Senior Finance Analyst

Ornua•Evanston, IL

20h•Hybrid

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. The role consolidates, publishes, and analyzes reporting metrics; coordinates 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 support an effective planning process. The role covers recurring and ad hoc reporting, forecasting, investment analysis, and annual budgeting. It includes maintaining commercial reporting and planning tools, supporting adoption of trade promotion management tools, coordinating forecast inputs, leading forecast review meetings, analyzing trade spend and promotional opportunities, and contributing to retailer plans aligned with company targets. The position is based in Evanston, Illinois, and follows a hybrid schedule of three days a week. Ornua describes itself as a purpose-driven, values-led dairy co-operative and offers career progression opportunities, global mobility, continuous learning, and region-specific benefits.

Requirements

A degree in Business, Accounting, or Business Analytics is preferable.
At least 5 years of previous Sales Planning, Financial Planning, or analytical experience is desirable.
Advanced Microsoft Office skills, 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 ability; and projection and forecasting abilities.
Excellent verbal and written communication and interpersonal skills.
Ability to manage multiple projects while maintaining 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.
Demonstrated communication, rigor, collaboration, and ownership competencies.

Nice To Haves

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 reports, 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 continuous improvement.
Support monthly and quarterly customer account reviews focused on investment performance and opportunities.
Use the internal planning tool to consolidate Sales volume and trade investment forecasts.
Review forecast data for accuracy and troubleshoot potential 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 (TPM) Tool, guide the Sales team, and provide usage updates to leadership.
Liaise with Supply Chain and Finance to identify forecast changes at the item, customer, and month level.
Lead monthly forecast review meetings with an Executive Team audience, 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 monthly results and opportunities.
Own the commercial planning process for select Associate accounts.
Report and review monthly trade spend, identifying risk and opportunity areas.
Use P&L understanding and retailer metrics to evaluate promotional spend opportunities.
Prepare scenarios and recommend investment opportunities to Sales and Finance.
Assist with development of a pre/post event analytics model.
Develop quarterly trade forecasts for financial submissions and review changes against prior forecast and budget with Finance.
Support coordination between Sales and Finance to build retailer plans aligned with company targets.
Participate in retailer plan review sessions.
Consolidate data and populate reporting.