InStride is a public benefit company whose mission is to develop the workforce of the future by helping employers provide career-boosting education opportunities to their employees through a network of high-quality academic institutions. We believe the most enduring way for companies to achieve transformative business and social impact is by investing in their people.

Role Overview:

InStride is looking for an experienced Director of Financial Planning & Analysis (FP&A) to help build an efficient FP&A practice (people, processes, software tools, etc.) that can scale with our company. This role will drive the annual budget, support financial and operational close and reporting processes, and develop the long-range financial forecast. The Director of FP&A will partner with company leaders and team members to provide financial / analytical support and to influence decisions that enable the company to achieve its core mission. This person will be a dynamic leader who can build and lead a team, objectively research and analyze issues, and present recommendations in a way that elicits support and agreement from team members.

Responsibilities:

• Own the annual budgeting process
• Be responsible for the creation, consolidation and distribution of InStride's financial reports and critical metrics to leadership, the board of directors, partners, etc.
• Support the monthly financial close process and the annual financial audit as required
• Support the creation of executive, board of director, or other contributor analyses and presentations
• Perform and distribute monthly, detailed budget vs. actual variance reports to each functional leader within the organization and help influence corrective action on under-performing investments and budget risks / over-runs
• Own the development of the financial forecast model and partner with others across the organization to ensure that the modeling assumptions are reasonable and current
• Provide analytical / decision support (return on investment, NPV, benchmarking, etc.) on key company decisions (partnerships, key customer contracts, M&A activities, etc.)
• Build and maintain strong, cross-functional relationships with senior leadership across the business and be the go-to person / team for analytical support for each functional team
• Approve department spending requests to ensure purchases are within approved budget limits
• Identify trends and offer solutions to mitigate negative trends and (or) accelerate positive ones
• Research, select, implement, and refine processes and systems to optimize the efficiency and performance of the FP&A team
• Develop a deep understanding of the company’s markets, customers, and products in order to provide more relevant financial and analytical support to the organization
• Perform ad hoc research, analysis, and reporting as required

Ideal Candidate

• 6-8+ years of finance experience, preferably in a consulting firm or a high-growth technology company
• Prior experience working for a private-equity backed company
• Bachelor's degree in accounting, finance, economics or a similar field
• MBA
• Proven track record of achievement and delivering impactful results
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills and the ability to distill complex issues into simple, structured frameworks that can be clearly communicated to key leaders and partners inside and outside of the company
• Extensive experience partnering with and influencing senior executives across multiple functions (sales, marketing, R&D, operations, etc.)
• An innate curiosity to thoroughly analyze issues and to come forward with clear and simple recommendations for moving forward
• Strong written and verbal communication skills
• Proven ability working in a fast-paced, constantly evolving environment
• Consistent track record identifying and pursuing problems regardless of the nature of the issue or the work required to get the job done
• Knowledge of financial/accounting principles
• Ability to work in a collaborative environment
• Expertise in relevant systems to help streamline and automate the finance function (ERP, FP&A, Analytics, CRM, etc.)
• Prior experience with NetSuite and Salesforce.com is a plus
• Prior leadership and people management experience coaching, mentoring, and developing team members
• Motivated by the challenge of building a best-in-class business that delivers not only growth, but also has a significant impact on society.
• Ability to facilitate and enable people to collaborate with each other; and promote collaboration with partners e.g. with Universities, corporate clients and the team.
• High EQ, comfort with ambiguity and a “no job too small” startup mentality.

If you are looking to apply for one of our Remote opportunities please know that InStride is only able to employ candidates from the following states.

California

Arizona

Washington

Texas

Massachusetts

Maryland

Michigan

Florida

New Jersey

Ohio

InStride is proud to be an Equal Employment Opportunity employer. We do not discriminate based upon race, ethnicity, religious creed, color, national origin, ancestry, gender (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, marital status, age, status as a protected veteran, status as an individual with a disability, medical condition, or any other category protected by applicable federal and state law, including the City of Los Angeles’ Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring Ordinance relating to an applicant's criminal history.

We will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided a reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform crucial job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment. Please discuss your requested accommodation with our HRBP.