Head of Financial Planning Analysis

Join to apply for the Head of Financial Planning Analysis role at Zen Educate

Location: London (Hybrid 2 days per week from home)

Contract: Full-time

Salary: £90,000–£100,000 + stock options + benefits

About the Role

Hi, I’m Anna, CFO at Zen Educate. We’re searching for a Head of FP&A who can take full ownership of our planning, forecasting, and strategic financial insight as we scale rapidly across the UK and US. This is a critical and highly visible role. You’ll lead our financial planning processes, build robust reporting frameworks, partner with senior leaders, and shape the financial narrative of a fast‑growing, mission‑driven tech company. If you are someone who thrives in ambiguity, loves building from scratch, and wants to drive real impact, this could be the perfect next step.

About Zen Educate

Zen Educate is a technology company that matches schools with temporary educator staff. Our mission is to change the world of education recruitment. Schools spend over $9bn a year on temporary educators, with over $2bn per year of that spent on fees that take money out of the education system. By leveraging the latest technology, we purpose‑built a platform that helps schools to pay less while educators earn more. We want students to have access to the best education possible, and we go the extra mile to find, onboard, match, and coach incredible educators that deeply care about their students. We wake up every day on a mission to care more. We care more about our schools. And we care more about our educators. This is your chance to make a difference and join a high‑growth tech startup on the ground floor. We are a collaborative company, and the career growth opportunities are endless if you are willing to dive in, be entrepreneurial, and do whatever is needed to get the job done. We are passionate about learning and development, and will invest in both your personal and professional growth. We have recently raised our Series B funding of $37 M, the largest round in European EdTech last year. This is an exciting opportunity to make a difference and be part of a high‑growth start‑up expanding rapidly in the UK and US markets.

What We\’re Looking For

• Highly analytical and comfortable digging into detail, but can communicate the story clearly.
• Thrives in high‑growth, ambiguous environments and enjoys building new processes.
• Commercially minded, curious, and comfortable challenging assumptions.
• Partners brilliantly with cross‑functional leaders and brings clarity to complex decisions.
• Excited to build a best‑in‑class FP&A function in a scaling international business.

Be Doing Own and Lead The FP&A

• Lead budgeting, forecasting, long‑range planning, and scenario modelling across the UK and US.
• Design and maintain Zen’s KPI frameworks, dashboards, and performance reporting.
• Improve forecasting models, automate reporting, and develop tools to enhance visibility and accuracy.
• Deep‑dive into unit economics, cohort behaviour, marketplace efficiency and customer profitability.

Partner with Senior Leadership

• Work closely with our CFO, CEO and Commercial leads to drive strategic decision‑making.
• Provide clear, insightful commentary that translates financial performance into business action.
• Support our board and investors.

Tools & Systems

• Exceptional Excel / Google Sheets expertise.
• Experience with data tools (SQL, modelling tools, FP&A software) is highly desirable.

Growth & Career Path

• Shape the long‑term financial strategy of the company.
• Influence senior leadership and board discussions.
• Build and develop the FP&A capability as the business grows.
• Clear progression into Director‑level responsibility as we scale.
• Opportunity to stretch into new areas.

Culture

• Finance team that is tightly knit, international, and deeply embedded in business.
• Culture where you help build the system, not just operate within it.
• Environment where diverse perspectives are valued and learning is constant.
• Company cares about each other, our educators, and the schools.

Hiring Process

• Intro call – short chat to align expectations.
• Video call with Anna, CFO – deeper dive into role.
• Interview + technical case – deep dive into FP&A approach and real scenarios.
• Values conversation – discussion on culture and growth.

Ready to Apply

If you\’re an analytical and commercially minded FP&A leader who wants to build something meaningful and help transform how schools access great educators, we’d love to hear from you. Apply now or reach out with questions!