Senior Financial Analyst

Overview

This role supports financial management for Managed Services customers within the higher education industry. Managed Services provides outsourced IT services to colleges and universities.

The Senior Financial Analyst develops, maintains, and analyzes customer-level budgets and financial forecasts to support financial planning, operational decision-making, and achievement of financial objectives. You will partner with Managed Services leadership, customer account teams, IT operations, and other internal stakeholders to monitor financial performance, identify trends and risks, explain variances, and deliver actionable financial insights for assigned customers.

Responsibilities

Budgeting and Forecasting

• Develop, maintain, and manage annual budgets and periodic financial forecasts for each assigned Managed Services customer.
• Partner with account leaders and operational stakeholders to gather budget assumptions, validate financial inputs, and develop accurate and realistic financial plans.
• Prepare monthly, quarterly, and annual forecasts, incorporating changes in staffing, service delivery costs, technology requirements, contractual obligations, and customer needs.
• Maintain customer-level financial models, including revenue, labor, operating expenses, and other relevant financial drivers.
• Monitor actual results against budget and forecast, identify variances, and provide clear explanations of key financial drivers.
• Update forecasts to reflect changes in customer scope, service requirements, staffing levels, and other operational or contractual developments.

Financial Analysis and Reporting

• Prepare and distribute recurring financial reports, dashboards, and management summaries for assigned Managed Services customers.
• Analyze financial performance, trends, risks, and opportunities to support informed business decisions.
• Track key financial metrics, including revenue, labor costs, operating expenses, gross margin, and profitability, as applicable to each customer engagement.
• Identify unfavorable trends, potential budget overruns, and opportunities for cost optimization.
• Develop financial models and scenario analysis to evaluate potential impacts of staffing changes, service modifications, contract changes, and other business decisions.
• Present financial results and recommendations to Managed Services leadership and other stakeholders in a clear and actionable manner.

Customer and Operational Partnership

• Serve as a financial business partner to Managed Services account leaders and operational teams.
• Support financial reviews with internal stakeholders and, where appropriate, participate in customer-facing financial discussions.
• Work with account teams to understand customer contracts, service-level commitments, pricing structures, and financial obligations.
• Assist with financial evaluation of contract renewals, scope changes, new service opportunities, and customer transitions.
• Collaborate with IT operations and resource management teams to understand staffing plans, utilization, service delivery costs, and resource needs.
• Help ensure financial plans align with customer expectations, contractual commitments, and organizational financial targets.

Financial Controls and Process Improvement

• Ensure accuracy, consistency, and integrity of customer-level financial data, budgets, forecasts, and reporting.
• Support monthly financial close activities, including accrual reviews, expense analysis, and reconciliation of actual results to forecast, as applicable.
• Maintain standardized budgeting, forecasting, and reporting processes across the Managed Services customer portfolio.
• Identify opportunities to improve financial models, reporting automation, data quality, and forecasting accuracy.
• Document financial assumptions, methodologies, and reporting procedures to support transparency and consistency.
• Support ad hoc financial analyses, business cases, and special projects as needed.

Qualifications

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Accounting, Business Administration, or a related field.
• Five or more years of progressive experience in financial analysis, budgeting, forecasting, or financial planning and analysis (FP&A).
• Demonstrated experience developing budgets, maintaining forecasts, analyzing financial results, and explaining budget-to-actual variances.
• Strong financial modeling, analytical, and problem-solving skills.
• Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel, including complex formulas, pivot tables, financial models, and data analysis.
• Experience with financial reporting systems, ERP platforms, and/or planning and forecasting tools.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to explain financial information to non-financial stakeholders.
• Excellent organizational skills and ability to manage multiple budgets, deadlines, and competing priorities.
• High attention to detail and commitment to financial accuracy and data integrity.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience supporting Managed Services, IT services, technology outsourcing, or other recurring service-based business models.
• Experience in the higher education industry or supporting colleges and universities.
• Familiarity with customer-level profitability, contract economics, labor cost modeling, and service delivery financials.
• Experience with financial planning and analysis systems, business intelligence tools, and reporting automation.
• Understanding of IT operating expenses, technology service delivery models, staffing structures, and resource planning.
• Experience partnering with account management, operations, and executive leadership teams.

Measures of Success

Success in this role will be measured by the ability to:

• Deliver accurate and timely budgets and forecasts for assigned Managed Services customers.
• Improve forecast accuracy and provide reliable visibility into expected financial performance.
• Identify and communicate material variances, financial risks, and opportunities in a timely manner.
• Provide meaningful analysis of customer revenue, costs, margins, and overall financial performance.
• Enable Managed Services leaders to make informed financial and operational decisions.
• Maintain consistent and reliable financial reporting across the customer portfolio.
• Build strong working relationships with account leaders, IT operations, and other internal stakeholders.
• Identify and implement improvements that increase the efficiency and effectiveness of financial planning and reporting processes.

Location

Remote

Compensation & Benefits

Compensation and benefits information was not provided in the job description.