support the company's business objectives and long-term growth plans.

Understanding the Business:

• Develop, maintain, and demonstrate a strong working knowledge of the Clearinghouse, its environment, including its mission, services, and key stakeholders and how each organizational unit contributes to that mission.
• Actively seek opportunities for efficiency and cost-effective solutions that reduce costs and optimize results.
• Act as the primary contract owner within Finance and manage contractual obligations of each party and provide continual review to ensure that all terms and conditions are met to mitigate potential risk.
• Partner with HR, legal, and business leadership to design and implement sales incentive compensation plans that are appropriately aligned to the Company's strategic and financial objectives while striving for consistency and efficiency
• Support capital allocation decisions, including evaluation of funding strategies and investment opportunities.

Workforce Management:

• Build a team-based environment that aligns with company values, ways of working, and competencies.
• Recruit and select the best talent to help optimize skills and experiences and motivate and manage staff to maximize productivity and efficiency.
• Develop and manage career development and advancement opportunities at the Clearinghouse through MAPS conversations, developing and reporting on performance and goals, and defining and monitoring training and development plans to ensure job and career satisfaction.
• Ensure staff is adequately trained and provide guidance as needed.
• Monitor employee performance and conduct appraisals.
• Reward employees using formal and informal methods.

Position may be required to perform other duties as required. These essential functions are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the job. Reasonable accommodations will be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform these essential functions.

• Bachelor's degree in Business, Finance, Accounting, Economics, or related field. A combination of education and/or experience, including military service, will also be considered.
• 10+ years of directly related experience in Financial Planning and Analysis.
• 5+ years of experience performing in a management/supervisory role, managing others, exercising independent judgement, including the ability to lead, motivate, develop, and focus a team.
• Experience composing targeted and concise reports in the form of narratives, tables, and graphs, and comprehending and translating strategic and tactical goals into assessment measures.
  
  
  
  • Budgeting, forecasting, and planning.
  
  
  
  
• Experience developing proposals and recommendations to address business needs and improve efficiencies across an organization.
• Demonstrated business acumen and strategy, business analysis and technical finance skills with the ability to bring structure to complex business problems.
• Proven ability to work effectively and communicate complex, dynamic financial and operational information clearly and succinctly to the senior leadership and executive teams.
• Skilled in managing and prioritizing multiple projects to ensure successful, timely completion and issue-resolution.
• Proficiency with Tableau, Peoplesoft (or other accounting software), Adaptive Analytics or other data and/or financial analysis software.
• Proficiency in data extraction and analysis.
• Talented at the Management competencies:
  
  
  
  • Making complex decisions - Demonstrated ability to gain clear understanding of an initiative and represent it to various stakeholders across the organization.
  • Being flexible and adaptable - Demonstrated ability to work in a fast-paced working environment and work in a diplomatic and tactful manner with others.
  • Building collaborative relationships and optimizing diverse talent - Demonstrated ability to develop and lead a team in a positive and professional manner with a proven track record of facilitating cross-departmental issue identification, problem solving, and resolution.
  • Focusing on performance - Proven track record of prioritizing and managing multiple projects and driving them to successful completion and creating a performance and metrics-focused culture.
  
  
  
  
• Competency with Microsoft Office Suite, and proficiency with Microsoft Excel and PowerPoint, including development of analytical tools through use of Pivot Tables.
• Must live within a commutable distance to Herndon, VA (preferred) or in one of the Clearinghouse's approved States for hiring purposes. Refer to our HR Policies Page, located on our Careers site at https://www.studentclearinghouse.org/careers/human-resource-policies/, for more details.
• Must be at least 18 years old.

Additional Desired Requirements:

• MBA in Finance or Master's in Business Analytics or similar degree.
• Coursework or job experience using sales pipeline and forecasting systems and appropriate AI tools to enhance analyses and productivity.
• Certified Public Accountant (CPA) designation.

• Use of a computer for 8 or more hours a day.
• Use of a telephone and video conferencing
• Frequently required to sit for 7 or more hours per day, when in the office, may sit near others in an open office environment.
• Travel via car, train, and/or airplane, when needed (up to 10% each year).
• Occasionally required to use hands and fingers to operate, handle, and reach.
• Vision abilities include close vision and the ability to adjust focus.

The National Student Clearinghouse provides a robust benefit program designed to help meet the needs of each employee and their family, both now and in the future. We offer comprehensive medical, dental, and vision insurance, as well as life and disability insurance benefits, for employees and their qualified dependents. Health care, dependent care, and limited purpose flexible spending accounts, as well as a health savings account, are options available for employees to set aside pre-taxed dollars for certain qualifying expenses. We offer a very generous 401k matching contribution program with the opportunity to defer pre-tax and Roth contributions, as well as catch-up contributions for those who are eligible! We are proud to offer a competitive paid leave program consisting of vacation, sick, and personal time, as well as paid holidays, up to 3 weeks of paid parental leave during a 12-month period, and up to 5 days of paid military leave per calendar year. Vacation time will accrue based on length of service, and new full-time hires can accrue up to 13 days of vacation and up to 10 days of sick time per year. On an annual basis, new employees may use up to 32 hours of accrued sick time as personal time. Additionally, the Clearinghouse observes at least 11 paid holidays per year.

Another perk is that employees have the option to get reimbursed for basic wholesale company and roadside assistance memberships (e.g., Costco and AAA) and to request a buy back on portions of unused accrued vacation based on tenure and certain other qualifications. Employees can further their education and professional development by using our Employee Education Assistance Program, which establishes reimbursement for qualified education expenses upon successful completion of the program, and leveraging the enterprise-wide LinkedIn Learning subscription. There are additional employee benefits too, including but not limited to, mental health and well-being benefits. To find out more, please request a copy of our Benefits at a Glance!

Additionally, we reasonably believe that the salary range for this position is between $205,000 and $235,000. Bonus eligible.

The requisition will be open for a minimum of three days, and applications will be accepted on an ongoing basis until the position is filled.

Internal Candidates: If you feel that you qualify and meet the requirements of the job, we highly encourage you to apply and focus on preparing for the application process. Once the final candidates are selected, they can anticipate a review of the compensation prior to any offer made.

Equal Opportunity Employer/Protected Veterans/Individuals with Disabilities: The National Student Clearinghouse is proud to be an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer that does not discriminate on the basis of actual or perceived race, creed, color, religion, alienage or national origin, ancestry, citizenship status, age, disability or handicap, sex, marital status, veteran status (or known to have a spousal, family, business, social or other relationship or association with a protected veteran), sexual orientation, genetic information, arrest record, natural hairstyle, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local laws. Our management team is dedicated to this policy with respect to recruitment, hiring, placement, promotion, transfer, training, compensation, benefits, employee activities and general treatment during employment.

Pay Transparency Notice: The National Student Clearinghouse is a federal contractor that abides by all applicable equal opportunity laws and regulations. Under these laws, companies doing business with the federal government must provide applicants and employees with certain policies, including the following information. The contractor will not discharge or in any other manner discriminate against employees or applicants because they have inquired about, discussed, or disclosed their own pay or the pay of another employee or applicant. However, employees who have access to the compensation information of other employees or applicants as a part of their essential job functions cannot disclose the pay of other employees or applicants to individuals who do not otherwise have access to compensation information, unless the disclosure is (a) in response to a formal complaint or charge, (b) in furtherance of an investigation, proceeding, hearing, or action, including an investigation conducted by the employer, or (c) consistent with the contractor's legal duty to furnish information. 41 CFR 60-1.35(c)