Sr. FP&A Analyst

At InStride, people are our purpose. 

We believe that investing in people is the most powerful way to drive success—for individuals and organizations alike. 

As a public benefit corporation, we partner with leading employers to unlock opportunities for their employees, providing access to top-tier education programs that align with their employees’ career goals and the company’s business goals. 

Our mission goes beyond skill-building; we're here to empower our partners’ employees to advance their careers, elevate their expertise, and achieve meaningful personal and professional growth.

No matter the team you’re on, our dedication to the success of our partners and their employees is what drives us. If you're passionate about making a difference and driving educational and professional advancement, InStride is the place for you. 

To get a better feel for our culture, watch more here.

Candidates must be located in one of the following states to be considered eligible for employment: AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, DE, FL, GA, IL, IN, KS, LA, MA, MD, MI, MN, MO, NC, NH, NJ, NV, NY, OH, OR, PA, TX, VA, WA, WI.

What we’re looking for        
InStride is looking for a Senior Analyst, Financial Planning & Analysis (FP&A) to join a high-performing FP&A practice (processes, software tools, etc.) that can scale with our emerging, high growth company. This role will perform analysis and prepare reports to support the annual budget process, contribute to financial and operational close and reporting processes, and assist in putting together the financial forecast.

The ideal candidate will be able to partner with leaders and team members to provide financial / analytical guidance and influence key decisions that enable the company to achieve its core mission and improve enterprise value. This candidate will be a dynamic individual who can objectively research and analyze sophisticated issues and present recommendations in a clear and simple way to elicit support from other team members.

This is a hands-on seat on a small team. You will own recurring deliverables end to end - the model, the tie-out, the commentary and the slide - for audiences that include our executive team, our board, our sponsor and our lenders.

Skills we’d love to see you show off

• Financial Analysis: Expertise in modeling, variance analysis, and budgeting to drive informed decisions.
• Collaborative Problem-Solving: Skilled in partnering across teams to shape strategy and drive business results.
• Systems Proficiency: Experienced with tools like NetSuite, Cube and Tableau, focusing on automation and process improvement.
• AI Fluency: Comfortable using AI tools to move faster on analysis, drafting and quality checks — and clear-eyed about where they help, where they don’t, and what still has to be verified by hand.
• Presentation & Communication: Ability to translate complex data into clear insights for leaders and stakeholders.
• Attention to Detail: Instinct to tie numbers out across files and systems before they go to a CFO, a board or an auditor, and to flag a variance rather than quietly bridge it.
• Curiosity & Learning: Passion for understanding trends and continuously developing skills.
• Analytical Thinking: Capable of identifying problems and offering innovative growth solutions.
• Adaptability: Thrive in fast-paced settings, managing priorities with a high standard of work.
• Cultural Awareness: Strong in navigating diverse environments, fostering inclusion, and building relationships.

Who you are

• You believe in the power of education to transform lives and are motivated by the impact we’re making. You share our values of inclusivity, authenticity, and commitment to social good.
• You enjoy working closely with others and believe that the best solutions come from diverse perspectives. You’re eager to partner with colleagues from across the business, bringing financial insights that drive collective success.
• You’re naturally curious and constantly seeking out new knowledge, whether it’s about market trends, financial systems, new AI tooling, or how to be a better teammate.
• You are proactive and take initiative. You thrive in environments where things move quickly and priorities can shift, and you’re ready to adapt without missing a beat.
• You are dependable in the unglamorous moments. When something lands late in the day or needs one more check before it goes out, you pick it up and close it out without being chased.
• You understand that people are at the core of what we do. You can navigate different personality types and work styles with ease, creating a positive and psychologically safe environment for everyone.
• You’re passionate about making a difference, not just for business but for society. You seek roles where your work can have a lasting impact, and you’re excited about being part of a mission-driven company.

EXPERIENCE WE’RE LOOKING FOR

• 4+ years of finance experience, preferably in a high-growth technology company or consulting firm
• Prior experience working for a private-equity backed company, including the reporting cadence that comes with a sponsor and lenders
• Proven track record of achievement and delivering impactful results
• Strong background in financial analysis with strong problem-solving skills
• Consistent track record to distill issues into simple, structured frameworks that can be clearly communicated to key leaders and partners inside and outside of the company
• Experience partnering with leaders across sales, marketing, R&D, operations, etc.
• A curiosity and aim to thoroughly analyze issues and to come forward with clear recommendations for moving forward
• Strong communication skills, including the ability to communicate effectively with individuals at all levels of the organization
• Proven ability in a fast-paced environment and motivated by the challenge
• Experience working in key systems to help improve and automate the finance function (ERP, FP&A, Analytics, CRM, etc.)
• Prior experience with NetSuite, Cube and Tableau is a plus
• Hands-on use of AI tools in finance or analytical workflow is a plus — we care more about judgment in applying them than about any tool
• Ability to collaborate across teams internally and with partners e.g. with universities, corporate clients and the team

