Principal Financial Analyst

Forj Medical•Arden Hills, MN

About The Position

The Operations Principal Finance Analyst provides strategic financial leadership to the operations teams for our Ardin Hills and Vadnais Heights facilities, focusing on cost optimization, inventory management, and performance reporting. This role is a key finance partner for operations to problem solve accounting and finance challenges as they arise including, but not limited to manufacturing costing, profitability analysis, and analyzing and reporting on trends, variances, deviations from budget and forecast.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree (B. A./B.S.) in Accounting, Finance, Economics, or other analytical business degree from four-year college or university or equivalent work experience.
7-10 years of progressive finance experience, with at least 5 years in financial analysis.
Manufacturing industry experience preferred
Solid understanding of standard costing, inventory accounting, and GAAP; exposure to project/WIP accounting a plus.
Technology - Proficient in Microsoft Word, Outlook & PowerPoint; very strong Excel.
Excellent attention to detail and analytical skills.
Exposure to Epicore and Planful a plus
Self-motivated and able to work independently and collaboratively.
Must be able to multi-task, manage time well and meet critical deadlines.
Excellent interpersonal & communications skills, both verbal and written; strong organizational skills.

Nice To Haves

CPA or CMA preferred, but not required

Responsibilities

Lead the annual operating plan (AOP) and monthly/quarterly forecasts for COGS, manufacturing variances, absorption, labor productivity, yield/scrap, freight, and overhead.
Develop and maintain standard reporting packages (month-end ops review, KPI dashboards).
Build driver-based models for throughput, OEE, capacity utilization, and labor efficiency; translate ops metrics into financial impact.
Provide financial leadership on continuous improvement initiatives; quantify savings and ensure controlled realization to P&L.
Oversee inventory valuation and integrity (cycle counts, physicals, reserves, obsolescence, slow-moving analysis).
Ensure accurate and timely WIP accounting for engineered-to-order/project-driven builds
Support in physical inventory and/or cycle count programs, drive count accuracy and compliance.
Build financial cases for CapEx (ROI, IRR, NPV, payback); validate assumptions (throughput, scrap reduction, labor avoidance, maintenance savings).
Track CapEx spend vs. budget, commissioning timelines, and benefits realization to P&L; escalate risks and variances.
Support NPI/NPD and engineering initiatives with cost modeling, make-vs-buy, and lifecycle margin impacts.
Partner with supply chain to track and forecast raw material cost inflation
Analyze inbound/outbound freight & logistics cost drivers; recommend mode-optimization and footprint changes
Serve as the finance business partner for our Ardin Hills and Vadnais Heights operations team
Coach operations leaders on financial literacy; translate financials into operational action plans.
Provides cross-functional support to broader finance and operations teams during peak periods