Financial Analyst, FP&A

James Hardie•Chicago, IL

3d•Onsite

About The Position

This position will support the Manager of FP&A and be responsible for comprehensive financial analysis, forecasting, and reporting for the full Profit and Loss statement. The role involves comprehensive analysis of financial results, short-term and long-term forecasting, monthly financial reporting, and working cross-functionally with the Accounting and non-financial business partners. The individual will play a critical role in driving accurate forecasting, cost optimization, improving quality of earnings performance, and supporting strategic financial decision-making across the organization.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in finance or accounting.
One to three years of experience, preferably in a manufacturing environment.
Prior experience with cost management, budgeting, and financial reporting is highly desirable.
Proficiency in Excel, Outlook, Word, PowerPoint, and common database reporting tools.
Strong Time Management & Deadline Orientation: Ability to prioritize and manage multiple tasks efficiently, ensuring timely completion of financial reporting, budgeting, forecasting, and analysis. Demonstrated ability to work under tight deadlines while maintaining accuracy and attention to detail.
Effective Communication Skills: Strong verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to present complex financial data and insights in a clear, concise, and actionable manner. Experience in communicating with both financial and non-financial stakeholders, including senior management.
Collaboration & Teamwork: Ability to work collaboratively with cross-functional teams to gather insights, share financial data, and provide recommendations. Comfortable working in a fast-paced environment, interacting with various departments to ensure alignment on financial objectives.
Attention to Detail: Exceptional attention to detail, ensuring that financial data is accurate and that analysis is thorough. Ability to spot trends, discrepancies, and opportunities for improvement with business partners in department SG&A and other financial metrics.

Nice To Haves

MBA preferred.
JDE, EPM, and BI experience is preferred.

Responsibilities

Collaborate with the FP&A team and business partners to develop annual budgets and periodic forecasts. Ensure alignment with overall business goals and financial objectives.
Conduct detailed analysis of departmental operating and SG&A expenses, identifying trends, variances, and opportunities for cost optimization. Provide insights to drive improved financial performance across departments such as sales, product, marketing, IT, HR, and general administration.
Compile, review, and analyze actual SG&A results versus budget and forecast on a monthly basis. Provide detailed variance explanations and recommendations for corrective actions, where applicable.
Work closely with key stakeholders across departments to understand variance drivers and ensure accurate forecasting and reporting of all relevant expense categories.
Perform business scenario modeling for departmental initiatives and projects, such as new product launches, branding investments, headcount planning, departmental spending initiatives, and efficiency improvements. Support decision-making with data-driven insights.
Leverage tools like SAP, Smartview EPM, JDE, BI, and Excel to mine and analyze data, ensuring the availability of accurate and timely financial information for decision-making. Develop custom reports in collaboration with IT to meet specific departmental operating expense analysis needs.
Support the month-end close process with a focus on accurate departmental operating expense reporting and reconciliation. Ensure that all operating and SG&A-related expense entries are properly recorded and aligned with financial policies.
Maintain appropriate internal controls and safeguards over financial reporting to ensure compliance and accuracy.
Perform additional ad-hoc financial analysis as needed to support business initiatives and strategic decision-making.