Finance Manager

HIBA ACADEMY BAY AREA JOB DESCRIPTION
POSITION: Finance Manager

ABOUT US
As the newest member of Wellington College Education, Hiba Academy Bay Area opened in September 2026 and aims to provide a truly transformative education experience to Early Years and Primary-aged children with our innovative English and Chinese bilingual curriculum. We are part of a global network of schools united by a 160-year history of excellence with roots in the UK. Guided by a shared vision of pioneering education to serve and help shape a better world, Wellington College Education currently empowers more than 10,000 students across the UK, China, Thailand, India, and Indonesia. Hiba Academy Bay Area is a bilingual international school that will serve Pre-K to Grade 5 students in the San Francisco Bay Area. At capacity, roughly 400 children will thrive in a dual-language educational environment, where they will learn English and Chinese not as discrete academic
subjects but as languages of instruction across the curriculum.

Hiba Academy brings together a team of passionate and highly experienced professionals to nurture our students to go out into the world as confident, self-sufficient, and resilient global citizens. Across the Wellington College Education family of schools, we employ over 2,000 qualified professionals, including around 1,000 teaching staff. Hiba Academy offers unrivaled career and professional development opportunities, drawing on the resources and expertise of this network, which ensures a rewarding, sociable, and stimulating work culture for our employees.

POSITION INFORMATION:
JOB TITLE Finance Manager
DEPARTMENT Non-academic (Finance)
REPORTS TO Director of Finance and Operations
LOCATION On Site
CLASSIFICATION Exempt
GRADE Manager Level
SALARY $115,000-$135,000 annually

OBJECTIVES
The Finance Manager is a key role in ensuring the smooth and fiscally responsible operation of the school. The role will own the day-to-day finance function, including accounting, budget preparation, financial reporting, payables and receivables, and compliance with financial policies for Hiba Academy Bay Area and its related entity. In addition, the Finance Manager is responsible for collection of all student fees and interacting with families in the school community and as such must demonstrate excellent customer service and the ability to handle conversations of a sensitive
nature. The role requires interaction and close collaboration with the Group’s Central Office based in Shanghai to establish and maintain finance processes and systems that meet both Group and local compliance requirements.

This is a front-line role that requires regular in-person interaction with school-based leadership and staff who work fully on-site as well as parents and the wider school community. To fulfill the essential duties of the role, the jobholder must be able to work 100% on-site. 

Essential duties include:
• Provide timely advice and guidance to faculty and staff on finance matters such as
expenses, benefit payments, and vendor management. Be available to support faculty in the limited time they have available during the day
• Ensure that families receive excellent, personalized care and attention in relation to all fee  payment matters
• Be available to support school leadership with all finance-related matters that may arise at any time and require timely response or follow-up to mitigate risk and ensure the smooth running of the school and finance function
• Manage vendors effectively, ensuring on-time payment of invoices and excellent customer service in liaising with trusted vendors and service providers, in accordance with the school’s premium reputation
• Quickly escalate issues that require the attention of leadership
• Attend regular in-person staff meetings and briefings
• All school-based staff are required to contribute to the broader operation of the school including supervisory and emergency protocol duties.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
FINANCE & ACCOUNTING
• Maintain complete, accurate, and timely accounting records with proper supporting
documentation.
• Lead month-end and year-end close, including account reconciliations, accruals, and
journal entries.
• Prepare monthly management accounts and financial reports for the Director of Finance and Operations and the Senior Leadership Team, and prepare board-ready financial reports.
• Prepare the annual budget and periodic forecasts, own the underlying data and models, and monitor spending against budget.
• Design, document, and maintain internal controls and procedures consistent with the
Delegation of Authority (DOA) and the school’s financial policies, minimizing exposure to financial, counterparty, and foreign exchange risk.
• Ensure compliance with U.S. nonprofit accounting, reporting, and tax requirements and with Group reporting requirements.
• Serve as the main point of contact for the annual audit, preparing schedules and
supporting documentation.
• Coordinate the preparation and timely filing of tax and regulatory returns with external advisors.
• Monitor cash flow and work with the Group’s Central Office to manage banking activity and ensure the school has appropriate funding in place.
• Administer and improve the school’s finance systems, keeping data accurate, reliable, and secure, and support new system implementation as the school grows.
• Monitor changes in accounting standards, tax law, and reporting requirements, and advise on implications for the school.

