Senior Financial Analyst

Position Summary

The Business Office team advances the mission of The Hotchkiss School by delivering accurate, timely financial services and thoughtful stewardship of institutional resources, while providing exceptional support to the school community. The Senior Financial Analyst plays a key strategic role in shaping the School’s long-term financial sustainability and decision-making. This position leads the development of integrated multi-year financial models, drives scenario planning, and provides data-driven insights to support senior leadership and the Board of Trustees.

Essential Functions/Responsibilities

• Lead the development and maintenance of integrated multi-year financial models (5- and 10-year outlooks) aligned with the School’s strategic plan.
• Build dynamic scenario analyses to assess the impact of enrollment trends, tuition strategy, financial aid, staffing, and capital investments, and evaluate trade-offs across revenue, expenses, and capital allocation.
• Provide data-driven recommendations to support strategic decisions, including tuition setting, financial aid budget, and program expansion.
• Develop comprehensive monthly, quarterly, and annual financial reports, including budget-to-actual analysis, for the CFOO, Head of School, senior leadership, and Board of Trustees.
• Work with Admissions, Advancement, and Academic departments to develop financial models related to enrollment, financial aid, and fundraising initiatives.
• Partner with the Director of Facilities to maintain and model a 10-year plan for capital projects and deferred maintenance, ensuring alignment with the School’s long-range financial model.
• Lead the annual budgeting process, including maintaining a zero-based budgeting approach and managing the annual request and approval workflow.
• Collaborate with department heads and chairs to gather input, support budget development, and help them understand, manage, and plan against their budgets.
• Maintain budget templates and oversee tracking of budget-to-actual performance across departments.
• Develop rolling forecasts, monitor financial performance, and analyze variances, risks, and emerging trends; recommend adjustments based on changing assumptions and current-year performance.
• Report overspending of endowment funds to the CFOO and Head of School.
• Partner with Advancement to support both financial modeling and clear articulation of how donor funds are utilized.
• Support the Business Office in ensuring smooth daily operations, including accurate financial reporting, expense tracking.
• Aid in the preparation of materials for and record Trustee Committee meeting minutes for Audit & Risk, Finance, Investment, and Buildings & Grounds.
• Proactively bring insights from benchmarking, webinars, and professional networks to recommend improvements and new approaches.

Skills & Experience Required

• Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Accounting, Economics, or a related field, with 7–10 years of progressive experience in financial planning and analysis, strategic finance, or a related discipline.
• Advanced degree or professional certification (e.g., CFA) preferred.
• Demonstrated expertise in building and maintaining complex, integrated financial models, including multi-year projections and scenario analysis.
• Strong experience in budgeting, forecasting, and long-range financial planning within a complex organization.
• Pioneering ability to translate financial data into clear, actionable insights and recommendations that influence senior leadership decision-making.
• Excellent analytical, problem-solving, and critical thinking skills, with the ability to evaluate trade-offs and assess long-term financial sustainability.
• Strong communication and presentation skills, with the ability to convey complex financial concepts to both financial and non-financial audiences, including senior leadership and the Board.
• Exceptional organizational and project management skills, with the ability to manage multiple priorities, meet deadlines, and maintain a high degree of accuracy and attention to detail.
• Advanced proficiency in financial systems and tools, including Excel (modeling, data analysis), and experience with reporting and visualization tools; familiarity with ERP or data systems implementation is a plus.

Additional Information

Please attach a resume and cover letter. The essential functions and basic skills have been included. It is not intended to be construed as an exhaustive list of all functions, responsibilities, skills, and abilities. Additional functions and requirements may be assigned by supervisors as deemed appropriate. This position description is subject to change at any time.