Finance Associate, Business Planning & Analysis

Bridgewater Associates•Westport, NY

17h•Hybrid

About The Position

The Business Planning and Analysis team serves as the strategic financial partner to Bridgewater’s business leaders. This team of elite finance professionals ensures that department leaders across BW have a holistic understanding of the financial impact of business decisions by engaging stakeholders on unique real-time analysis of all relevant financial data. The team is responsible for owning the story behind the numbers and using that knowledge to help shape business decisions. The Business Planning and Analysis team also offers a critical, independent perspective; ensuring each dollar maximizes business outcomes and ultimately shareholder value. While each team member primarily partners with a specific business unit, these diverse financial experts often work with teams across the company, gaining unique insights into Bridgewater’s business goals and processes. The team increasingly harnesses AI to deepen analysis, accelerate insight, and push the boundaries of what strategic finance partnership can deliver. The Finance Associate will be a critical driver of Finance’s strategic partnership with Bridgewater’s business leaders. The Finance Associate holds a clear story around the numbers supporting both the strategic projects that shape the business and the management and financial reporting and processes that drive it. Putting together this story requires deep and high-level engagement with leaders across the company to understand business goals, and the independent thinking to engage those business leaders on questions around their metrics. The Finance Associate must operate critical financial processes, safeguard BW’s financial resources to maximize shareholder value, while simultaneously evolve processes to manage risks, improve financial insights and inform business outcomes more effectively. Above all, the role centers on strategic partnership: shaping decisions before they are made and helping leaders deploy resources against their highest-conviction opportunities.

Requirements

1–4 years of analytical experience in a field such as corporate finance, FP&A, accounting, investment banking, management consulting, business planning, etc.
Demonstrated experience building financial models, scenario analyses, and structured recommendations to support business decision-making
Advanced proficiency with the core tools of modern finance, including expert-level Excel, plus hands-on experience using AI tools and large language models to raise the speed and quality of analysis
Strong ownership mindset with the ability to take initiative, solve problems creatively, and carry work from idea through execution
High analytical horsepower with the ability to adapt quickly in a fast-paced, high-performance environment
Exceptional communication skills, including the ability to partner with senior leaders, ask sharp questions, and build trust through clarity and sound reasoning
Comfort challenging assumptions thoughtfully and bringing data-driven perspectives to discussions
Interest in leveraging technology and staying current on AI and automation trends to improve efficiency and decision-making
Strong organizational skills and attention to detail, ensuring timely, high-quality deliverables
Bachelor’s degree with a strong academic record

Nice To Haves

Want to operate at the heart of one of the world’s leading asset management firms, and are energized by using AI to redefine what finance can do
Possess an ownership mentality with a track record of driving impact through creative problem solving, and owning solutions from ideation to execution
Think analytically, logically, and agilely; can quickly iterate in a fast-paced and high-performance environment
Excel at building relationships across stakeholders, including communicating effectively to senior leadership
Can balance a high degree of professionalism with independent thinking and a willingness to use data and logic to question the status quo and get to the best outcome

Responsibilities

Partner with business leaders to help identify and shape strategic opportunities
Pressure-test unit economics, pricing, and capacity before the business commits resources
Model compensation plans and help structure deals before they are signed
Track capital deployment deal-by-deal from commitment through realization, and use AI to make approvals and controls faster and sharper
Own end-to-end partnership between finance and a particular business unit of the company, including continuously evolving the way that finance provides strategic value to the business
Drive yearly financial planning process in partnership with senior leaders at the company, including shaping and producing a multi-year budget reflective of business priorities
Craft board-level communications on high-ROI investment cases for the company
Influence business decisions through proactively driving unique analyses and shaping the forecast; including comprehensive modeling to inform decision-making
Take financial analysis to the next level by bringing leadership into their financial narrative – communicating the story around the numbers including running financial conversations, preparing presentations and communications to leadership, and having a seat at the table in financial conversations
Serve as an independent financial control, ensuring that each dollar is accounted for and spent wisely