ACCOUNTS PAYABLE, PAYROLL, AND ACCOUNTS RECEIVABLE
• Manage the end-to-end accounts payable process, ensuring invoices, expense reports, and payment requests are properly supported, approved in line with the DOA, and paid accurately and on time.
• Review payroll each cycle and act as one of the payroll approvers.
• Maintain accounts payable and payroll controls to prevent fraud and error, including
appropriate segregation of duties.
• Work with the Facilities and Operations Manager and other departments to verify purchase orders and contracts, resolve vendor discrepancies, and maintain proper documentation.
• Lead the accounts receivable function, ensuring all revenue is recorded and receivables, including overdue balances, are collected in full.
STUDENT BILLING AND FINANCIAL AID
• Own all student billing and payment processing, including tuition, extended care (ECP), enrichment, and other student fees, and communicate clearly with families about fee policies and payment matters, acting with discretion and care.
• Maintain confidential records of financial transactions between Hiba Academy and
families.
• Support the financial aid process by managing applications, preparing data and analysis, and administering awards once approved. Award decisions rest with school leadership.
• Work with the Admissions and Marketing team and school leadership to align financial aid with enrollment goals.
• Support the setup and optimization of the student billing system, ensuring it covers all student fees and integrates with financial aid processes.

OPERATIONS SUPPORT
• Support the management of vendor contracts (e.g., catering, cleaning, security), including service quality and compliance.
• Provide logistical and operational support for school events as needed.
• Help enforce safety and child protection policies for all members of the community.
• Take on other projects and duties as needed to support school objectives.

JOB QUALIFICATION
BASIC
QUALIFICATION
Education Bachelor’s Degree
Major Accountancy or related field
Language Fluent written and spoken English. Mandarin Chinese
may be an advantage but not essential
EXPERIENCE Working
Experience Minimum 5 years of relevant accounting experience
Supervisory
Experience
Experience supervising or reviewing the work of others
preferred

EXPERTISE 
• Professional accountancy qualification preferred (CPA, CICPA,
ACCA, CIMA)
• Hands-on experience with month-end close, reconciliations, and
audit preparation; nonprofit accounting experience preferred
• Strong command of accounting systems; ERP implementation
experience a strong plus
• Ability to design and put in place accounting controls and
processes
• Excellent communication skills with a diverse range of people
• Ability to multi-task and prioritize

PREFERRED
APTITUDES
• Demonstrating practice that represents the five core values of Hiba
Academy at all times (Courage, Integrity, Kindness, Respect and
Responsibility)
• Strong passion for the education industry
• Strong track record of solving complex problems, strategic thinking
and delivering significant impact
• Personal integrity, accountability and credibility
• Understanding of what a start-up entails. Able to establish
processes and systems and adapt existing systems to fit.
Comfortable operating in ambiguity and excited by building
something from the ground up
• Strong accounting skills, solid knowledge of documenting internal
controls and a proven track record of meeting deadlines and
managing multiple tasks
• Honest, trustworthy, reliable, persistent, team spirit, open-minded
and flexible
• Previously worked in an international school, or other cross-cultural
environment
• Bilingualism in any language 

PHYSICAL
DEMANDS AND
WORK
ENVIRONMENT
This role is primarily situated within a standard office setting but
requires regular movement across campus to interact with
stakeholders. The role involves lifting objects up to 25 pounds and
occasional outdoor work. Reasonable accommodations will be
made in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential
functions of the job.
HOW TO APPLY
To apply, please submit your resume and cover letter in ONE PDF to
[email protected].
Hiba Academy and Wellington College Education fully recognize their responsibility for Safeguarding and
Child Protection. We place the safety and well-being of our community at the heart of all that we do. This
includes robust Child Protection policies and procedures. All members of staff understand the central
importance of this commitment and undergo annual training in child protection. To ensure the safety of our
community, any offer of employment with Hiba Academy will be conditional on successful completion of a
background check.
Hiba Academy Bay Area is an equal opportunity employer. We do not discriminate on the basis of race,
color, religion, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, ancestry, age,
disability, medical condition, genetic information, marital status, military or veteran status, or any other
characteristic protected by federal, state, or local law.