Senior Manager, Strategic Finance

Senior Manager, Strategic Finance

College Board - Finance

Location: This is a remote role. Candidates who live near CB offices have the option of being fully remote or hybrid (Tuesday and Wednesday in office). All CB employees are required to occasionally travel to meet in person for business purposes.

Role Type: Full-time

About the Team

The Strategic Finance team is a highly collaborative team, working with senior leaders across the organization to drive key decisions that strengthen the outcomes of our programs and services. As the Financial Planning & Analysis (FP&A) arm of the Finance division, we leverage a strong understanding of College Board’s economics, a broad range of financial models, and deep relationships with program leaders to manage and analyze a billion-dollar budget. Our work ensures that the College Board’s resources are strategically and sustainably allocated in support of our mission to clear a path for all students to own their future.

About the Opportunity

As a Senior Manager of Strategic Finance supporting the College Readiness Assessments (CRA) division (SAT and PSAT examinations), you are an adept translator between program priorities and the organization's financial strategy. You help teams craft and refine their budgets, accurately forecast changes throughout the year, and keep leadership apprised of the financial health and needs of your portfolio of programs. You are your portfolio’s budget expert – masterfully tracking and telling the stories behind the investments, regularly adjusting projections to reflect new trends and inputs, and consistently using your financial modeling and analytical superpowers to provide actionable insights and recommendations to drive executive decision-making. Our ideal candidate is passionate about finance, has a strong understanding of FP&A best practices, and is driven by a desire to make a positive impact on students’ lives.

In this role, you will:

Budgeting & Forecasting (40%)

• Own volume and volume-related forecast logic — registrations, ancillary fees, and honoraria — continuously evaluating what’s driving forecast accuracy and refining the underlying models, not just producing a forecast on a cycle

• Own expense forecast logic — continuously evaluating what’s driving total expense forecast accuracy and refining underlying cost assumptions each cycle, not just producing a forecast on a cycle

• Monitor and quantify the financial impact of emerging, often unforeseen risks and opportunities (e.g., state policy changes, competitive shifts) against budget and forecast, keeping leadership ahead of swings rather than explaining them after they’ve landed

Systems & Reporting (35%)

• Own financial systems fidelity in Workday Adaptive, improving reporting structure and underlying data as CRA’s needs evolve

• Build and maintain the analytical infrastructure for cost management — including corporate use charges, fixed/variable analysis, and value-chain analysis

• Partner cross-functionally to source and reconcile cost detail that isn’t visible in the system today

• Develop and deliver monthly and quarterly financial performance reporting

• Support the monthly close process in partnership with Accounting

Financial Analysis (25%)

• Support key analytical work streams, which may include unit cost analyses, ROI assessments, targeted cost reduction exercises, or other strategic finance projects

• Distill complex analyses into key insights and recommendations that drive sound business and strategy decisions to sustainably advance our mission

• Proactively surface and communicate actionable financial insights for senior leadership

About You

To qualify for this role, you must have:

• Expertise in financial planning and analysis, with 5-7 years experience with budgeting and forecasting work

• 2–4 years in accounting, audit, or financial systems prior to moving into FP&A

• Experience with financial planning systems preferred, e.g. Workday Adaptive Planning

• Strong organization and prioritization skills and the proven ability to move forward multiple projects in concert, both independently and as a member of the team

• Strong analytical and quantitative skills, including extensive experience in financial modeling

• Strong communication and customer service skills, including experience summarizing complex financial analyses and presenting key findings to senior management

• Solid understanding of corporate finance

• Advanced MS Excel, PowerPoint, and Word skills

• A passion for supporting educational and career opportunities for millions of students

• Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, Economics, or related technical field preferred

• The ability to travel 4-6 times a year to College Board offices or on behalf of College Board business

All roles at College Board require:

• A passion for expanding educational and career opportunities and mission-driven work

• Curiosity and enthusiasm for emerging technologies, with a…