Strategic Finance Director

DonorsChoose is an education nonprofit ensuring every US public school student has the classroom resources they need to learn, grow, and thrive. Founded by a teacher in 2000, DonorsChoose connects educators with a nationwide community of supporters who believe investing in students today will transform tomorrow.

The Finance, IT, & Procurement team provides the infrastructure and stewardship that keep DonorsChoose financially strong, technologically enabled, and focused on getting resources into classrooms.

DonorsChoose is seeking a tactical, collaborative Strategic Finance Director who will report to the VP, Finance & Accounting. You will work closely with senior leaders to provide insights that drive growth, optimize resource allocation, shape cash and margin decisions, and enhance financial performance across the organization. This is a highly cross-functional role for someone who thrives at the intersection of financial analysis and strategic decision-making. We are looking for candidates who have deep scenario planning and modeling experience – who are able to analyze financial data, build financial models, generate financial forecasts, and play a key role in driving business decisions.

About a third of your time will be dedicated towards budgeting, forecasting, and month-end reporting activities as needed while maintaining primary focus on strategic finance and decision support.

Success in this role requires equal parts analytical rigor, curiosity, creativity, and business judgment. You’ll build sophisticated financial models from scratch, pressure-test assumptions, synthesize information from multiple sources, and communicate recommendations that help leaders make better decisions. You’ll thrive if you enjoy moving between spreadsheets and strategy conversations and are equally comfortable diving into the details and presenting the story behind the numbers.

Responsibilities

Financial Modeling & Business Analysis:

• Build and maintain a 3-statement financial model for budgeting, forecasting, cash flow management, scenario analysis, and net asset impacts
• Independently develop ROI analyses and cost-benefit frameworks that shape prioritization decisions and track the end-to-end lifecycle of initiatives from investment through post-launch impact measurement
• Influence decision-making across senior leaders with actionable financial insights to solve key business challenges and position our organization for growth
• Partner across the organization to evaluate deal economics, optimize margins, and improve efficiency
• Communicate executive-ready analyses, dashboards, and Board materials that translate complex financial information into meaningful business insights

Budget & Forecast Management:

• Lead critical FP&A processes, including annual budgeting process, recurring forecasts, month-end reporting, and preparation of financial reporting for senior leadership and Board presentations
• Improve and automate FP&A processes, systems, and reporting as the company scales by using modern tooling (including AI-enabled solutions) to improve speed and accuracy
• Guide senior leaders on resource allocation and strategic decisions, occasionally presenting at leadership meetings and playing a critical role in influencing change across cross-functional workstreams
• Manage vendor renewal calendars and ensure no material contracts auto-renew without review

Special Projects:

• Support the build-out of an internal procurement process, one that establishes a centralized function for spend management, contract reviews, vendor selection, and purchasing process.
• Own mission-critical initiatives such as an updated pricing strategy to optimize our margins