Senior Finance Analyst
About The Position
The Senior Financial Analyst, Commercial Finance serves as a business partner supporting the cross-functional commercial planning process between Sales and Finance to achieve company objectives. The role consolidates, publishes, and analyzes key reporting metrics; supports forecasts and budgets; and provides financial analysis to help drive company performance. The analyst works with the Sales team remotely and in person to solve problems and improve the planning process. Responsibilities span regular reporting, monthly and in-month forecasting, investment analysis, and annual budgeting. The role maintains customer and volume reporting, consolidates forecasts, reviews data for accuracy, supports customer planning and trade promotion management tools, leads forecast review processes, and evaluates trade investment performance and opportunities. The position is based in Evanston, Illinois, with a hybrid schedule of three days a week.
Requirements
- A minimum of 5 years of previous Sales Planning, Financial Planning, or analytical experience is desirable.
- Advanced skills in Microsoft Office, including above-average knowledge of advanced Excel functions.
- Ability to analyze diverse data and formulate clear, focused, actionable recommendations.
- Strong organizational and planning skills; attention to detail; resilience; ability to multitask; analytical and problem-solving capabilities; and projection and forecasting abilities.
- Excellent verbal and written communication and interpersonal skills.
- Proven ability to manage multiple projects while paying strict attention to detail.
- Ability to work independently and contribute in a team environment.
- Proficiency in using AI to optimize processes and data analysis, such as Microsoft Copilot or Claude integration in Microsoft Office.
Nice To Haves
- A degree in Business, Accounting, or Business Analytics is preferable.
- Prior exposure to syndicated data such as Nielsen or IRI is beneficial but not necessary.
Responsibilities
- Maintain and distribute weekly volume reports, analyzing results against forecast, budget, and prior year.
- Maintain and distribute monthly retailer performance reporting, including volume and trade investment analysis against forecast, budget, and prior year.
- Develop, maintain, and distribute total customer investment spend reporting.
- Improve standardized reporting and ways of working through the “Innovator” process.
- Support monthly and quarterly customer account reviews focused on investment performance and opportunities.
- Use the internal planning tool to consolidate Sales team volume and trade investment forecasts.
- Review forecast data for accuracy and identify and troubleshoot abnormalities and errors.
- Maintain and improve the internal Customer Planning Tool, including supporting the Canada and LATAM businesses.
- Support the transition to and maintenance of the Trade Promotion Management tool, guide the Sales team, and provide usage updates to leadership.
- Coordinate with Supply Chain and Finance to identify forecast changes at item, customer, and month level.
- Lead monthly forecast review meetings for the Executive Team, explaining differences versus the prior forecast and prior year.
- Lead the in-month Flash forecast process and meeting; coordinate Sales inputs and challenge account owners to provide timely, specific, actionable commentary on results and opportunities.
- Own the commercial planning process for select Associate accounts.
- Report and review monthly trade spend, identifying risks and opportunities.
- Use P&L understanding and key retailer metrics to evaluate promotional spend opportunities.
- Prepare scenarios and recommend investment opportunities to Sales and Finance.
- Assist in developing a pre- and post-event analytics model.
- Develop quarterly trade forecasts for financial submissions and review changes against previous forecasts and budget with Finance.
- Coordinate Sales and Finance to build retailer plans aligned with company targets.
- Participate in retailer plan review sessions.
- Consolidate data and populate reporting for annual budgeting.
Benefits
- Competitive salary and annual bonus scheme.
- Medical, vision, and dental benefits with low employee contributions.
- 401(k).
- Paid time off.
- Maternity leave (20 weeks).
- Parental leave.
- Flexible working.
- Fitness reimbursement.
- Charity donation.
- Complimentary Kerrygold products.
- Free car parking and secure bicycle storage.
- Free healthy snacks and drinks in the office.
- Reward and Recognition program.
- Volunteering opportunities.
- Long Service Awards.
- Career progression opportunities, including global mobility.
- Comprehensive benefits with region-specific offerings.
- Dynamic Working policy supporting flexible hours and hybrid work options.
- Continuous learning and improvement.
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Senior
