Financial Analyst, Data & AI

American Electric Power•Columbus, OH

1d•$98,993 - $128,688•Onsite

About The Position

The Financial Analyst, Data & AI leads financial forecasting and control across large programs and portfolios. The role covers budget development, monthly forecasts and accruals, variance analysis, capital and O&M tracking, vendor spend monitoring, and financial reporting that gives executives accurate and timely visibility into program costs. It guides program teams through monthly actuals-versus-budget activities, including close deadlines, forecast updates, variance explanations, and accruals, while maintaining consistent schedules and standards across programs. The position manages vendor invoices from receipt through payment, validates hours, rates, and amounts against statements of work, purchase orders, and approved timesheets, and coordinates correct time coding and capital/O&M classification. It also oversees project codes, contract balances, portfolio-level financial rollups, and audit-ready records in partnership with Finance, Procurement, and program leads. The role additionally performs business and data analysis, including stakeholder needs analysis, business cases and project scopes, use-case and data modeling, process mapping, requirements elicitation, process redesign, and database-related analysis. It manages and advises on the lifecycle of IT investments for a large business unit or major corporate initiative, contributes to strategic planning, advises senior leaders and governance groups, directs portfolio planning and execution, monitors portfolio performance, and recommends changes to the investment mix and opportunities to reduce cost of ownership. It may provide training, mentoring, and work direction to others.

Requirements

At least 7 years of relevant work experience, in addition to any experience used to meet the education alternatives.
One of the following education and experience combinations: a bachelor's degree in computer science, information systems, business, or a related field; an associate's degree in computer science or a related field plus 2 years of relevant work experience; or a high school diploma/GED plus 4 years of relevant work experience.
Ability to organize analysis around stakeholder needs and develop business cases and project scopes.
Experience with business analysis techniques and tools, including use-case modeling, data modeling, and process mapping.
Ability to learn new domains and collaborate with business and technical teams using established methodologies.
Advanced facilitation and process improvement skills.
Ability to create analysis work plans and estimate analysis activities.
Ability to conduct requirements workshops, document requirements, establish business capabilities, and organize and refine assets.
Technical aptitude with querying tools and relational databases.
Ability to assess database designs and identify data issues and resolutions.
Ability to translate business requirements into conceptual, logical, and physical data models and basic system configuration.
Ability to plan and monitor expenditures and manage assets and resources from a financial perspective.
Ability to oversee IT investment and portfolio planning for a large business unit or major corporate initiative and advise senior stakeholders.

Responsibilities

Lead budget development, financial forecasting, monthly accruals, and variance analysis for large programs.
Guide program teams through monthly actuals-versus-budget cycles, including close deadlines, forecast updates, variance explanations, and accruals.
Monitor capital and O&M spending and vendor costs, maintaining consistent financial schedules and standards across programs.
Manage vendor invoices from receipt through payment and verify hours, rates, and amounts against statements of work, purchase orders, and approved timesheets.
Work with vendors to ensure contractors use correct time codes and that capital and O&M work is classified correctly.
Set up project codes, track remaining contract balances, and roll program financials up to the portfolio level.
Partner with Finance, Procurement, and program leads to keep spending within budget and maintain audit-ready records.
Organize analysis to understand stakeholder needs and develop business cases and project scopes.
Apply business analysis techniques and tools for use-case modeling, data modeling, and process mapping.
Collaborate with business and technical teams to learn new domains and apply relevant methodologies.
Facilitate workshops for requirements elicitation, document requirements, establish business capabilities, and organize and refine assets.
Create analysis work plans and estimates of analysis activities.
Use querying tools and relational database knowledge; provide feedback on database designs and identify data issues and resolutions.
Translate business requirements into conceptual, logical, and physical data models and basic system configuration.
Mentor business analysts and provide process redesign and support, including user assistance, diagnosis, troubleshooting, research, and process improvement.
Plan and monitor expenditures to meet organizational objectives and compliance, and manage assets and resources from a financial perspective.
Oversee the lifecycle of IT investments for a large business unit or major corporate initiative, from investment targeting and portfolio structuring to portfolio planning and execution.
Advise the CIO, CFO, senior business leaders, the IT leadership council, and governance committees on links between enterprise priorities and technology investments, including risks and benefits.
Direct IT and other stakeholders to develop, prioritize, and execute the information technology and business portfolio plan.
Analyze portfolio performance and drive investment-mix changes to achieve goals.
Identify opportunities to improve the strategic position, lower cost of ownership, and provide a competitive advantage.
Provide training, mentoring, and work direction to others on the team, as needed.