Head of Financial Planning & Analysis

Zen Educate; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 90,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

A technology firm transforming education is looking for a Head of FP&A in London. This role involves leading budgeting and forecasting processes, collaborating with senior leaders, and shaping the financial strategy of a rapidly scaling company. The ideal candidate will have strong analytical skills, experience in high-growth environments, and proficiency in financial tools such as Excel and SQL. This is a hybrid position offering a competitive salary of £90,000-£100,000 plus stock options and benefits.

Benefits

Stock options

Benefits

Career development opportunities

Qualifications

• Experience in financial planning and analysis.
• Proven ability to lead budgeting, forecasting and strategic decision-making.
• Exceptional communication skills to translate financial performance.

Responsibilities

• Lead budgeting, forecasting and long-range planning.
• Design and maintain KPI frameworks and dashboards.
• Collaborate with CFO and CEO for strategic decisions.

Skills

Highly analytical

Comfortable digging into detail

Commercially minded

Ability to partner with cross-functional leaders

Experience in high-growth environments

Tools

Excel

Google Sheets

SQL

FP&A software

Job description

Location: London (Hybrid 2 days per week from home)
Salary: £90,000-£100,000 + stock options + benefits
Contract: Full-time

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 critical and highly visible role will 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 thrive in ambiguity, love building from scratch, and want to drive real impact, this could be the perfect next step.

About Zen

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 $9 bn a year on temporary educators, with over $2 bn per year of that spent on fees that take money out of the education system. By leveraging the latest technology, we have purpose‑built a platform that helps schools pay less while educators earn more. We aim to give students 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 – for our schools and 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 career growth opportunities are endless for those willing to dive in, be entrepreneurial, and do whatever is needed to get the job done. We 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, and we are expanding rapidly in the UK and US markets.

What We’re Looking For

• Highly analytical, comfortable digging into detail, yet able to 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, bringing clarity to complex decisions.
• Excited to build a best‑in‑class FP&A function in a scaling international business.

What You’ll Be Doing

Own and Lead the FP&A Function

• 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 investor reporting.

Tools & Systems

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

Growth & Career Path

Zen is scaling rapidly, and this role offers real ownership and visibility. As Head of FP&A, you will shape the long‑term financial strategy, influence senior leadership and board discussions, build and develop the FP&A capability as the business grows, and have clear progression into Director‑level responsibility as we scale. We care deeply about development – you’ll receive honest feedback, autonomy, and opportunities to stretch into new areas.

Our Culture

We are collaborative, curious, mission‑driven, and value diverse perspectives. You’ll be part of a finance team that is tightly knit, international, and deeply embedded in the business. We build systems together, not just operate within them, and learning is constant.

What the Team Says

"Finance at Zen isn’t just numbers – it’s about partnering with the business to solve meaningful challenges. The growth and variety keep things fresh, and the team is genuinely supportive."

"Zen has grown rapidly and that brings so many opportunities to learn, stretch, and make an impact. It’s a rare mix of great people and meaningful mission."

Hiring Process

• Intro call – short chat with our talent team to align expectations and answer questions.
• Intro video call with Anna, our CFO – to dive deeper into the position and your experience.
• Interview + technical case – deep dive into your experience, approach to FP&A, and real Zen scenarios.
• Values conversation – discussion with a member of leadership focused on mindset 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!