WARWICK — Matthew Bobola, the new business administrator of the Warwick Community School and district, has a passion for applying his financial expertise to education.

His 20-year career in financial administration has exposed him to the public and private sector, at companies and in municipalities big and small. But he said that schools are where “you feel like what you’re doing is for the greater good. You’re making a difference in society.”

As business administrator, Bobola monitors the Warwick Community School budget, including general and grant funds, to make sure money is spent where allocated. As he enters the job at the end of the school year, he is also responsible for creating Warwick’s end-of-year financial report, to be submitted to the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.

Bobola’s appointment to the role was announced in the May 14 edition of the district’s newsletter. He succeeds Melissa Riberio, the former business administrator of Warwick Community School.

Bobola’s experience in financial administration started in Providence, Rhode Island, his hometown, where he worked in the Office of the Internal Auditor for the city of Providence. After spending 12 years in the role, Bobola moved into the private sector for the first time, working for CVS and Hasbro.

“My father was a director in Providence in the Parks Department, and my mother was a schoolteacher,” Bobola said. “I kind of thought I wanted to get away from [public works].”

It turned out that the opposite was true. Bobola said he found that the satisfaction from working in government, particularly in school systems, is harder to come by at a private company.

“You make a budget, and you’re able to come up with grant money to, you know, buy additional curriculum for schools,” Bobola said, describing the sense of fulfillment unique to working in schools. “You’re making a difference for kids … you really can see the fruits of the labor in action with schools.”

Bobola also works in Oxford as the school district’s business administrator and director of operations. The job in Warwick, which he works remotely, takes place during Bobola’s off-hours, which is how he manages to juggle both districts. He said he will be in the Warwick district occasionally.

Bobola said his time in Warwick has been a positive experience.

“The collaborative nature of this district is great,” Bobola said. “All hands are on deck and working together and really to benefit the kids.”

Luke Macannuco can be reached at lmacannuco@umass.edu.