Budget and Financial Analyst (higher education) in Worcester, Massachusetts at Clark University

Clark University

Location: Worcester, MA Category: Staff and Administrators Job Type: Full-time - Exempt Posted On: Wed Jul 15 2026 Job Description:

The Higher Education Budget & Financial Analyst serves as a key partner in institutional planning by providing data driven analysis at the intersection of enrollment, finance, and academic strategy. The position supports university leadership through enrollment forecasting, tuition revenue modeling, budget planning, retention analysis, and financial reporting that informs strategic decision making.

Working collaboratively with University Enrollment, Institutional Research, Finance, and academic leadership, the analyst develops and maintains enrollment-based financial models, monitors enrollment and revenue performance, and provides actionable insights that support institutional sustainability and growth. The role serves as a critical resource for annual and multi-year planning efforts by translating complex enrollment and financial data into meaningful recommendations for university leadership.

The successful candidate will possess strong analytical and financial modeling skills, a deep understanding of higher education enrollment dynamics, and the ability to communicate complex financial and enrollment information to diverse stakeholders across the institution.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Enrollment Forecasting & Revenue Analysis

• Build and maintain tuition revenue forecasting models based on enrollment trends, retention rates, student progression, tuition pricing, and financial aid assumptions.
• Analyze enrollment funnel metrics, including inquiry, application, admit, deposit, matriculation, and persistence activity.
• Analyze retention, yield, transfer, graduation, and student progression impacts on institutional revenue.
• Monitor enrollment trends and identify risks and opportunities that may impact budget assumptions and financial performance.
• Partner with Enrollment Management and Institutional Research to develop, validate, and maintain enrollment forecasting assumptions.
• Evaluate the financial impact of enrollment management initiatives, scholarship strategies, pricing changes, and student success programs.
• Support multi-year financial planning tied to enrollment scenarios, institutional growth objectives, and strategic priorities.
• Prepare enrollment and tuition revenue forecasts to support annual budgeting, resource allocation, and strategic decision-making.

Budget Planning & Financial Management

• Support development of annual operating budgets and long-range financial plans.
• Conduct variance analysis and prepare budget reforecasts throughout the fiscal year.
• Develop financial models to evaluate new academic programs, enrollment initiatives, strategic investments, and resource allocation decisions.
• Partner with schools, colleges, and administrative departments to support enrollment, revenue, and expense forecasting.
• Evaluate the financial impact of proposed policy changes, program launches, organizational initiatives, and strategic investments.
• Assist leadership in identifying financial risks and opportunities and developing recommendations to support institutional sustainability.

Reporting, Analytics & Business Intelligence

• Design, develop, and maintain dashboards that track enrollment KPIs, tuition revenue performance, retention outcomes, budget assumptions, and institutional financial metrics.
• Develop standardized reports and performance measures that support data informed decision-making.
• Create visualizations and executive-level reporting materials that communicate complex findings in a clear and actionable manner.
• Ensure data integrity through validation, reconciliation, and quality assurance processes.
• Identify trends, anomalies, and opportunities through ongoing analysis of enrollment and financial data.
• Support institutional reporting requirements, accreditation efforts, and strategic planning initiatives.

Strategic Partnership & Institutional Effectiveness

• Collaborate with academic and administrative leaders to align enrollment, financial, and strategic planning efforts.
• Serve as a resource to leadership on enrollment forecasting, tuition revenue planning, and financial analysis.
• Translate complex financial and enrollment information into actionable insights for non-technical audiences.
• Present findings, forecasts, and recommendations to university leadership, committees, and planning groups.
• Support institutional effectiveness initiatives through data analysis, scenario planning, and strategic reporting.
• Foster a culture of data-informed decision-making across the institution.

Other Duties as Assigned

• Support special projects, process improvement initiatives, and institutional planning efforts.
• Participate in the implementation of new systems, reporting tools, and analytical processes.
• Perform other duties as assigned in support of university goals and strategic priorities.

Job Requirements:

Education

• Bachelor's degree in Finance, Accounting, Economics, Business Administration, Data Analytics, Higher Education Administration, Statistics, Mathematics, or a related field.

Experience

• Three to five years of progressively responsible experience in higher education finance, budgeting, institutional research, enrollment management, financial planning, or data analytics.
• Experience developing financial models, enrollment forecasts, budget projections, and analytical reports.
• Experience working with large and complex datasets and translating findings into actionable recommendations.
• Demonstrated experience supporting strategic planning, budgeting, or enrollment management initiatives.

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities

• Strong understanding of higher education enrollment management, student success metrics, and enrollment-driven revenue models.
• Knowledge of student enrollment behaviors, including retention, persistence, transfer, change-of-major, and graduation trends.
• Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel, including financial modeling, pivot tables, advanced formulas, forecasting, and scenario analysis.
• Experience developing dashboards and data visualizations using tools such as Power BI, Tableau, Argos, Cognos, or similar reporting platforms.
• Ability to query, extract, validate, reconcile, and analyze large datasets from multiple sources.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, and quantitative reasoning skills.
• Ability to identify trends, risks, and opportunities and develop actionable recommendations.
• Excellent written, verbal, and presentation skills.
• Ability to explain complex financial and analytical concepts to non-technical audiences.
• Demonstrated ability to collaborate effectively with individuals across functions and varying levels of the organization.
• Strong organizational skills and ability to manage multiple priorities and deadlines in a dynamic environment.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master's degree in Higher Education Administration, Finance, Business Analytics, Data Analytics, Statistics, Economics, or a related field.
• Experience with enrollment forecasting, financial aid modeling, tuition revenue planning, or institutional planning systems.
• Experience working with Banner or similar higher education ERP systems.
• Familiarity with higher education budgeting, tuition discounting, financial aid analysis, and institutional finance.
• Experience supporting strategic planning initiatives in a higher education environment.
• Knowledge of predictive analytics, statistical modeling, and enrollment forecasting methodologies.
• Experience creating executive dashboards and presenting data to senior leadership.

Additional Information:

Expected Hiring Range: $71,600 to $90,750

Pay Transparency Disclosure:
The compensation for this position will be determined based on factors that include available budget, internal equity, and the selected candidate's qualifications, experience, education, and other job-related credentials. This range represents Clark University's good-faith estimate of the expected hiring range at the time of posting consistent with Clark's compensation philosophy and internal alignment.

At Clark University we believe that diversity of experiences, perspectives, and backgrounds leads to a more innovative and productive work environment. We welcome and encourage individuals of all backgrounds to join our team and contribute their unique ideas to help us achieve our goals.

Clark University offers a generous benefit package for full and, if applicable, part-time employees that include; paid time off, generous retirement plan, group health and dental insurance, life insurance, and tuition, along with use of many campus amenities. For a complete list of benefits for eligible employees visit here.

To review the Clark University Police Department Annual Security and Fire Safety Report visit here.