Senior Budget Analyst

Senior Budget Analyst

As Senior Budget Analyst for SU Global, you will serve as a financial partner to a high-growth startup operation within a prestigious university structure. This role requires financial oversight for 60+ specialized programs across 13 schools and colleges, managing complex revenue models, enrollment-driven budgeting, and rapid financial analysis to support real-time decision-making in a fast-paced environment.

You will work closely with SU Global leadership, academic program directors, enrollment management teams, and central finance offices to ensure financial sustainability while supporting aggressive growth targets. This position demands financial acumen, entrepreneurial thinking, and the ability to translate complex financial data into actionable insights for stakeholders who are building something new.

The successful candidate will provide budgetary and financial analysis to support strategic planning, monitor program profitability, manage administrative budgets, and ensure compliance with University policies and external regulations governing online education revenue.

Education and Experience
- Bachelor's degree in finance, accounting, business administration, or a related field required. Minimum 3-5 years of experience in budget analysis, financial planning, or financial operations, preferably in higher education, online education, or high-growth organizations. Experience with enrollment-driven revenue models, tuition forecasting, or student financial operations strongly preferred. Demonstrated ability to work in fast-paced, entrepreneurial environments with competing priorities and evolving objectives.

Skills and Knowledge
- Advanced Excel: financial modeling, pivot tables, formulas, visualization. Experience with People Soft or similar ERP systems. Create dashboards/reports using Excel or Tableau. Financial forecasting and scenario planning. Budget development, monitoring, variance analysis. Revenue recognition and enrollment-based modeling. Higher ed funding models and tuition structures. Program profitability and cost analysis. Data-driven decision-making with attention to detail. Identify trends, patterns, and risks proactively.

Creative problem-solving. Synthesize information into actionable recommendations. Excellent communication skills; explain financial concepts to non-finance audiences. Build relationships cross-functionally. Influence and educate stakeholders on best practices. Entrepreneurial mindset; comfortable with ambiguity and change. High urgency and accountability. Flexible with shifting priorities. Proactive problem-solver. Thrives in collaborative environments. Mission-driven; committed to student success. Working knowledge of University policies, procedures, and financial systems.

Understanding of higher ed regulatory environment including Title IV compliance. Grant funding and contract review experience preferred.

Responsibilities
- Financial Planning and Budget Management Develop, monitor, and manage operating budgets for SU Global administrative units and academic programs, including enrollment-driven revenue projections and variable expense modeling. Lead the annual budget planning process for SU Global in coordination with academic units and the University Budget Office, incorporating growth targets, market analysis, and strategic initiatives. Build and maintain complex financial models to project tuition revenue based on enrollment forecasting, retention rates, and pricing strategies across multiple program modalities (fully online, hybrid, accelerated).

Analyze program-level profitability by tracking direct and indirect costs against revenue, providing recommendations to optimize financial performance. Prepare budget adjustment requests and reforecasts throughout the fiscal year to reflect enrollment shifts, program launches, marketing investments, and operational changes. Monitor expenditures against budget, identifying variances and working with program managers to implement corrective actions. Support leadership with financial analysis for new program feasibility studies, partnership evaluations, and strategic investments.

Revenue Analysis and Enrollment Financial Modeling Serve as the primary financial liaison between SU Global, and enrollment management, translating enrollment data into financial projections and budget implications. Monitor tuition revenue performance in real-time, analyzing enrollment trends, student progression, course loads, and cohort behavior to forecast revenue with precision. Develop dashboards and reporting tools that provide leadership with current financial performance metrics, enrollment KPIs, and variance analysis.

Partner with enrollment teams to model financial impacts of marketing campaigns, admission strategies, scholarship programs, and pricing changes. Analyze revenue distribution across programs, identifying high-performing and underperforming areas with actionable recommendations. Manage financial planning for…