Lead Financial Analyst

Duke Energy Corporation•Charlotte, NC

7h•Hybrid

About The Position

More than a career - a chance to make a difference in people's lives. Build an exciting, rewarding career with us – help us make a difference for millions of people every day. Consider joining the Duke Energy team, where you'll find a friendly work environment, opportunities for growth and development, recognition for your work, and competitive pay and benefits. Job Summary: The Lead Financial Analyst position will report to the Manager of Grid Planning & Integration (GP&I) Finance as part of supporting System Planning & Construction (SPC) business activity. The position is responsible for coordinating day-to-day overall cost management, accounting and financial analysis, business planning and all key operational finance functions to support the SPC organization. This position will provide direct support to the senior leadership within the SPC organization. Within SPC, the GP&I organization manages the planning, development and strategic planning for generation and associated interconnection to ensure safe, reliable grid operations across Duke Energy’s six (6) jurisdictions and as such this position will support all work activities in all jurisdictions. The SPC Finance team supports consolidated total annual spend of ~$4.2B for O&M and Capital. In addition, the SPC Finance team supports the Carolinas One Utility program, which is targeted to combine the Duke Energy Carolinas and Duke Energy Progress utilities at the beginning of 2027, as well as interconnection agreements with third-party and utility-owned generation expansion, with actively managed deposits of ~$400M. This position will be responsible for the day to day overall cost management, accounting and reporting for the Interconnect process from end to end.The Lead will at most times guide junior level Financial Analysts and contingent workers, who also support SPC. Position will frequently interface with different departments within the company, such as Asset Accounting, Corporate Controllers & Accounting, Rates & Regulatory, Tax, Forecasting, internal/external auditors and all corporate finance departments for issues/resolution on financial/cost management items. The GP&I organization follows a complex cost charging model and allocation rules and requires diligent cost management to ensure costs are charged appropriately and costs are allocated properly as it will impact cost recovery and accurate application of deposits and billing of construction costs. This position requires a blended knowledge of operational, technical and functional financial reporting and analysis skills. Position must have strong ability to lead and direct financial activities, evaluate change management efforts, and drive business process improvement efforts. The Lead Financial Analyst is required to perform all their duties and can back up the Manager when needed. Position will effectively provide leadership (advising and providing direction) to others in financial areas of specialization and may coordinate daily work activities or review the work of other teammates. Position works independently, with guidance in only the most complex situations. Effective leadership, communication and collaboration skills are essential for this position as this position is responsible for functions and activities that impact a variety of different departments within the company. Maintaining a positive outlook is critical.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree with major in Accounting/Finance or related discipline
Five (5) plus years of increasingly diverse or complex experience in related field in addition to degree
Possesses and applies fundamental accounting and finance concepts, practices, and procedures
Experience with financial applications (i.e., PeopleSoft, HFM, PowerPlan, etc.) and query tool (WebI)
Experience using Microsoft products such as Excel, Word and Power Point

Nice To Haves

In addition to desired degree, 8 years related work experience
CPA, CIS, CFA or CMA Certifications (or working toward certification)
Master’s in Accounting, Finance or Business Administration
General understanding of GAAP accounting principles and internal controls.
Experience in effectively interfacing with executive leadership
Excellent oral and written communication skills including negotiating
Excellent organization skills including ability to manage time, work load and competing priorities
Broad knowledge of utility environment- specific expertise in supporting business units as well as understanding of processes.
Managed and or lead a team and or project/processes.
Ability to effectively perform at the lead level by serving as a subject matter expert, developing and implementing process improvements, recommending best practices based on expertise & knowledge, training and guiding peers, leading and coordinating projects (i.e. budget process, monthly close etc.)
Self- motivated; able to work independently with proactive recommendations and limited supervision and able to work in a team environment
Ability to analyze and understand financial information, recognize significant variances, trends, and irregularities and summarize clearly and concisely to management.
Ability to work in a team environment & foster good relationships with teammates & business partners at all levels of the organization
Ability to meet stated deadlines and respond quickly to changing needs through a teamwork approach.
Possesses and applies comprehensive and strategic knowledge of accounting and finance principles, practices, and procedures to complete complex assignments
Experience with RRE or SPC operations is preferred
Experience with financial applications (i.e., PeopleSoft, WebI, Power Plant, Analysis Services etc.)
Proficient use Microsoft products such as Excel (i.e. pivot tables, PowerPivot), Word, & Power Point and use of Power BI.
Strong IT skills and the ability to develop an understanding of applications such as: Business Objects (WebI) Reporting Tool SAS Business Rules Analysis Services/Financial Cube Reporting PeopleSoft and allocation steps Code Block Maintenance / Tree Structures Power Plan / LRP Maximo Microsoft Power Business Intelligence (Power BI), PowerPivot, Power Query

