Senior Analyst, Grants & Reporting

Aspire Public Schools NorCal — Senior Analyst, Grants & Reporting

Job Description 

About Aspire NorCal 

Founded in 1998, Aspire Public Schools has served scholars and communities across California for nearly three decades. With Aspire Los Angeles transitioning into an independent organization, the Bay Area and Central Valley regions are coming together to form Aspire NorCal, operating 22 schools serving approximately 10,000 scholars across Northern California (Oakland, Richmond, East Palo Alto, Sacramento, Stockton, Modesto, and Ceres). 

This evolution comes at an important moment for Aspire. Changes in California’s funding, policy, enrollment, and operating environment have created an opportunity to rethink how the organization supports its schools and scholars in its next chapter. The formation of Aspire NorCal creates an opportunity to strengthen support for schools across teams previously organized by geography, improve the consistency and effectiveness of school support, and create clear accountability systems for organizational and scholar outcomes. The new model will require the organization to balance greater coherence across Aspire NorCal with responsiveness to the different communities and contexts of its schools. 

Aspire NorCal enters this transition with a long-standing mission focused on post-secondary success and a deep commitment to educational equity, along with decades of institutional knowledge across its schools and teams. Preserving those strengths while building Aspire NorCal as a unified region will be central to the work ahead. 

About the role 

The Senior Grants and Reporting Analyst plays an integral role in ensuring federal, state, local, and other grants are recorded in accordance with grant compliance requirements and non-profit accounting standards. The analyst tracks, monitors, and reports on all grants, prepares funding applications, and ensures the accuracy of grant spending.

The role completes grant reporting in a timely manner, monitors spending against budget, and collaborates across the Finance, Accounting, and Instructional Support teams to ensure grant deadlines are met.

Key Responsibilities

• Own federal, state, and private/local grant expense tracking, monitoring, and reporting, and prepare and submit grant reimbursement funding applications and requests.

• Submit federal and state grant applications as needed (for example, Federal Title funding and State Mandate Block Grant funding).

• Collaborate with the Finance, Development, and Instructional Support teams to ensure grant reports are submitted on time and meet compliance requirements.

• Participate in the end-to-end grant award process, from application through award notification and kick-off meetings, and lead grant project status meetings as needed.

• Ensure funds are spent in compliance with administrative and financial policies and program guidelines for federal and non-federal grants.

• Collaborate with the Senior Finance Director on facility-related grant applications and funding, including SB 740 and CSFA grants, and reconcile State SB 740 award amounts against forecast expectations.

• Reconcile cash and expenses for donations and grants from individuals and foundations with the Accounting and Development teams; review grant agreements to determine whether new resource codes are needed.

• Prepare ongoing grant reports and updates for the Development team and sponsors.

• Manage payroll allocations for grants, monitor Personal Activity Report (PAR) forms, and reconcile payroll postings to PARs.

• Prepare journal entries, review payroll allocations and expenses, and reconcile grant resources in line with monthly, quarterly, and annual close processes.

• Perform financial support work including attendance reporting, interim reporting, LACOE monthly reporting, reclasses, and year-end preparation.

• Develop documentation on grants, timelines, and compliance requirements, and recommend and implement improvements to accounting systems and procedures.

• Collaborate with the Finance and Accounting teams and/or other compliance stakeholders on grant audits with Federal and State agencies.  Implement process improvements as needed.

• Demonstrate knowledge of, and support, the Aspire Public Schools mission, vision, and values, including antiracism, and uphold confidentiality standards and the code of ethical behavior.

• Perform other related duties as required and assigned.

• Support the new Service Level Agreement (SLA) under which Aspire NorCal will provide finance, accounting, and payroll services to Aspire LA.

Qualifications 

Education

• Bachelor's degree in Finance or Accounting preferred, or relevant experience.

Experience

• 3+ years of accounting, financial reporting, grant reporting, and/or financial analysis experience

• Advanced proficiency in Excel, including VLOOKUPs and pivot tables.

Skills and competencies

• Excellent financial analytical skills and thorough knowledge of federal, state, and private grant accounting, compliance, and reporting; solid understanding of financial statements.

• Exceptional time management, organizational skills, and ability to work independently, completing tasks on time and accurately.

• High accountability, with appropriate follow-up and sense of urgency.

• Detail-oriented with a high level of accuracy.

• Strong customer service orientation and communication skills; works well with others and maintains positive relationships.

• Flexibility to learn and leverage new technology and applications; ability to maintain confidentiality.

Compensation and benefits

The salary range for this role is $84,564 to $108,556 annually in accordance with our salary schedule policy, commensurate with experience. This full-time, exempt position offers a comprehensive benefits package, including:

• Eligible for Aspire health benefits

• Retirement through CalSTRS or CalPERS, depending on the role's credential requirements, with a 403(b) option

• Paid time off and additional teammate benefits to be determined in accordance with updated employee value proposition to be shared prior to offer.  

Aspire NorCal is conducting a comprehensive study of our employee value proposition, which could lead to material changes in July 2027.

Location and work arrangement

• Work location and in-person expectations for this role are being finalized as part of our broader NorCal planning. We will share clarity with candidates in the coming weeks

Aspire NorCal expects to provide Finance, Accounting, Payroll, and Retirement services to Aspire LA under a multi-year service agreement, and part of this department’s budget is expected to depend on that agreement.  If the agreement is not finalized, is not renewed, or ends early, Aspire NorCal may reduce the department’s size accordingly, and any position in the departments listed above may be impacted.  Employment with Aspire is at-will 

Application Deadline: November 20, 2026.

Equal opportunity 

Aspire Public Schools is an equal opportunity employer. We consider all qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, age, sex (including pregnancy, sexual orientation, and gender identity), disability, genetic information, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local law. Aspire Public Schools provides reasonable accommodations during the application and interview process.

Disclaimer

We may use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to support parts of the hiring process, such as reviewing applications, analyzing resumes, or assessing responses. These tools assist our recruitment team but do not replace human judgment. Final hiring decisions are ultimately made by humans. If you would like more information about how your data is processed, please contact us.