About WestEd
As a community of over 1,400 researchers, practitioners, consultants, and administrative professionals from all backgrounds and life experiences, we are committed to making a qualitative difference in the lives of youth, children, and adults. We conduct and apply research, develop evidence-based solutions, and provide consulting services across the country in both rural and urban communities to improve equitable outcomes for individuals from infancy through adulthood. Serving as trusted partners in the areas of education, health, and justice, our teams enhance capacity within communities and school districts to prioritize impact — asking the right questions, customizing methodologies, developing relevant tools, and implementing best practices specific to a diverse range of stakeholder needs.
Furthering diversity, equity, and inclusion is core to who we are and how we work. We are committed to working with our clients to illuminate and address disparities, value and elevate diverse voices, and ensure equitable access to our resources and services. Read more about WestEd’s Commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. Come and join us!
SPECIAL NOTICE REGARDING THE WORK LOCATION OF THIS POSITION—Although WestEd provides the option of working at one of its facilities for employees, many roles allow employees to choose to work remotely for their own convenience. The decision to allow remote work at the employee's convenience is based on the requirements of the position or project in question.
The Opportunity:
The Senior Financial Analyst is a mid-level position responsible for financial and project management activities related to strategic business decisions within Division 1 (D1): K-12 Systems and will report to the Division Finance Manager. The financial activities include data analysis, budgeting, financial modeling and reporting, variance analysis, accounting, cost control, and financial analysis. Generally, this position is responsible for the financial management of multiple high-visibility projects and Content Area portfolios, as well as reviewing the overall financial health of D1 as a whole.
Core Focus Areas:
- Work closely with the Division’s Senior Leadership to optimize data analysis and financial reporting to support the agency’s strategic, operational, and financial goals.
- Design, create, prepare, and analyze financial reports and models, including variance and trend analysis, consolidated reporting, and analysis across the Division. Provide key information to the Division’s Senior Leadership to drive business decisions, recognize issues, and identify opportunities for continuous quality improvement.
- Develop, oversee, and manage Division and project budgets. This includes managing Financial Analysts and other Operations staff in the day-to-day development of project budgets.
- Responsible for monthly budget review and forecasting, including meeting with the Senior Vice President and Vice Presidents for a detailed review of the revenue forecasts for their respective portfolios.
- Develop financial reports to highlight key metrics of interest that support WestEd’s business strategies and goals.
- Work collaboratively with the Finance teams to review and develop key financial and budgetary initiatives to ensure successful implementation and compliance across the divisions.
- Identify and recommend opportunities to streamline financial and informational reporting and provide recommendations regarding transactional system changes or upgrades to the Division Financial Manager.
- Evaluate existing business processes and recommend improvements to increase accuracy and processing time and to gain consistency.
- Prepare financial and contractual information required for business proposals from inception to submission.
- Support and monitor the execution of new contracts. Work with clients and the WestEd Contracts Department to ensure that the financial guidelines for spending and billing are clear.
- Responsible for supporting Project Directors in the proper financial management of external consultants/subcontracts, including, but not limited to, reviewing invoices, confirming the accuracy of financial information in contractual agreements, and more.
- Serve as a liaison between Project Directors and the WestEd Accounting team to ensure project billing/invoicing is accurate and up to date.
What We’re Looking For:
- Bachelor’s degree or higher in finance/accounting and 5-7 years of relevant work experience.
- Extensive and in-depth knowledge of and experience with financial analysis, financial modeling and reporting management of financial databases, accounting, budget management and development, and financial systems/applications.
- Strong fiscal management skills and experience, including reviewing and improving business practices and processes.
- Ability to structure and perform complex financial models and data queries to support strategic business planning, financial-based decisions, and practices with adherence to WestEd financial policies and Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP).
- Ability to review and analyze financial information using various financial and audit tools.
- Must be accurate, detail-oriented, and yet be able to view financial information from a broad organizational perspective.
- Demonstrated professional maturity and organizational political astuteness combined with tact, diplomacy, common sense, sound judgment, and confidentiality.
- Strong interpersonal skills with the ability to work in a diverse work environment and various levels of management.
- Must be a strong individual contributor as well as an effective team member and project leader.
- Must be a self-starter, an independent thinker, action-oriented and self-motivated.
- Fluency and expert-level skills with Microsoft Office, particularly Excel, Word, and PowerPoint. Experience with database querying and report writing is a plus.
- Customer service attitude and approach to working with internal/organizational clients as well as external parties.
- Interest in applying corporate business practices to the non-profit sector within an organization whose mission is to improve the educational systems that serve children and families.
- Experience with Salesforce, Cognos, and Adaptive reporting and budgeting software is a plus.
- Familiarity and experience with fiscal management for federal contracts, grants, and cooperative agreements are a plus.
*Note: Visa sponsorship is not available for this position. Successful candidates must be authorized to work in the United States.
WestEd conducts a criminal background check and education verification for all new hires. Any offers of employment will be contingent on receiving a clear background check in accordance with applicable law.
SALARY AND BENEFITS:
The full salary range for this position, WestEd level 10, is $90,000 to $135,000, but WestEd does not typically hire at or near the top of the salary range. The typical hiring range for this role is $90,000 to $112,500. The actual offer takes into account multiple factors, including but not limited to education, experience, internal equity, and other organizational needs.
In addition to the base salary, benefits include:
· 15% contribution toward retirement effective day 1 of employment
· Pre-tax Flexible Spending Accounts
· All health/welfare benefits are effective the first of the month following the hire date
· PTO: 3 weeks’ vacation (increases to 4 weeks beginning the 4th year of employment), paid holidays, and 12 days paid sick leave per year
· Life Insurance: value of 3x gross salary
· Opportunities for annual merit-based performance increases + annual incentives
· Professional development opportunities & mentorship program
For more details about our benefits, go to: https://www.wested.org/work-at-wested/benefits/
Committed to the diversity of race, ethnicities, perspectives, and opportunities, WestEd offers a variety of social and professional learning communities, such as Employee Resource groups, the Data Intelligence, Insights, and Innovation PLC, and the WestEd Parent Community, just to name a few. We hope you’ll consider joining us to build better schools, communities, learning pathways, and more! #LI-Remote #LI-Hybrid
