Vice President of Finance

Key Responsibilities

Upload a balanced budget by the start of the new fiscal year for IDEA Texas.

• Strategically lead the annual financial planning and budget process in partnership with key stakeholders and cross functional teams such as Human Assets
• Ensure the annual financial planning and budgeting process is holistic and adapts to meet the planning needs of the organization in any given fiscal year
• Manage the master budget and pro formas through preliminary drafts, scenario planning, and final adoption along with intra-year budget amendments
• Ensure annual planning and budgeting project milestones and deadlines are met
• Lead the Financial Planning & Analysis team to support fiduciaries and budget owners and their staff during the annual planning and budgeting process
• Project and allocate enterprise revenue and expense forecasts, coordinating with internal partners to ensure accurate projections
• Present regular updates to the IDEA Texas Executive team and Finance Committee

Guide national, regional and school teams in meeting their financial targets

• Ensure the Finance team produces high quality reporting and analysis that assists budget managers and support staff in understanding the impact of monthly and year-to-date budget to actuals, and other key financial performance indicators
• Lead the Financial Planning and Analysis team to build and update rolling forecasts in partnership with school and regional leaders to ensure schools and regional budgets will meet annual operating income targets
• Consult with schools and teams that are off track and provide actionable recommendations to improve financial performance
• Partner with the Finance Services team to ensure high quality support, reference materials, and development options are available to financial managers

Lead the maintenance of long-term financial models for existing regions based on IDEA’s strategic plan, national expansion and program changes.

• Support the development of mathematical, analytical, statistical constructs and models to understand the impact of operating across existing and new regions
• Align financial model outcomes with annual budgeting and proforma processes
• Train internal stakeholders (Executive Directors, Senior Leadership, Advancement Leadership, etc.) on the purposes and outcomes of regional financial models
• Produce and maintain two-five year revenue and expense forecasts

Provide leadership and guidance to the Payroll team.

• Ensure the annual payroll calendar is holistic and adapts to meet the evolvingneeds of the organization in any given fiscal year
• Develop and manage necessary relationships with banking partners and payroll vendors to ensure smooth processing and exception resolution.
• Ensure Payroll team has adequate resources and information to carry out essential duties in a timely and compliant manner.
• Assist the Payroll team in resolving grievances that arise during the fiscal year. Human Assets and Finance Teams to develop annual work and payroll calendars
• Review data and reporting regarding key metrics, develop a dashboard available to mangers to provide additional transparency and visibility to payroll accuracy
• Strategically partner with other key stakeholders such as Accounting, Treasury, Grants, Staffing, Compensation and Benefits, Employee Information Systems and Financial Planning and Analysis to build understanding for shared Payroll responsibilities.
• Strategically partner with other key stakeholders such as Accounting, Treasury, Grants, Staffing, Compensation and Benefits, Employee Information Systems and Financial Planning and Analysis to build understanding for shared Payroll responsibilities. Provide leadership and guidance to the Business Office Service and Support Tea
• Ensure exemplary customer support for on campus schools and operations partners
• Work through teams to cascade implementation and policy changes to create consistency across campuses
• Advise on professional development for national regional and campus teams
• Develop relationships with counterparts in Schools, Academic Services, and Operations teams to resolve concerns and
• partner on program enhancements for the benefit of IDEA students.

Additional Duties

• Provide leadership and guidance to the Business Office Support Services Team:
  • Provide Strategic Direction: Ensure alignment with Finance and organizational goals; guide the Business Office Support Services leader in setting priorities and driving outcomes.
  • Monitor Performance & Accountability: Track service metrics (e.g., Zendesk, customer satisfaction), review trends and team reports, and hold the team accountable to performance and compliance standards.
  • Strengthen Communication: Review and advise on strategic communication plans tied to annual milestones; ensure messaging is clear, proactive, and aligned with Finance leadership.
  • Foster Collaboration: Promote cross-functional collaboration—especially with HR Shared Services and Compensation—to improve the end-user experience and service delivery.

Qualification & Requirements

Knowledge and Skills:

• Skill in critical-thinking and problem-solving, along with the ability to perform during moments of ambiguity
• Skill in organization, prioritization, follow through, and attention to detail
• Ability to plan and conduct financial and management audits
• Knowledge of state school finance and the willingness to learn other states education finance systems
• Able to build strong relationships and mutually beneficial business partnerships through trust, empathy, and credibility
• Able to manage and monitor multiple projects at once, often under pressure with competing priorities and tight turnarounds while maintaining composure, ensuring quality, and achieving results
• Able to analyze and interpret data and statistics to identify trends, draw conclusions, and develop strategies and tactics that that yield results and achieve goals

Required experience:

• Bachelor’s degree in accounting, management, finance, business or another relevant field. Master of Accountancy or Business Administration preferred.
• 10 years of work experience with 5 years finance, accounting or auditing experience; preferably non-profit or educational setting
• Mastery in MS Excel and proven experience in building and maintaining complex financial models required.

Benefits

We offer medical, dental, and vision plans, disability, life insurance, parenting benefits, flexible spending account options, generous vacation time, referral bonuses, professional development, and a 403(b) plan.