Responsibilities

Cost Management Reporting & Financial Analysis: Coordinate and prepare SPC’s cost management reporting, variance analysis, year-end projections for Corporate ROCR, Executive financial summaries and other financial presentations as needed. Coordinate the month-end close activities. Prepare and or review and post journal entries (accruals and corrections). Provide financial, accounting, and business management analytical support to various levels of management and business partners Analyze data, identify and correct errors to ensure accuracy and integrity of financial information. Oversee, monitor and modify as appropriate all SPC allocation steps Coordinate, prepare and or assist in research and providing answers for all various requests: internal/ external audits, rate case and regulatory filings/audits, etc. Review the interconnect balances and CIAC activity on a monthly / quarterly / annual basis and support any associated reporting. Serve as a resource for technical expertise, guidance, and assistance for questions and problems related to financial business management to all business partners, peers and teammates.
Business planning & oversight: Coordinate the overall budget and business planning process (the annual budget development and long-range planning process). Including communication of budget guidance, assumptions, timeline, 5-year plans for O&M & Capital. Coordinating review and preparation of annual budgets utilizing One Stream and Power Plan/LRP for projects. Validate budgets uploaded to correct target amounts. Develop and support department budget, strategic plan and related business planning presentation materials. Work closely with and at the direction of appropriate management during the business planning process for input and dialogue on business plan and budget content. Ensure accounting cost treatments and cash flows for the budgets loaded are accurate.
Governance and Oversight Ensure adherence to GAAP & internal company financial policies and procedures (i.e. O&M, Capital, CIAC, etc.) Effectively collaborate with Asset Accounting teams and Corporate Accounting Research Group (CARG) as needed to support appropriate cost treatment evaluations and project issue resolutions. Ensure adherence to internal and external governance policies and procedures for supported business partners; Facilitation/participation of Financial Oversight meetings (FOM), Monthly Financial Results Review Meetings, Jurisdictional Executive Meeting (JET) and/or any other meetings as needed. Ensure timely communication and effective collaboration with business partners for inquiries/governance issues and to effectively resolve any issues in a timely manner. Ensure requests from external/internal audits requests and data requests associated with any regulatory filings are provided accurately and in a timely manner. Maintain good working knowledge of accounting policies and impacts as required. Prepare and or update SOX controls and perform SOX testing. Coordinates and collaborates across all FP&A groups and all levels of management/staff on business unit specific accounting issues that involve SPC. Each area (Nuclear, Power Grid Operations, RRE, Piedmont, etc.) has its own processes, code block and charging structure, etc. and SPC Finance must understand all the differences so that costs are accounted for correctly depending on where the work is being performed and for whom.
Leadership and/or management support: Achieving Financial Results: Achieve financial performance targets by providing financial, accounting, and business management analytical insight to executives and senior leaders. Includes budgeting, reporting and projection activities. Proactively help identify cost reduction opportunities through independent analysis. Assist in defining and executing initiatives to drive a culture of accountability for financial management. Strategic Consulting: Demonstrate leadership as a consultant or subject matter expert for technical/functional/strategic issues; provide guidance and assistance for questions and problems related to financial business management. Build financial acumen, via ongoing training across customer group supported. Ensure effective change management such that business and financial issues impacting our business partners are resolved in a timely manner. Provide effective leadership and resource management for our business partners and critical stakeholders including senior management, executive leaders, peers, and other members of the FP&A team. Effectively provide guidance to team on complex accounting issues and complex problems and interpret internal or external business issues and recommend solutions. Actively seek to identify and meet customer needs with a sense of urgency, taking ownership of customer issues and problems until resolved. Effectively communicates and integrates segment knowledge, enterprise drivers, and regulatory influences. Peer Leadership: Direct work plan and effective project completion among other employees on the team through effective leadership and influencing skills. Ensure peers/teammates have appropriate training to perform tasks, as well as, lead business and teammates to drive results. Effectively integrate new teammates within the Finance organization. Participate in the success of our organization by active engagement in process improvement events, STIP, FP&A and Regulated Generation team initiatives and community involvement. Participate in peer teams when identified to ensure consistency in processes and reporting, and sharing of best practices throughout the organization Build relationships & promote two-way communication with Finance peers & business partners. Lead, identify, develop and implement continuous process improvement opportunities including improvements related to current and future reporting requirements (supporting digital transformation) and understand how those requirements impact source databases and reports. Overtime may be required during monthly/quarterly/annual closing and business planning processes as well as rollout of new and/or changes processes. Lead, coordinate and or assist with special projects and initiatives & and ad hoc requests as required.