Financial Planning & Analysis Director

Company Overview

Big Blue Marble Academy is a private equity-backed early education leader with 90+ schools across 9 states. We are seeking a Director of FP&A to serve at the center of that growth, partnering closely with the CFO to guide how the company plans, prices, acquires, and invests.

This is an unusually broad FP&A role. The Director will own the budget, forecast, and Board and sponsor reporting, lead the annual tuition pricing strategy, evaluate and integrate acquisitions, and help set the direction of an AI-enabled finance function. The role requires both leadership and partnership: advising school leaders, operations executives, and the private equity sponsor, and presenting financial results in a manner that builds trust and drives action.

Success in this role depends as much on communication, patience, and relationship-building as on technical excellence. We are seeking a leader who builds sound models and strengthens the people and teams who rely on them.

What You Will Lead Planning, Forecasting, and Performance

• Own the annual budget and operating plan, from assumptions through CFO, executive, and Board approval, with school-level and consolidated budgets built on enrollment, occupancy, tuition, staffing, and labor costs.

• Deliver weekly, monthly, and quarterly performance reporting that explains what occurred, why, and what actions are recommended, at the school, regional, and company levels.

• Maintain short-term and full-year cash flow forecasts and support liquidity planning and covenant monitoring with the CFO.

Pricing and Growth

• Lead the annual tuition pricing review, weighing local competition, enrollment and occupancy sensitivity, and planned wage increases to protect school-level margins, and track results following implementation.

• Support business development in evaluating school and multi-site operator acquisitions, including quality of earnings, and integrate acquired schools into our budget, forecast, and reporting against the original deal model.

Board, Sponsor, and Lender Partnership

• Prepare Board presentations, sponsor updates, and lender reporting with the CFO, and present a clear, consistent financial narrative that connects results to strategy.

• Respond to ad hoc requests from the Board and private equity partners with speed and accuracy.

Business Partnership

• Serve as a trusted financial advisor to Operations, department heads, and school leaders, supporting decisions on staffing, pricing, performance, and investment.

• Establish shared ownership of budgets by making financial information accessible and useful to non-finance partners.

Data, AI, and Process Leadership

• Champion an AI-forward finance function. BBMA uses Claude, and the FP&A leader is expected to be an advanced user who applies it to modeling, analysis, reporting, and automation and who equips the team to do the same.

• Streamline planning and reporting across NetSuite and Excel, and partner with the Head of Data & Analytics and the Controller to improve data quality, speed, and scalability.

Team Leadership

• Lead and develop the FP&A analyst and shape the growth of the team as the company expands.

How You Work

Technical excellence is essential, and so is the manner in which the work is performed. In this role, you will:

• Communicate with clarity. Explain a variance to a school director in plain language, leaving them better equipped to act.

• Stay patient. Treat every question from a non-finance partner as an opportunity to build trust.

• Build relationships early. Invest in relationships with Operations, school leaders, the Controller, the data team, and the sponsor before they are needed.

• Write well. Prepare Board and executive materials that are clear and self-explanatory.

• Influence without authority. Hold a clear point of view, express it respectfully, and build alignment among stakeholders.

What You Bring Core

• Exceptional written and verbal communication, including presenting to executives and Boards and explaining complex financial concepts simply to people at every level.

• A track record of building strong, trusted relationships across an organization.

• Deep FP&A experience, typically 8-10+ years, including ownership of budgeting, forecasting, and management reporting, and experience leading others.

• Strong analytical and financial modeling skills, including advanced Excel, with the ability to turn complex data into clear recommendations.

• Proficiency with AI tools and demonstrated interest in applying them to finance work.

• Bachelor's degree in Finance, Accounting, Economics, or a related field, or equivalent experience.

A Plus

• Experience with NetSuite.

• Experience in early childhood education or another multi-site, labor-intensive business.

• Experience in a private equity-backed company, including sponsor and lender reporting, or with M&A and pricing analysis.

• Experience with planning or BI tools such as Adaptive Planning, Power BI, or Tableau

Why Join Us

• Meaningful influence. Work directly with the CFO and gain regular exposure to the Board and the private equity sponsor.

• Broad scope of responsibility. Pricing, M&A support, and an AI-enabled finance function reside within a single role, so the work directly influences business outcomes.

• Strong cross-functional partnerships. Partner with the Controller and the Head of Data & Analytics as the company expands its data capabilities.

• Growth. A growing platform of 90+ schools with active acquisition opportunities.

• Mission-driven work. BBMA schools help children learn, grow, and give back, and this role supports that mission.

• Flexibility. Fully remote, with the flexibility to work from home.

Big Blue Marble Academy is an equal opportunity employer. Compensation and benefits details will be shared during the interview process.

Join a team that takes pride in teamwork, giving back and welcoming an inclusive environment. A career with Big Blue Marble Academy will empower you to reach your career goals while making a difference in the lives of the children we serve.

Employment is contingent upon successful completion of our background check, pre-hire screenings, and onboarding processes. All employment is at-will and may be terminated at any time, with or without cause.

BBMA is an equal opportunity employer and supports a diverse workforce. All applicants will be considered for employment without attention to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran or disability status.

HAVING TECHNICAL ISSUES WITH YOUR APPLICATION?

Contact us at recruiting@bbmacademy.com

Applicants requiring a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process should contact the recruitment helpdesk at recruiting@bbmacademy.com.