Senior Finance Operations Specialist II

Louisiana Public Health Institute•New Orleans, LA

8d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Senior Finance Operations Specialist II at LPHI will use their analytical, research, and finance skills to help shape LPHI’s strategic direction. Their financial and operations expertise will support the mission to improve lives in communities across Louisiana and the nation. This role offers opportunities for professional growth, social impact, with a supportive workplace. This opportunity is great for a person who brings a strong background in supporting projects, improving systems, and partnering with teams to better manage the business side of their work. A successful person in the role will connect finance to operations, strategy, and mission delivery as a collaborative teammate. The Senior Finance Operations Specialist II is responsible for financial planning and analysis, grant and project financial operations, and working across LPHI teams as a professional services resource. This position supports organizational decision-making by preparing budgets, forecasts, managing dashboard indicators, and producing financial reports with accuracy, compliance, and transparency. The role operates as a high-impact individual contributor collaborating across the organization. This includes, but is not limited to, training non-finance staff on key financial principles, serving as a finance liaison to teams needing support with business planning, and building strong relationship-management and leadership skills.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Accounting or Finance
Minimum of three (3) years experience in financial analysis, grant finance, non-profit administrative operations, and completing and supporting program and organizational budget development.
Knowledge of nonprofit accounting standards
Experience in managing local, state, and federal government grant programs; and philanthropic foundation grants.
Experience preparing budgets, forecasts, and variance analysis.
Excellent reasoning and analytical skills.
Strong oral and written skills.
Demonstrated capacity and ability to lead and manage projects.
Excellent time management and organizational skills, with careful attention to detail.
Advanced knowledge and use of Microsoft Excel (e.g. financial modeling, pivot tables, formulas) and intermediate knowledge of other Microsoft Office products
Demonstrated ability to manage multi-faceted projects and perform well under pressure.
Ability to work with diverse personalities with a wide variety of backgrounds and experiences.
Employee must reside in Louisiana during the time of employment.

Nice To Haves

Commitment to public health and achieving health equity.
Experience documenting financial policies and procedures.
Experience in web-based accounting and financial planning software.
Experience supporting audits or funder financial reviews.
Ability to collaborate effectively and build strong, positive relationships with colleagues and partners, both internal and external to LPHI.
Exceptional emotional intelligence, including interpersonal skills and experience working with individuals and groups from diverse backgrounds.
Ability to champion innovation and changes within an organization.
Demonstrated ability to deliver with excellent quality and impact.
Ability to apply systems thinking and act strategically.
Desire to support the development of individuals and team.

Responsibilities

Prepare and support annual operating budgets, including organizational and programmatic.
Develop and maintain rolling forecasts and financial models.
Perform budget-to-actual variance analysis and prepare clear narrative explanations.
Support scenario modeling and ad hoc financial analysis for leadership.
Assist with preparation of internal management and board-ready financial materials.
Develop and monitor key performance indicators (KPIs) to track progress and drive accountability.
Prepare monthly, quarterly, and annual financial reports for departments and programs.
Maintain dashboards, schedules, and reporting templates.
Ensure consistency and accuracy of financial data across reports.
Translate financial data into clear, actionable insights for non-finance staff.
Support in developing, reviewing, and maintaining grant and project budgets.
Partner with teams to monitor grant spending, funding timelines, and milestone achievements.
Produce funder-required financial reports in accordance with grant agreements.
Participate in audit and monitoring requests related to grants and program finance.
Partner with program and department leaders to support financial understanding and accountability, including co-leading planned finance training initiatives and ad hoc support requests.
Lead collaboration with internal teams to improve budgeting, reporting, and grant workflows.
Provide operational and project support across departments.
Partner with programs staff in delivery of program objectives when there is a need for programs and finance partnership with funders.
Other Duties as Assigned

Benefits

LPHI contributes 7% of pre-tax salary to the employees’ 401k per pay period regardless of employee contribution, after six continuous months of employment
100% paid premiums for employee health (Core plan), dental, short-term disability, long-term disability and term life insurance beginning on the first day of the month, on or following one month of full-time employment
100% paid Employee Assistance Program
100% paid parking at 601 Tchoupitoulas Parking Garage
Traditional, flexible, or compressed work schedules
Resources committed to professional development
15+ paid holidays per year that includes Thanksgiving Break and Winter Break
10 vacation days accrued per year, years 0-2
15 vacation days accrued per year, years 3-5
20 vacation days accrued per year, year 6+
3 personal days
1 floating holiday (employee’s choice)
12 sick days