Finance Director

The Learning Experiene - Huntington Beach, CA

4d•$95,000 - $125,000•Remote

About The Position

The Finance Director will own financial analysis and forecasting for the portfolio, drive EBITDA growth initiatives, manage cash flow across 20+ child care entities, support acquisition decisions, and directly manage our outsourced accounting team based in India to ensure timely, accurate monthly financials. This is a high-impact, hands-on role for a Leader who is equally comfortable building a detailed acquisition model and sitting down with a Center Director who has never read a P&L. The Finance Director will bring rigor, forecasting discipline, and drive the financial growth of our $50M+ combined Portfolio revenue.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, or a related field; MBA strongly preferred
8+ years of progressive finance experience, including at least 3-5 years in a senior finance role (Finance Director, VP Finance, Controller, or similar)
Proven background serving as a Finance Director, Controller, or Senior Financial Manager within a for-profit, competitive market environment.
Experience supporting a multi-unit, multi-location business (franchise, retail, restaurant, childcare/education, or similar people-heavy service model) with $50M+ in revenue and 20+ operating locations
Demonstrated experience managing an outsourced, offshore, or shared-services accounting function
Hands-on experience with M&A: financial due diligence, valuation, and post-acquisition integration
Advanced Excel and financial modeling skills; experience with accounting/ERP systems (e.g., QuickBooks, NetSuite, Sage Intacct) and BI or dashboarding tools
Track record of driving measurable EBITDA or margin improvement in a prior role

Nice To Haves

Experience in franchise operations, private-equity-backed businesses, or education/childcare is a strong plus

Responsibilities

Own the monthly and quarterly financial reporting package across 20+ locations, including consolidated and location-level P&L analysis
Identify variances, trends, and root causes; translate findings into clear recommendations for leadership
Build and maintain KPI dashboards (revenue per center, labor %, EBITDA margin, enrollment/occupancy, tuition trends)
Lead initiatives that grow EBITDA across the portfolio, from pricing and labor efficiency to vendor and cost management
Partner directly with operations and center leadership on the levers that move margin
Benchmark center performance against the rest of the portfolio and against industry standards
Own rolling cash flow forecasting across all entities, including seasonality specific to childcare enrollment cycles
Monitor working capital, AR/AP, and debt covenant compliance
Support banking relationships, loan draws, and lender reporting requirements
Lead financial due diligence on new acquisition targets, including quality-of-earnings review and deal-specific risk assessment
Build acquisition and integration models: valuation, pro forma P&L, synergy and payback analysis
Present clear, well-supported recommendations to ownership/leadership to inform go/no-go decisions
Own the working relationship with the outsourced accounting/bookkeeping team based in India
Set and enforce a monthly close calendar and SLAs so financials are delivered accurately and on time every month
Review outputs for accuracy and completeness; train and guide the offshore team on company-specific chart of accounts, processes, and reporting standards
Serve as the escalation point for accounting issues and drive continuous process improvement
Translate financial data into plain, actionable language for Center Directors, franchisees, and field leaders who have little to no finance background
Build simple, recurring tools (one-pagers, dashboards, short trainings) that build financial literacy across the operating team
Lead recurring finance review meetings, walking non-finance stakeholders through their numbers in an approachable, teaching-oriented style rather than a technical one
Guarantee absolute adherence to Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP), statutory requirements, and local/corporate tax laws.
Establish, monitor, and enforce robust internal control structures to safeguard assets and prevent corporate fraud.
Evaluate and mitigate corporate financial risks, managing commercial insurance policies and credit lines.