Financial Analyst - Budgeting

Cleco•Pineville, LA

About The Position

At Cleco, we're not just powering lives—we're powering a cleaner, smarter future for Louisiana. With bold investments in innovative energy solutions, we’re transforming how we power our communities: smarter, cleaner, and more sustainable. This is a long-term commitment to our people and our communities because our future—and the future of generations to come—depends on it. If you're ready to make an impact where it matters most, join us at Cleco—where we're Energizing Your Tomorrow. The Financial Analyst II - Budgeting is an experienced professional with aptitude for and some knowledge of analytic principles, practices, concepts, and theories. The incumbent contributes to the development of Cleco’s corporate budget and financial forecast; provides technical and business analytical support to the planning process; provides reporting with variance analysis, financial analysis and financial sensitivities. The incumbent assists with model execution, maintenance and contributes to modeling improvements for accurate and efficient processes and procedures; collaborates with team members and other stakeholders for product consistency and individual development.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, Business or related field
3-5+ years of related experience
Working knowledge of relevant state, federal, and local regulations
Business acumen pertaining to the utility industry
Knowledge of leading practices in FP&A
Planning and project management skills
Willingness and ability to learn new technologies on the job
Proficient at functioning effectively within a team environment, presenting ideas and opinions in a professional and collegial manner
Progression to this level is strictly restricted based on critical individual capabilities and business requirements; must be supported by market survey data.

Responsibilities

Participate in the development of financial business plan that aligns with the strategic business goals and business planning schedule of Cleco
Provide analytical, forecasting, reporting, and project support to FP&A leadership team
Create monthly and ad hoc reports, which include key metrics, financial results, and variance reporting
Learn and provide technical assistance in the daily updates and maintenance of FP&A planning applications
Develop models, analyze and interpret financial data, and create financial models to support decision making
Analyze past results, perform variance analysis, identify trends, and make recommendations for improvements
Build and maintain strong internal relationships with business partners, team members, and senior management to effectively contribute to strategic decisions that require coordination across multiple business functions
Responsible for self-development and continuous learning, to deliver successful project outcomes with a customer-centric approach
Collaborate with team members and prioritize deliverables to achieve project objectives as scheduled
Use data and analytics to support continuous improvement to reduce cost and improve program quality; identify areas to automate routine manual tasks
Participate in the integration of current systems (e.g., SAP) and analytical techniques to enhance/streamline current operations
Learn and stay up to date on company GAAP, regulatory accounting methods, understanding of SAP settlement rules and the use of relevant applications primarily Microsoft Office (Power Point, Excel – advanced techniques) and SAP (BPC, Analysis for Office, EPM, WEBI Reporting, PPM); develop a thorough understanding of SAP settlement rules
Champions a corporate culture that emphasizes transparency, integrity, safety, environmental responsibility, employee development, diversity and inclusion, customer service, and operational excellence
May perform other duties as assigned.