Financial Analyst - SPARK Schools Support Office - 2026

Purpose of Role

• The Financial Analyst supports effective financial decision-making across SPARK Schools by providing accurate financial analysis, forecasting, modelling and performance insights. The role partners with Finance and operational stakeholders to understand financial performance, identify risks and opportunities, and support decisions that improve the financial sustainability and operational effectiveness of the organisation.
• The Financial Analyst plays a key role in the budgeting and forecasting processes, analyses school and organisational performance against plan, develops financial models and business cases, and translates complex financial and operational data into clear, actionable insights for management.

Reports To: Senior Financial Manager

Responsibilities

• Support the annual budgeting, forecasting and long-term financial planning processes across SPARK Schools.
• Prepare monthly and quarterly financial forecasts incorporating actual performance and updated operational assumptions.
• Analyse actual financial performance against budget, forecast and prior periods and clearly explain material variances.
• Assist the Financial Manager with the external audit process, including the preparation of audit working papers, review and preparation of financial statements, and preparation of technical IFRS documentation.
• As and when required, conduct internal financial audits of the Finance Department, its processes and policies, with a focus on corporate governance, compliance, internal controls and risk mitigation.
• Prepare high-quality monthly management reporting and financial analysis for Finance leadership, Executive Committee and other stakeholders.
• Analyse financial performance at school, regional, business unit and organisational level.
• Monitor and analyse key financial drivers including enrolment, revenue, collections, payroll, operating expenditure and capital expenditure.
• Develop and maintain financial models to support strategic and operational decision-making.
• Prepare financial business cases, scenario analyses, sensitivity analyses and investment evaluations.
• Analyse school-level economics and develop benchmarks to identify financial risks, opportunities and performance improvement opportunities.
• Partner with budget owners and operational leaders to strengthen financial planning, accountability and decision-making.
• Conduct cost and efficiency analysis and identify sustainable opportunities to improve financial performance.
• Support short- and medium-term cash flow forecasting and analysis.
• Develop dashboards and analytical tools that improve visibility of organisational financial performance.
• Work collaboratively with Finance, Business Intelligence and Data teams to improve the quality and automation of financial reporting.
• Ensure financial analysis is supported by accurate, complete and reliable data.
• Provide ad hoc financial analysis and support strategic projects as required by Finance leadership and the Executive Committee.
• Continuously improve financial models, reporting processes, systems and analytical methodologies.

Qualifications

The ideal candidate will possess the following qualifications

Essential

• Bachelor's degree in Finance, Accounting, Economics, Management Accounting or a related discipline.
• CASA professional qualification.
• Strong financial accounting and financial analysis capability.

Advantageous

• Postgraduate qualification in Finance, Accounting or related discipline.

Experience

• 3–5 years' relevant experience in financial analysis, FP&A, management accounting or commercial finance.
• Demonstrated experience preparing budgets, forecasts and management reporting.
• Strong experience analysing financial performance and explaining variances.
• Demonstrated financial modelling experience.
• Experience working with large and complex financial datasets.
• Advanced Microsoft Excel capability.
• Experience working with SAGE ERP, financial reporting or planning systems.
• Experience developing dashboards using Power BI or similar tools would be advantageous.
• Experience within a multi-site, education, retail or similarly distributed operating environment would be advantageous.

Skills and Mindset

• Strong verbal and written communication skills.
• Maintains confidentiality and demonstrates high levels of integrity.
• Strong organisational, analytical and interpersonal skills.
• Self-motivated, with a willingness to learn new concepts and participate in new projects.
• Able to manage, guide and lead employees to ensure appropriate financial processes are followed.
• Excellent attention to detail.
• Demonstrates resilience, adaptability and strong execution in a fast-paced, high-output environment, consistently maintaining a high standard of delivery despite competing priorities, capacity constraints and evolving systems and processes.
• Displays grit, a high level of excellence, alignment with SPARK's mission and vision, and a high level of self-reflection GEMS.