Sr Financial Analyst, Operations

Farmer's Fridge Careers•Chicago, IL

3d•$115,000 - $125,000

About The Position

Farmer’s Fridge is looking for a highly analytical, hands-on finance leader to partner closely with our Manufacturing and Fulfillment teams and help drive the cost performance of our business. This role sits at the intersection of finance and operations, with a primary focus on understanding the drivers of our cost structure, building the tools and models needed to manage those costs, establishing clear financial targets, and partnering with our teams to deliver against them. Approximately 75% of this role will be dedicated to Operations Finance across our manufacturing plant and distribution network. You will work directly with operational leaders and cost owners to understand what is driving performance, identify opportunities to improve efficiency and profitability, and translate financial insights into concrete actions. This is not a role for someone who wants to sit on the sidelines and report on the business—we are looking for someone who wants to roll up their sleeves, get into the details, solve problems, and help the business get better. The remaining portion of the role will support the Director of FP&A across financial reporting, forecasting, management presentations, strategic and operational finance initiatives, diligence requests, and other high-priority projects. The ideal candidate combines strong financial modeling and analytical skills with business judgment, curiosity, and a bias toward action. You should be comfortable working with detailed operational data one day and presenting the key takeaway to senior leadership the next. Most importantly, you are motivated by making a tangible difference in the performance of the business and enjoy working shoulder-to-shoulder with operators to get results.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Accounting, Economics, Business, or a related field.
5+ years of relevant experience in FP&A, Operations Finance, Supply Chain Finance, Manufacturing Finance, or a similar analytical role.
Experience partnering directly with operational teams; experience in manufacturing, food production, distribution, logistics, or supply chain environments is strongly preferred.
Strong financial modeling skills, including the ability to build driver-based models from scratch and translate complex operational data into clear financial insights.
Advanced Excel / Google Sheets skills and comfort working with large, detailed datasets. Experience with BI, ERP, planning, or data visualization tools is a plus.
Strong understanding of cost accounting and operational cost drivers; experience with standard costing, variance analysis, unit economics, or activity-based costing is a plus.
Demonstrated ability to move beyond reporting the numbers to understand why performance is changing and what the business should do about it.
Strong business judgment, communication, and storytelling skills, with the ability to distill complex analyses into concise recommendations for audiences ranging from frontline operators to senior leadership.
Highly organized, detail-oriented, and comfortable managing multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment.
Self-starter with a high level of ownership, a bias toward action, and the ability to build trust and credibility with operational leaders and finance partners.
Genuine desire to make a tangible difference in business performance and work closely with the people responsible for running the business.

Nice To Haves

Experience with BI, ERP, planning, or data visualization tools is a plus.
Experience with standard costing, variance analysis, unit economics, or activity-based costing is a plus.

Responsibilities

Serve as the primary finance partner to Manufacturing and Fulfillment leadership, developing a deep understanding of the operational and financial drivers of our cost structure.
Own financial models and analyses across labor, materials, packaging, distribution, transportation, waste, productivity, and other key cost drivers, translating operational activity into financial outcomes.
Establish cost targets, operating benchmarks, and performance expectations with operational leaders, and develop recurring reporting to measure performance, trends, risks, and opportunities.
Partner directly with plant and distribution teams to investigate variances, identify root causes and efficiency opportunities, quantify their financial impact, and translate insights into actionable plans.
Develop and maintain driver-based models and clear views of unit economics and cost per unit to support forward-looking planning and operational decision-making.
Analyze labor productivity, staffing, utilization, waste, distribution costs, and other operational metrics to identify opportunities to improve efficiency and profitability.
Build business cases for process improvements, capital investments, staffing changes, vendor decisions, and other initiatives that impact the cost structure.
Lead root-cause analysis of material cost variances and work with operators to determine the actions required to get performance back on track.
Help create a culture of financial accountability across Manufacturing and Fulfillment by making financial information accessible, actionable, and relevant to operational teams.
Serve as a thought partner to operational leadership, challenging assumptions when appropriate while remaining focused on practical solutions and better business outcomes.
Partner with the Director of FP&A on annual planning, budgeting, and forecasting, with a particular focus on operating expenses and the broader cost structure.
Prepare monthly and quarterly financial reporting and management materials, translating results into concise insights and recommended actions.
Support executive and board-level presentations, including analysis of business performance, key drivers, risks, and opportunities.
Perform ad-hoc financial and operational analyses to support strategic and day-to-day decision-making across the organization.
Support diligence requests, investor-related analyses, and other time-sensitive financial projects as needed.
Identify opportunities to improve financial processes, reporting, and analytical tools as the company continues to scale.
Take on special projects at the intersection of finance, operations, and strategy.