Finance Operations Specialist

Finance Operations Specialist (Vancouver-based, US Focus)

$62,000 - $73,000 a year

Location: Hybrid (3 days in office, Vancouver)

Type: Full-time

Compensation: $62,000–$73,000 CAD (depending on experience)

About the Role

Hi, I'm Anna, CFO at Zen Educate. We are scaling rapidly across the UK and US, and with that growth comes complexity. We are looking for a Finance Operations Specialist based in Vancouver to take ownership of our US revenue cycle.

This is not a traditional AR role where you simply process invoices. We need a systems thinker with strong data skills who can look at the big picture. You will proactively identify trends in our billing data, partner with our Account Managers to solve upstream issues, and build scalable systems that ensure we get paid on time. If you love digging into data to fix broken processes and want to build the financial infrastructure of a high-growth tech company, we want to meet you.

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 $9bn a year on temporary educators, with over $2bn per year of that spent on fees that take money out of the education system. By leveraging the latest technology, we purpose-built a platform that helps schools to pay less while educators earn more.

We have recently raised our Series B funding of $37mil, the largest round in European EdTech this year. This is an exciting opportunity to make a difference and be part of a high-growth startup that is expanding rapidly in the UK and US markets!

What We're Looking For

We are looking for an analytical operator who is passionate about efficiency and user experience. You aren't satisfied with just "getting the job done"—you want to know how to do it better next time.

Traits that define success in this role:

• Data-Driven: You are comfortable manipulating large datasets to find answers. You don't just see a late payment; you analyze the data to understand why it happened.
• Systems Thinker: You seek to automate and structure workflows. You build guardrails, not just workarounds.
• Collaborative Problem Solver: You can communicate complex financial issues to non-finance stakeholders (like Account Managers) to resolve client disputes quickly.
• US Market Experience: You have worked with US billing nuances, sales tax, or cross-border complexities.

What You'll Be Doing

Architect the AR Lifecycle: Own the billing and receivables process for US partner schools, ensuring the system can handle increased volume as we scale.

Data Analysis & Reporting: Monitor aging reports and billing data to identify negative trends or recurring issues. Proactively flag risks to leadership before they become problems.

Cross-Functional Partnership: Act as the financial strategic partner to US Account Managers. You will help them navigate billing hurdles to maintain healthy relationships with our school partners.

Process Optimization: Continuously audit the Order-to-Cash cycle. Identify bottlenecks and implement data-backed solutions to streamline invoicing and cash reconciliation.

Customer Success: Manage inquiries regarding billing issues with a focus on root-cause resolution, ensuring a seamless experience for our schools.

Tools & Systems

Excel Mastery is Essential: You should be highly proficient (Pivot tables, VLOOKUPs, managing large datasets).

Tech-Forward: Experience with Xero or large-scale ERPs is great, but an aptitude for learning new tools quickly is better.

Bonus: Experience with visualization tools (Looker, Tableau) or SQL is a strong asset, though not required.

Growth & Career Path

We value impact over titles. The US business is growing fast, and as a key hire in the Finance Operations team, you will have plenty of opportunities to expand your scope. We'll support your development with honest feedback, flexibility, and clear progression criteria.

Our Culture

Our finance team is distributed across the UK, Europe, and North America. Even though we are not all physically together, we are a tight-knit team and work closely and collaboratively. We're still building. You'll help shape systems, not just maintain them. Diversity and inclusion matter—and we're still learning how to do better. If you'd be the first of something on our team, we want to support you.

What the Team Says

"One of the most rewarding parts of working in finance at Zen is how embedded we are in the business. It's not just about numbers, it's about partnering with teams to make the right decisions. Zen's growth means we are constantly tackling new challenges which keeps work fresh and interesting!"

"I genuinely enjoy my role at Zen — it challenges me, inspires growth, and allows me to make a meaningful impact to our schools, whilst working with a friendly and supportive team."

Hiring Process

We move fast. Here's what to expect:

• Initial Chat: A quick screen to align expectations, discuss your data/systems experience, and answer questions.
• Secondary Chat: With Annie, our Head of Finance in the US.
• Interview & Technical Task: A session in our Vancouver office to walk through your career, plus a practical task to assess your ability to handle data and solve operational scenarios.
• Values-Based Conversation: With a member of leadership to discuss mindset, alignment, and growth goals.

Ready to Apply?

If you are a Finance Operations or AR professional who loves data, enjoys building systems, and wants to support real-world outcomes in education—we'd love to hear from you.

Apply now or reach out with questions.

Diversity and Inclusion

At Zen, we strive to build a culture of equity and inclusion, where everyone is respected, valued and appreciated for their unique traits, experiences and perspectives. We are committed to creating a safe, inclusive and equitable environment where our team can thrive, regardless of age, ethnicity, race, gender identity, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, disability, religion or beliefs. We value our differences and believe that practices of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion help us create a fairer, more compassionate environment for all.

We welcome applicants with diverse backgrounds and different experiences and perspectives — just like the staff who teach through Zen and the children at the schools we work with. We believe in hiring the best people from the widest pool and creating an inclusive culture where people's voices are heard and all our team can look forward to coming to work.

We are committed to building a team that reflects the diversity of our community and promoting an equitable and inclusive environment for all. We seek out diverse opinions, beliefs, and experiences because they collectively make us stronger; we've had former teachers, pilots, fundraisers, engineers, lawyers, marketers, social media experts and more join our team.