Financial Planning & Analysis (FP&A) Manager

Essense of Australia, Inc.•Lenexa, KS

About The Position

Essense of Australia is seeking an experienced Financial Planning & Analysis (FP&A) Manager to join its global bridal wholesaling business. The role calls for a self-starter who understands business dynamics, identifies opportunities, and presents clear findings and recommendations to senior leaders. The FP&A Manager will create transparent, shareable analysis and build trusted partnerships across the organization. This position reports to the Director, FP&A. The role uses AI and emerging technologies to accelerate data analysis, automate repetitive work, and improve Finance processes, allowing more time for strategic analysis and partnership. The manager will explore and test new tools and help develop repeatable, scalable ways of working. The position uses Excel, Qlik, NetSuite, NetSuite Planning & Budgeting (NSPB), and AI-enabled tools. Experience with NetSuite, NSPB, and Qlik is preferred; experience with other BI platforms is also welcome. The company says it will help adaptable, quick-learning candidates get up to speed on new systems. The successful candidate will develop financial models, reporting, and analysis; support budgeting and forecasting; evaluate business opportunities and project spending; and communicate insights to management. The role also supports special projects and contributes to a collaborative team culture.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Business, Finance, or Accounting required.
Seven or more years of experience in financial analysis, budgeting, or planning preferred.
Hands-on experience with annual planning and forecasting, budget management, financial reporting, and BI data analysis tools.
Strong business acumen, ability to recognize and analyze changes in business impact, and proven problem-solving skills.
Expert-level Excel skills and strong working knowledge of other Microsoft Office tools.
ERP experience, understanding of relational databases, and ability to learn new systems quickly.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including comfort presenting to executives.
Curiosity and enthusiasm for AI and emerging technologies, with sound judgment in applying them responsibly and validating their output.
Strong attention to detail and ability to manage multiple priorities and deadlines in a fast-paced environment.
Self-directed work style and a track record of managing work independently.
Ability to handle confidential financial information with discretion and integrity.
Leadership ability and willingness to lead and manage others as the role evolves.
Passion for building departmental processes and procedures that support scalability as the company grows.

Nice To Haves

MBA or related advanced degree.
Experience with NetSuite and NetSuite Planning & Budgeting (NSPB).
Qlik experience; experience with other BI platforms is also valued.
Hands-on experience using AI tools or automation to improve finance and analytics workflows.
Multi-entity or international finance experience.
Background in retail, wholesale, or consumer products.

Responsibilities

Develop, implement, and maintain financial models, reporting, and ad-hoc analysis to support timely business decisions.
Analyze operating expenses and their relationship to sales; sales and gross margin by country and label; cost-of-goods-sold components; and the financial impact of proposed business initiatives.
Present findings and recommended areas of improvement to management.
Build a comprehensive understanding of the organization and the cross-functional factors that drive results.
Create custom financial reporting and Qlik dashboards for decision-makers.
Use Excel and accounting-system knowledge to aggregate, interpret, and summarize data, including action-oriented summaries and ROI analysis.
Design flexible, dynamic analysis that supports adjustable what-if scenarios and sensitivity testing.
Automate recurring reporting to reduce manual effort and deliver insights faster.
Partner with the Director, FP&A and other FP&A team members to manage assigned components of the budget and forecast, including the income statement, balance sheet, cash flow, and bank covenants.
Evaluate opportunities, risks, ROI, and project-spend efficiency, with a strong understanding of sales, expenses, and inventory.
Support the rolling forecast with accurate forecasts that account for all elements of the business, and improve budgeting and forecasting workflows through automation.
Identify, test, and implement new technologies and AI-enabled workflows to streamline processes and strengthen the FP&A function.
Share learnings with the team and help build repeatable, scalable ways of working.
Support special projects and contribute to a collaborative team culture.