Senior Consultant – Price & Sales Variance Forecasting & Analysis

Caterpillar Inc.•Peoria, IL

2d•$128,470 - $192,710•Onsite

About The Position

Your Work Shapes the World at Caterpillar Inc. When you join Caterpillar, you're joining a global team who cares not just about the work we do – but also about each other. We are the makers, problem solvers, and future world builders who are creating stronger, more sustainable communities. We don't just talk about progress and innovation here – we make it happen, with our customers, where we work and live. Together, we are building a better world, so we can all enjoy living in it. As a Senior Consultant (Price & Sales Variance Forecasting & Analysis), you will serve as a lead financial analyst and process owner responsible for sales variance analysis, forecasting, reporting, and price realization insights related to machine revenue. This role partners closely with FP&A and Accounting stakeholders to support monthly close activities, ensure accrual accuracy, and deliver clear, decision‑ready insights on drivers of performance. This opportunity is ideal for a candidate with a strong FP&A or accounting foundation who enjoys connecting financial results to business drivers, building scalable reporting, and improving forecasting and variance analysis processes through data and automation.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Accounting, Economics, or related field (or equivalent practical experience with strong financial analysis exposure).
Demonstrated experience in financial analysis supporting forecasting, reporting, and variance analysis in a business environment.
Customer Focus: Knowledge of finance partnership practices that prioritize stakeholder needs and business outcomes; ability to collaborate effectively with FP&A, Accounting, and cross‑functional partners to deliver clear, actionable financial insights that support decision‑making.
Data Gathering & Analysis: Strong experience performing sales variance analysis, including forecast‑to‑actual comparisons and identifying key drivers such as price, volume, mix, and timing. Ability to gather, validate, and synthesize financial data from multiple sources to support accruals, forecasting, and accurate financial conclusions.
Decision Making and Critical Thinking: Demonstrated ability to analyze complex financial scenarios, evaluate trade‑offs, and make sound recommendations using structured analysis, financial judgment, and variance insights within an FP&A or Accounting context.
Effective Communications: Proven ability to clearly communicate sales variance drivers, accrual impacts, and financial insights to both finance and non‑finance audiences through dashboards (Power BI), written commentary, and verbal presentations. Comfortable translating complex analysis into executive‑ready messaging.
Strategic Thinking: Ability to apply a broad financial perspective to understand how pricing, sales performance, and revenue drivers impact overall business results; capable of linking sales variance analysis and forecasting insights to long‑term financial objectives and process improvement opportunities.

Nice To Haves

Experience with Power BI dashboards and data models.

Responsibilities

Own sales variance analysis for machine revenue, including forecast‑to‑actual and plan comparisons; identify key drivers such as price, volume, mix, timing, and other business factors, and communicate impacts to financial results.
Partner with FP&A to support forecasting cycles, scenario planning, and leadership reporting, including narrative development and variance commentary.
Partner with Accounting and post‑sale credit teams to support monthly close activities, including revenue accruals, reconciliations, and governance to ensure alignment between forecasts, sales performance, and revenue recognition requirements.
Own and enhance Power BI dashboards and data models used for forecasting, accrual tracking, and sales variance reporting; ensure accuracy, transparency, and usability for finance stakeholders.
Create and maintain data visualizations and analytic outputs that clearly explain forecast drivers, sales variances, and price realization performance for leadership and cross‑functional partners.
Lead or support projects focused on improving machine price realization forecasting and sales variance processes, including standardization, documentation, controls, and continuous improvement.
Ensure reporting and analysis outputs meet expectations for data quality, controls, audit readiness, and maintainability.
Collaborate with stakeholders to resolve data inconsistencies, reconcile differences, and improve upstream inputs that affect forecasting and variance outcomes.