Financial Analyst - SBC

Aston Carter•Seattle, WA

3d•Onsite

About The Position

The Financial Analyst leads stock-based compensation (SBC) financial planning and analysis for a large, complex organization. This role owns end-to-end SBC forecasting, modeling, and reporting, supports monthly and quarterly close activities, and delivers executive-level insights to leadership. The position combines deep technical finance and accounting expertise with advanced data analysis, automation, and business intelligence skills to drive forecast accuracy, process improvements, and high-quality decision support in a fast-paced environment.

Requirements

Minimum of a bachelor’s degree in business, finance, or accounting.
7–10+ years of experience in finance, accounting, or related fields, with significant exposure to stock-based compensation.
Deep experience with stock-based compensation and restricted stock units (RSUs), including accounting treatment, forecasting, and analysis.
Strong stock-based compensation accounting skills and experience in compensation analysis and forecasting.
Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel, including complex financial modeling and data analysis.
Hands-on experience with SQL for querying and manipulating large data sets.
Experience with Python for data analysis, automation, or model development.
Experience with Microsoft Access or similar database tools for managing and analyzing financial data.
Strong financial modeling skills with the ability to build, maintain, and refine complex forecast models.
Proven ability to influence leadership through clear analysis, persuasive communication, and data-driven recommendations.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to translate complex financial concepts into clear insights for non-technical stakeholders.
Demonstrated ability to manage competing priorities and deliver high-quality work in a fast-paced, dynamic environment.
High attention to detail and accuracy, particularly in reviewing and posting accounting entries and preparing consolidated reports.
Experience using business intelligence and automation tools to work more efficiently and improve reporting processes.

Nice To Haves

Experience working in a large organization with multimillion-dollar expense lines and complex financial structures.
Experience with automation, AI, and BI tools to create automated reports and commentary on financial trends.
Familiarity with Power BI or similar business intelligence platforms for dashboarding and visualization.
Comfort working cross-functionally with compensation, science, technology, and accounting teams to align assumptions and models.
Track record of identifying process improvements and implementing scalable solutions in financial planning and analysis.

Responsibilities

Provide business partner finance support to FP&A leaders across multiple business organizations for stock-based compensation (SBC) modeling, planning, analysis, and reporting.
Manage SBC FP&A deliverables for month-end and quarter-end financial close, including preparing and reviewing accounting entries related to SBC with a high degree of accuracy.
Lead SBC planning activities for risk and opportunity assessments and operational planning cycles (e.g., OP1/OP2), ensuring assumptions are clearly documented and aligned with business expectations.
Maintain and manage the SBC planning calendar and key assumptions that drive forecast accuracy, updating them as business conditions and compensation decisions evolve.
Dive deep into financial and operational data to serve as the subject matter expert on SBC, identifying trends, patterns, and drivers that impact forecasts and actuals.
Conduct simulations and scenario analyses to assess the impact of proposed SBC plan or policy changes on operating expenses and overall financial performance.
Partner with compensation, central science, and technology teams to develop and refine SBC forecast models that quantify the cost impact of compensation design and accounting assumption changes.
Generate executive-level reports, bridges, and supplemental presentation materials for leaders, including VP, CFO, CEO, leadership team, and board-level meetings.
Create clear, concise dashboards and presentations that communicate SBC trends, variances, and insights in an accessible and actionable manner.
Collaborate with Accounting on a quarterly basis to set key forfeiture rate assumptions used for both SBC planning and expense recognition.
Continuously monitor SBC financial plans and adjust assumptions based on trend analysis, headcount targets, and compensation decisions.
Provide ad hoc analysis and decision support to executive leadership and business finance teams on SBC trends, variances, and targeted inquiries.
Build and enhance reports that explain SBC trends and variances, ensuring stakeholders understand key drivers and implications.
Respond to questions from business and finance teams, including detailed email responses and explanations on specific SBC trends and issues.
Run and oversee the month-end and quarter-end close processes for SBC, including reconciliations and review of Amazon-level consolidated reports for management.
Review, design, and recommend process mechanics that improve forecast accuracy and streamline SBC planning and reporting.
Partner with technology teams to design and implement automated solutions for recurring analysis, reporting, and data access related to SBC.
Lead or contribute to automation projects that leverage AI and business intelligence tools to produce automated commentary, generate reports, and summarize SBC trends efficiently.