How you will create impact

PLANNING & FORECASTING

• Assist in updating the long-range financial forecast model and partner with other teams across the organization to ensure that the modeling assumptions are reasonable and current
• Help drive the annual budgeting process for functional areas, maintaining the budget templates and scenarios that functional leaders build from
• Own headcount and contractor cost forecasting - roster-level detail, burden rates and role-by-role phasing — and reconcile it back to the plan each cycle

CLOSE, REPORTING & AUDIT

• Assist in the creation, consolidation and distribution of monthly reports and critical metrics to key partners
• Support the monthly financial close process and the annual financial audit as required
• Prepare the recurring YTD and full-year reporting packages requested by our external auditors, lenders and sponsor, and stand behind the tie-outs between the model, the general ledger and the reported figures
• Perform detailed budget vs. actual variance reports to each functional leader within the organization and support in presenting/distributing

BUSINESS PARTNERING & DECISION SUPPORT

• Build and manage relationships across the business and be the POC for analytical support for assigned teams
• Build decks and presentations for executives, the board of directors, and partners/clients — including P&L commentary, revenue bridges and segment or KPI pages that hold up to line-by-line scrutiny
• Provide decision support (return on investment, NPV, benchmarking, etc.) on company decisions (partnerships, customer contracts, M&A activities, etc.)
• Analyze vendor, cloud and other significant spend categories, separating what scales with the business from what does not, and bring cost-efficiency opportunities forward

SYSTEMS, AUTOMATION & AI

• Help research, select, implement, and refine processes and systems to optimize the efficiency and performance of the FP&A team
• Work in our FP&A platform (Cube) and ERP (NetSuite) to maintain scenarios, data fetches and mappings, so the plan and the actuals stay connected without manual rebuilds
• Put AI to work on the parts of the job that are repeatable — first-draft variance commentary, reconciliation checks, deck production, summarizing source documents — and apply judgment about where a human tie-out is still required before anything reaches an executive audience
• Develop an understanding of the markets, customers, and products to provide more substantial financial and analytical support to the organization
• Perform ad required hoc research, analysis, and reporting

We are looking for someone who is not only technically skilled, but also enthusiastic about making a meaningful impact. If this description resonates with you, we're excited about the possibility of having you on our team. As a skills-driven employer, we encourage you to apply if there is a skill-fit, even in the absence of years of experience.

Don’t meet every single requirement? Studies have shown that women and people of color are less likely to apply to jobs unless they meet every single qualification. At InStride, we are dedicated to building a diverse, inclusive, and authentic workplace, so if you’re excited about this role, but your past experience doesn’t align perfectly with every qualification in the job description, we encourage you to apply anyways. You may be just the right candidate for this role!

Benefits @ InStride 

As an organization that champions investing in people, it’s critical we walk the talk. That’s why InStride employees are eligible to enroll in 2,800+ online certificate and degree programs through our Step Forward program. Unlike traditional tuition reimbursement programs, InStride covers your tuition upfront, regardless of your course of study, degree type, or school - eligible to employees starting Day 1. 

This role is also eligible for the following benefits:

• 401(k) plan with company match 
• Flexible vacation policy
• Paid family leave
• Best-in-class health care benefits
• And more!

InStride Diversity and Inclusion Statement

At InStride, we foster a culture of belonging, we support authenticity and intersectionality, and we embrace and appreciate our differences. We do this by building a diverse pipeline of talent and ensuring equitable access to opportunities, information and leadership. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. 

If you have a disability or special need that requires accommodation, please let your recruiter know. 

Policies & Disclosure 

InStride recommends employees have their COVID vaccinations. InStride may require employees to have COVID vaccination before entering the office or attending any InStride-related even in the future. However, we do not require this at this time.

 For questions on how we use personal information of job applicants, please refer to InStride's Job Applicant Privacy Policy.

Beware of recruiting scams. InStride does not require a financial transaction or any financial account information to be eligible for employment. If you receive a message purporting to be from InStride asking you for a financial transaction, your financial account information, or any other sensitive information, please do not respond and let us know immediately at recruiting@instride.com.

About InStride

InStride is a human capital management company that helps organizations retain talent, upskill employees, and fill critical workforce roles through education programs. By breaking down barriers to learning, fostering career growth aligned with organizational goals, and simplifying program management, InStride delivers lasting impact. Partnering with forward-thinking companies like Labcorp, Adidas, and SSM Health, InStride drives meaningful social and business outcomes by providing access to life-changing education. Visit instride.com or follow InStride on LinkedIn for more information and up-to-date news.