Senior Financial Analyst, Product Development

Rivian•Irvine, CA

4h•$108,000 - $135,000

About The Position

We are seeking a Sr. Financial Analyst, Product Development, to build, evolve, and scale our planning, forecasting, and management of headcount, payroll, and subcontracting costs across our Product Development organization. In this role, you will translate complex workforce and project dynamics into clear financial narratives, enabling better decisions on where and how we invest in R&D. Sitting at the intersection of Finance, Product Development, HR, and workforce planning, you will own end-to-end labor and subcontractor cost visibility—from detailed modeling and variance analysis to project-level allocation and KPI tracking. You’ll work closely with partners across HR, Talent Acquisition, Accounting, Corporate FP&A, and Product Development leadership to ensure our financial planning systems, ERP tools, and processes work together to support a scalable, data-driven operating model. Why This Role Matters Connect Product Development strategy to financial reality by building robust headcount, payroll, and subcontractor forecasts that give leaders a clear view of how resourcing decisions impact budgets, timelines, and R&D investment capacity. Improve visibility into labor and subcontractor costs so engineering and program leaders can see where dollars are going—from capitalizable R&D to specific projects and statements of work—and adjust plans proactively. Strengthen planning and workforce decisions by partnering with HR, Talent Acquisition, and Product leadership to align hiring plans, attrition assumptions, and compensation changes with our financial and product roadmaps. Unlock capacity through better processes and tools by standardizing how we forecast, track, and report labor and subcontractor spend across systems like financial planning platforms and ERP, reducing manual work and error risk. Enable faster, data-driven decisions in a high-change environment by creating concise, insight-rich reporting that surfaces risks, opportunities, and trade-offs for leaders across Product Development and Finance.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Accounting, Economics, Business Administration, or a related field; or equivalent practical experience.
At least two of the following: (1) Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field; (2) 3+ years of progressive experience in FP&A or a related financial role; (3) CFA and/or CPA (or foreign equivalent); (4) MBA from a top full-time MBA program.
3+ years of experience in financial planning and analysis with a strong emphasis on expense management, headcount, and labor cost analysis.
Experience supporting R&D, Engineering, or Product Development organizations and partnering with technical leaders on budgets, forecasts, and project economics.
Strong analytical and financial modeling skills with high proficiency in Microsoft Excel (e.g., pivot tables, lookups, complex formulas, scenario analysis).
Hands-on experience with financial planning systems (e.g., Anaplan, Hyperion, Adaptive Insights) and ERP systems (e.g., SAP, Oracle NetSuite), including comfort working across multiple data sources.
Demonstrated ability to manage multiple priorities, meet deadlines, and operate effectively in a fast-paced, high-growth environment with evolving needs.
Exceptional attention to detail and accuracy, with a track record of producing reliable models, reconciliations, and executive-ready reporting.
Strong communication, presentation, and interpersonal skills, with the ability to translate financial concepts for non-financial stakeholders and influence decisions with data.
Proven ability to work independently while also collaborating effectively across HR, Finance, and business teams to drive aligned outcomes.
Proactive, solutions-oriented mindset with a strong desire for continuous improvement in processes, tools, and ways of working.

Nice To Haves

Experience in the automotive, manufacturing, technology, or related industries, ideally within high-growth or complex engineering environments.
Direct experience in workforce planning, headcount planning, or labor strategy for Product Development, Engineering, or R&D organizations.
Familiarity with capitalizable R&D accounting concepts and project-based cost allocation.
Experience designing or improving forecasting and reporting processes, including standardizing templates, calendars, and governance across multiple stakeholders.
Exposure to data visualization and analytics tools (e.g., Power BI, Tableau) to build intuitive dashboards and insights for business partners.

Responsibilities

Financial Planning, Forecasting & Performance Management
Own headcount, payroll, and subcontractor cost forecasting for the Product Development organization, ensuring alignment with company financial targets and R&D strategies.
Develop and maintain detailed labor models that incorporate hiring plans, attrition, merit, bonus, taxes, and other employee-related costs at the cost center, team, and project levels.
Analyze monthly actuals versus budget and forecast for all labor and subcontractor expenses, clearly explaining drivers and trends to Product Development and Finance leadership.
Partner with Corporate FP&A to support annual planning, quarterly forecasting, and long-range planning cycles, ensuring Product Development inputs are accurate, timely, and scenario-ready.
Build and refine financial models to evaluate alternative resourcing and organizational scenarios (e.g., insource vs. outsource, location strategy, team restructures) and articulate their financial impact.
Headcount, Payroll & Workforce Planning
Collaborate with HR, Talent Acquisition, and Product Development leaders to translate workforce plans into accurate headcount and payroll forecasts across roles, levels, and locations.
Maintain a single source of truth for Product Development headcount, partnering with HRIS, TA, and Finance systems owners to reconcile data and resolve discrepancies.
Model and track the financial impact of hiring delays, attrition, backfills, internal transfers, and role redesigns on budgets and project timelines.
Support workforce planning discussions by providing data-driven insights on capacity, cost per FTE, location mix, and skill mix for key engineering and R&D teams.
Partner with HR and Compensation to understand and incorporate changes in pay programs, benefits, and incentive structures into labor cost forecasts.
Subcontractor & Contingent Worker Cost Management
Own financial management of subcontractor and contingent labor costs for Product Development, including forecasting, tracking, and variance analysis against budgets and statements of work.
Build and maintain tools and dashboards that provide clear, project-level views of subcontractor spend, burn rates, and remaining SOW value.
Partner with procurement and Product Development managers to evaluate the cost and efficiency of subcontractor engagements, supporting negotiations and vendor selection with robust financial analysis.
Develop standard approaches and guardrails for when and how to use subcontractors versus internal headcount, informed by cost, flexibility, and capability considerations.
Ensure subcontractor and contingent worker costs are captured accurately in financial systems, properly coded, and aligned with project and cost center structures.
Project Costing, Allocation & Reporting
Ensure proper allocation of payroll and subcontractor costs to R&D, capitalizable activities, and specific projects in line with accounting policies.
Partner with Accounting to support month-end close activities related to labor, capitalization, and subcontractor accruals, including reconciliations and journal entry support.
Collaborate with project managers and engineering leads to understand key cost drivers and establish consistent methods for tracking project-specific labor and subcontractor expenses.
Design and deliver monthly and quarterly financial reporting packages for Product Development leadership that highlight trends, variances, risks, and opportunities in resource utilization and cost performance.
Develop and maintain KPIs and scorecards related to labor efficiency, subcontractor utilization, and project cost performance, enabling leaders to monitor and act on performance over time.
Process Improvement, Systems & Cross-Functional Partnership
Proactively identify opportunities to streamline, standardize, and automate processes related to headcount, payroll, and subcontractor cost management, reducing manual work and improving data integrity.
Partner with Finance Systems, HRIS, and IT to enhance planning and reporting capabilities across tools such as financial planning systems (e.g., Anaplan/Hyperion/Adaptive Insights), Excel, and ERP (e.g., SAP, Oracle NetSuite).
Establish and document clear process guidelines, calendars, and handoffs for forecast updates, variance reviews, and monthly close activities across Finance, HR, and Product Development.
Serve as a trusted financial advisor to Product Development leaders, translating complex financial and operational data into actionable insights, trade-offs, and recommendations.
Build strong working relationships with cross-functional teams, including HR, Talent Acquisition, Accounting, Corporate FP&A, and Product Development, to ensure alignment on assumptions, timelines, and priorities.