Lead Financial Analyst

Aspire Public Schools NorCal - Lead Financial Analyst

Job Description

About Aspire NorCal Founded in 1998, Aspire Public Schools has served scholars and communities across California for nearly three decades. With Aspire Los Angeles transitioning into an independent organization, the Bay Area and Central Valley regions are coming together to form Aspire NorCal, operating 22 schools serving approximately 10,000 scholars across Northern California (Oakland, Richmond, East Palo Alto, Sacramento, Stockton, Modesto, and Ceres). This evolution comes at an important moment for Aspire. Changes in California’s funding, policy, enrollment, and operating environment have created an opportunity to rethink how the organization supports its schools and scholars in its next chapter. The formation of Aspire NorCal creates an opportunity to strengthen support for schools across teams previously organized by geography, improve the consistency and effectiveness of school support, and create clear accountability systems for organizational and scholar outcomes. The new model will require the organization to balance greater coherence across Aspire NorCal with responsiveness to the different communities and contexts of its schools. Aspire NorCal enters this transition with a long-standing mission focused on post-secondary success and a deep commitment to educational equity, along with decades of institutional knowledge across its schools and teams. Preserving those strengths while building Aspire NorCal as a unified region will be central to the work ahead. About the role The Lead Financial Analyst works closely with the Senior Director, Finance and/or Director of Finance to provide leadership, training, and support to the Finance team and the broader organization. This role provides financial analysis, tracking, and projections for assigned Aspire school sites, works with multiple budgets for restricted and unrestricted funds, understands program and project spending fluctuations, guides school sites on fiscal management, and prepares financial and compliance reporting. The role also provides team leadership and oversight for budgeting and reporting systems, including administration, training, and further development.

Key Responsibilities

• Prepare annual budget and forecast updates for assigned Aspire school sites, and facilitate regular school site budget and forecast update meetings.
• Facilitate regular school and regional site budget and forecast update meetings for assigned Aspire sites
• Lead the other financial analysts, demonstrating expertise in education finance and the California charter school landscape, and help set the tone for collaboration, professionalism, and process improvement.
• Serve as a subject matter expert for other analysts, especially on tactical and procedural items, and train other financial analysts as needed.
• Perform financial support work in an accurate and efficient manner, including attendance reporting, interim reporting, year-end preparation, and reclasses.
• Improve workflow and efficiency for the Finance team by designing robust financial models and improving existing models and reporting processes.
• Work with School Leaders, Instructional Leaders, and Finance and Accounting team members on monthly and quarterly close, interim and year-end reports, and monthly forecasts (P&L, balance sheet, and cash flow) with variance analysis; make recommendations that support financial sustainability.
• Prepare budget projections for new sites, including scenario analysis; ensure maximization of the use of restricted funding for each school.
• Provide guidance and oversight on the use of budgeting and forecasting systems.
• Analyze spending trends across schools to identify best practices and efficiencies, and share findings with the Finance team.
• Prepare school sites for year-end audit and comply with local, state, and federal reporting deadlines with charter authorizers and the California Department of Education.
• Perform ad hoc financial analyses requested by the CFO, Director of Finance, Instructional Leaders, and School Leaders.
• Demonstrate knowledge of, and support, the Aspire Public Schools mission, vision, and values, including antiracism, and uphold confidentiality standards and the code of ethical behavior.
• Perform other related duties as required and assigned.
• Support the new Service Level Agreement (SLA) under which Aspire NorCal will provide finance, accounting, and payroll services to Aspire LA.

Qualifications

Education

• Bachelor's degree in Accounting or Finance strongly preferred.

Experience

• Minimum of 5 years of accounting and/or financial analysis experience.
• Experience in K-12 public education, non-profit, or government sector.
• Proficiency with budgeting and reporting systems; Adaptive Planning experience and/or ability to learn.

Skills and competencies

• Proven ability to provide timely, meaningful financial analysis in a dynamic, high-growth environment, and to clearly communicate complex financial concepts to non-financial leaders.
• Ability to problem-solve independently, lead a team of peers, and coordinate routine projects.
• Deep knowledge of accounting, especially K-12 and/or non-profit, and of restricted and unrestricted charter school revenue sources.
• Strong Excel skills and financial modeling; familiarity with accounting software.
• Excellent organizational, time management, and follow-up skills; ability to meet deadlines under pressure with a high degree of accuracy.
• Strong client communication and interpersonal skills.

Compensation and benefits The salary range for this role is $91,232 to $117,116 annually in accordance with our salary schedule policy, commensurate with experience. This full-time, exempt position offers a comprehensive benefits package, including:

• Eligible for Aspire health benefits
• Retirement through CalSTRS or CalPERS, depending on the role's credential requirements, with a 403(b) option
• Paid time off and additional teammate benefits to be determined in accordance with updated employee value proposition to be shared prior to offer.

Aspire NorCal is conducting a comprehensive study of our employee value proposition, which could lead to material changes in July 2027. Location and work arrangement

• Work location and in-person expectations for this role are being finalized as part of our broader NorCal planning. We will share clarity with candidates in the coming weeks.

Aspire NorCal expects to provide Finance, Accounting, Payroll, and Retirement services to Aspire LA under a multi-year service agreement, and part of this department’s budget is expected to depend on that agreement. If the agreement is not finalized, is not renewed, or ends early, Aspire NorCal may reduce the department’s size accordingly, and any position in the departments listed above may be impacted. Employment with Aspire is at-will Application Deadline: November 20, 2026. Equal opportunity Aspire Public Schools is an equal opportunity employer. We consider all qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, age, sex (including pregnancy, sexual orientation, and gender identity), disability, genetic information, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local law. Aspire Public Schools provides reasonable accommodations during the application and interview process. Disclaimer We may use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to support parts of the hiring process, such as reviewing applications, analyzing resumes, or assessing responses. These tools assist our recruitment team but do not replace human judgment. Final hiring decisions are ultimately made by humans. If you would like more information about how your data is processed, please contact us.