Principal Advisor - Strategic Investments and Governance

St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital • Memphis, TN

7d • Hybrid

About The Position

This role will serve as a key member of the FP&A function, responsible for evaluating business cases, supporting investment decisions, and ensuring capital allocation aligns with operational priorities and strategic objectives. This role provides deep analytical insights, financial leadership, and disciplined governance across the investment approval lifecycle. The position partners closely with Development, Operations, Strategy, and Executive Leadership to guide decision-making and maximize enterprise value.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Accounting, Business, Economics, or a related field; MBA, CPA, CFA, or similar credentials preferred.
• 10+ years of experience in FP&A, corporate finance, capital planning, or operational finance roles.
• Strong financial modeling expertise and deep understanding of investment evaluation techniques.
• Proven ability to partner with cross-functional leaders to drive financial decision making.
• Excellent communication, presentation, and executive level storytelling skills.

Nice To Haves

• Experience improving financial processes, governance, or decision frameworks is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Investment Business Case Evaluation Lead the review and validation of business cases for development, operational, strategic, and capital investment proposals.
• Develop and assess financial models, including ROI, NPV, IRR, payback, scenario modeling, and sensitivity analysis to determine the financial viability of initiatives.
• Evaluate financial and operational assumptions, including cost structures, to ensure accuracy, completeness, and alignment with expected investment outcomes.
• Provide actionable recommendations grounded in financial analysis and operational feasibility.
• FP&A Partnership & Strategic Alignment Ensure proposed investments support strategic plans, long‑range financial targets, and operational priorities.
• Collaborate with FP&A teams to integrate investment impacts into forecasts, budgets, long-range planning, and ongoing financial performance tracking.
• Advise senior leadership on financial implications, trade-offs, and strategic considerations for major investment decisions.
• Translate complex financial analytics into clear, concise insights for non-financial stakeholders.
• Capital Governance & Approval Process Leadership Maintain and enforce investment governance policies, approval thresholds, evaluation standards, and business case templates.
• Lead capital review meetings, prepare executive-level summaries, and present recommendations to leadership and investment committees.
• Support continuous improvement of capital planning frameworks, scorecards, and documentation processes.
• Post‑Investment Performance Tracking Lead post-investment performance reviews, incorporating lessons learned into future investment decisions Track and report performance of approved investments against baseline commitments, KPIs, and expected financial outcomes.
• Partner with divisional management and project sponsors to address variances, identify risks, and recommend corrective actions when needed.
• Build dashboards and reporting tools to monitor investment portfolio performance and enhance transparency for senior leadership.
• Analytical Leadership & Operational Support Provide advanced financial and operational analytics to support strategic initiatives, process improvements, ROI maximization, and cost optimization opportunities.
• Serve as a trusted advisor to Development, Operations and Executive Leadership by evaluating the financial impact of operational changes, business initiatives, or strategic alternatives.
• Support enterprise-wide prioritization by assessing comparative value, cost, and risk across investment opportunities.

Benefits

• Core Medical Coverage: (low cost low deductible Medical, Dental, and Vison Insurance plans)
• 401K Retirement Plan with 7% Employer Contribution
• Exceptional Paid Time Off
• Maternity / Paternity Leave
• Infertility Treatment Program
• Adoption Assistance
• Education Assistance
• Enterprise Learning and Development

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Principal
• Number of Employees: 101-250 employees