Location: Remote + limited local travel within Los Angeles

Employment Type: Full-time, Non-exempt

Salary Range: $80,700 - $88,770

Benefits: High-quality health and dental insurance, paid vacation, employer-matched retirement plan

The Organization

At Thrive Scholars, we provide high-achieving students from under-resourced communities the opportunities they need to thrive at top colleges and in meaningful careers.

Our comprehensive and data-driven program model focuses on the key inflection points that can be the difference between graduating from any college and graduating from a top college with the grades, degree, career skills, and network needed to thrive in any career. Thrive Scholars originated in Los Angeles as South Central Scholars (“SCS”) twenty years ago. Over this time, the organization has refined its program model and, in the last five years, has focused on expanding nationally; reaching more high-achieving underrepresented students, growing the number of Scholars we serve; and deepening our program impact. Thrive Scholars has begun to grow its footprint with new summer program offerings in three additional cities, with more to come. The organization has approximately 65 year-round employees and close to 200 summer employees.

The Position

As our Finance and Operations Analyst, you will be a key driver of our organization's financial health and operational excellence. You will own critical financial processes, deliver insightful analysis to inform strategic decisions, and manage key operational projects. Your strengths in financial management, process improvement, and cross-functional collaboration will be essential as we scale our impact. This role is a unique opportunity to take ownership of a portfolio of work that is vital to our mission.Your strengths in balancing multiple priorities, learning on the go, creating order and clarity, and solving problems with creativity and a positive attitude will help us to create and sustain strong internal processes.

An ideal candidate will have prior experience working within a finance or finance-adjacent capacity and have a basic understanding of core responsibilities related to financial management and analysis, administration, general operations, and office management. This is a full-time position based out of Los Angeles. The role will report directly to our Managing Director of Talent & Operations, and indirectly to our COO. The role will require once weekly travel to our LA office and occasional travel to and from the bank. 

Key Responsibilities

Financial Management & Analysis (70%)

• Own the budgeting and forecasting process for departmental stakeholders, providing variance analysis and recommendations to leadership to ensure alignment with fiscal year goals.
• Build, own, and maintain a long-term financial forecast for the organization.
• Serve as the primary liaison to the outsourced accounting team, owning the monthly close process, including general ledger reconciliation, and ensuring the integrity of all financial records, while also working to reduce our reliance on this external contractor over time. 
• Prepare and present monthly financial reports and dashboards for key stakeholders, identifying trends, investigating discrepancies, and providing insights to support data-driven decision-making.
• Own the full cycle of accounts payable and accounts receivable, optimizing processes for efficiency and accuracy.
• Lead a committee to manage the vendor lifecycle, from contract review and negotiation to performance monitoring and subscription management, ensuring financial oversight and operational efficiency.
• Manage day-to-day treasury functions, including monitoring cash flow, processing wires, and managing banking relationships.
• Administer the corporate card and expense reimbursement platform (e.g., Bill.com), ensuring compliance with company policy, accurate coding, and timely processing.
• Maintain our Salesforce revenue tracking and support with ad hoc business modeling requests. 

Strategic & General Operations (30%)

• Own the operational planning and execution for key organizational initiatives, such as the annual staff retreat and new system implementations, ensuring stakeholder alignment and successful delivery.
• Own and administer key operational systems, including managing the company’s device management and antivirus software to ensure all laptops are compliant with security guidelines and to prevent data breaches.
• Oversee logistics and communications for employee engagement initiatives, including team gatherings, Spirit Weeks, staff recognition, newsletters, and other internal announcements.
• Provide oversight for office management functions for the LA office, including key vendor relationships and facilities needs.

Additional duties as assigned. 

QUALIFICATIONS & MINDSET 

• Experience: 3-5+ years of progressive experience in a finance, accounting, or financial operations role. Nonprofit experience is highly valued.
• Financial Acumen: Solid understanding of nonprofit accounting principles (GAAP), financial reporting, and budget management.
• Analytical Skills: Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with a proven ability to analyze financial data and provide actionable insights.
• Technical Proficiency: Advanced proficiency in Excel/Google Sheets (e.g., pivot tables, complex formulas, modeling). Experience with accounting software (e.g., Bill.com, QuickBooks) is required.
• Ownership & Discretion: A proactive and results-oriented mindset with the ability to own projects from start to finish. Proven ability to handle confidential information with discretion and maturity.
• Communication: Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to present financial information clearly to non-financial stakeholders.
• Commitment: A demonstrated commitment to Thrive Scholars’ mission.
• Demonstrated track record in troubleshooting, problem-solving, and follow-through.
• Commitment to Thrive Scholars’ mission.
• An enthusiastic, collaborative, and curious approach to your work.

Compensation and Benefits:

Thrive Scholars offers a competitive compensation and benefits package including high-quality health, dental, and disability insurance, three weeks of paid vacation (four weeks after two years of employment), generous professional development funding, and access to an employer-matched retirement plan. This is a full-time, non-exempt position.

Travel Expectations: 

This role is primarily remote, but does require limited travel. Travel requirements may vary from time to time, but the expectation is that this role travels to our office in Downtown Los Angeles at least once per week, and to and from our local banks as needed. 

Equal Employment Opportunities:

Thrive Scholars provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment based on race, color, religion, gender, gender identity, national origin, sexual orientation, age, disability, or veteran status. Knowing their importance to the success of our work, Thrive Scholars is committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion, and we aspire to build a diverse staff team and community. We strongly encourage people of all backgrounds to apply.

For more information, please visit thrivescholars.org