Vice President of Financial Planning and Analysis

POSITION: Vice President of Financial Planning and Analysis

DEPARTMENT: Finance

LOCATION: Great Hearts America Home Office / Hybrid, as assigned

REPORTS TO: Chief Financial Officer

FLSA STATUS: Exempt, Full-time

Salary range $165,000 - $ 180,000

About Great Hearts Academies 

Great Hearts Academies is the largest network of classical K-12 schools in the country with academies across Arizona, Louisiana, and Texas. With a mission to cultivate the minds and hearts of students through the pursuit of Truth, Goodness and Beauty, we believe the highest goal of education is to become good, intellectually, and morally.    

Additional information can be found at http://www.greatheartsamerica.org/.  

What does Great Hearts have to offer? 

We offer a range of distinctive benefits designed to support the well-being and growth of our faculty and staff: 

• Comprehensive Health Coverage: Exceptional medical, dental, and vision insurance with minimal employee contribution. 

• Retirement Planning: A competitive 401(k) with employer match. 

• Supportive & Mission-Driven Culture: Join a workplace centered around true collegiality, collaboration, and opportunities for personal and professional growth. 

Position Summary

The Vice President of Financial Planning and Analysis leads enterprise planning, forecasting, management reporting, financial analysis, and finance business partnership. The VP converts financial and operational data into insight, creates common planning standards across Great Hearts, and leads the finance partners serving Home Office, Online, Arizona, and new regions.

Duties & Responsibilities

• Lead the annual budget, multi-year plan, rolling forecast, scenario planning, and enterprise risk and opportunity processes.
• Develop common assumptions, calendars, templates, metrics, and review routines that support consistent and transparent planning across entities and departments.
• Produce consolidated management reporting, forecasts, variance analysis, executive commentary, board materials, and decision-support analyses.
• Drive robust cash flow forecasting and scenario planning to ensure optimal liquidity, mitigate financial risk, and support corporate capital allocation decisions.
• Lead and develop the senior finance team members across multiple business channels and geographic regions.
• Ensure finance partners provide responsive, high-quality support to regional and functional leaders while applying common enterprise standards.
• Create financial models for growth, new schools and regions, online programs, compensation, staffing, strategic initiatives, and changes in funding or enrollment.
• Partner with Accounting and Finance Systems to reconcile management reporting to the general ledger and improve data quality, reporting tools, and close-to-report processes.
• Partner with Shared Services to identify transaction trends, service issues, working-capital needs, and process improvements affecting forecasts and customers.
• Present financial results, risks, choices, and recommendations to the CFO, senior leadership, and boards as assigned.
• Perform additional duties and special projects as assigned.

Qualifications, Competencies & Strengths

Education: Bachelor’s degree in finance, accounting, economics, business, or a related field required; MBA, CPA, or relevant advanced degree preferred.

Experience: At least 10 years of progressive finance experience, including leadership of budgeting, forecasting, modeling, management reporting, and finance business partnership in a complex organization.

Special Skills:

• Expert financial modeling and advanced Excel skills; experience with enterprise planning and reporting tools strongly preferred.

• Ability to create structure around ambiguity and translate complex analysis into crisp recommendations.

• Demonstrated success leading through influence across multiple entities, regions, and executive stakeholders.

• Commitment to the mission and philosophy of Great Hearts and to responsible stewardship of resources in service to students and schools.

• Superior written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to translate financial or systems information for non-finance audiences.

• Sound judgment, discretion, attention to detail, and a high standard of accuracy and follow-through.

• Ability to work effectively in a fast-paced, deadline-oriented, multi-entity and multi-state environment.

• Service orientation, collaborative problem solving, and the ability to build trust across schools, regions, and functional teams.

• Proficiency with Microsoft 365; advanced Excel capability is expected for finance leadership and analytical roles.

Additional Requirements

Physical functions: Requires but is not limited to sitting, standing, repetitious hand and body movements, bending, squatting, and reaching. May be required to move or position equipment up to approximately 15 pounds.

Travel required: Occasional travel to Great Hearts offices, academies, or partner sites may be required depending on role responsibilities.

Employment is contingent upon successful completion of a criminal history background check and fingerprint clearance in accordance with state requirements.

Travel required: May need to travel locally for training and professional development opportunities.

This description reflects management’s assignment of essential functions. It does not exclude or restrict the tasks that may be assigned. 

Great Hearts Academies is an Equal Opportunity Employer.