Business Planning & Analysis Associate (Temporary Fixed-Term Contract)

Novartis; Schweiz; On-site; CHF 80,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

Novartis AG in Switzerland seeks a BPA Associate to support financial planning, forecasting, reporting and analysis. You will deliver management reports, perform variance analyses, and provide insights for decision-making while ensuring data integrity and compliance with finance controls.

The role involves cross-functional collaboration with Sales, Marketing, Market Access, Supply Chain, and FRA teams, and requires 3-5 years of FP&A/BPA experience and a Finance background.

Qualifications

• 3-5 years of FP&A/BPA experience.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to communicate high-context information to senior management.
• Experience collaborating in cross-functional teams.
• Finance background with knowledge of controlling and accounting processes.

Responsibilities

• Prepare monthly sales reporting and management reports.
• Conduct sales vs forecast and budget analyses.
• Provide variance explanations and performance insights.
• Support latest outlook, rolling forecast, budget, and strategic planning.
• Coordinate inputs from Sales, Marketing, Market Access, Supply Chain, and FRA teams.
• Prepare business cases and profitability analyses.
• Identify and flag inconsistencies in inputs; support governance and compliance.

Skills

Analytics

Problem solving

Cross-functional collaboration

Data visualization

Financial analysis

Communication to senior mgmt

Education

Bachelor's degree in Finance

Tools

SAP

Excel

Job description

Job Description Summary

The BPA Associate is responsible for supporting business performance management through financial planning, forecasting, reporting, and analysis activities. The role provides insights and decision support to management through sales and business performance reporting, financial analyses, forecasting processes, and strategic planning exercises. Working closely with cross-functional stakeholders, the BPA Analyst ensures the accuracy of commercial and financial data, identifies risks and opportunities, supports business decision‑making through analytical recommendations, and maintains compliance with finance processes, controls, and reporting requirements.

This position is offered as a 15-month fixed-term contract to support BPA activities.

Job Description

Key Responsibilities

Sales & Performance Reporting

• Prepare monthly sales reporting and management reports.
• Conduct sales versus forecast and budget analyses.
• Perform customer and SKU performance analyses.
• Provide variance explanations and performance insights.

Forecasting

• Support Latest Outlook, rolling forecast, budget, and strategic planning submissions.
• Consolidate inputs from relevant stakeholders.
• Perform reasonability checks and validate assumptions.

Business Partnering

• Coordinate inputs from Sales, Marketing, Market Access, Supply Chain, and FRA teams.
• Identify and flag inconsistencies in business and financial inputs.
• Collaborate across functions to support planning and performance management activities.

Financial Analysis

• Prepare business cases and profitability analyses.
• Support investment evaluations and financial assessments.
• Conduct ad-hoc financial simulations to support decision‑making.

Data Quality & Validation

• Reconcile commercial and financial data from multiple sources.
• Challenge unusual movements and variances.
• Ensure accuracy and integrity of data prior to submission.

Risk & Opportunity Management

• Identify gaps versus sales and forecast expectations.
• Highlight business risks and opportunities.
• Escalate issues proactively with quantified business impact.

Reporting & Process Management

• Maintain recurring BPA reports and reporting tools.
• Support process improvements and automation initiatives.
• Simplify manual reporting and analytical processes where possible.

SAP & Excel Analysis

• Extract, reconcile, and analyze financial information.
• Maintain robust Excel-based analytical models.
• Support SAP-related BPA activities and reporting requirements.

Controls & Compliance

• Ensure analyses and submissions comply with finance controls and processes.
• Adhere to reporting timelines and deadlines.
• Support governance and compliance requirements.

Management Support

• Prepare analyses, commentary, and supporting materials for management discussions.
• Support local and regional business review meetings.
• Provide high-context information and insights for senior management decision‑making.

Experience / Professional Requirements

• 3-5 years of prior relevant experience in FP&A / BPA teams working on business performance measurement, forecasting corporate finance, and financial analysis.
• Excellent analytical and problem‑solving skills.
• Ability to communicate and provide high‑context information to senior management and regional offices.
• Experience collaborating in a cross‑functional team environment.
• Background in Finance with good knowledge of finance controlling and accounting processes.

Education

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent 5-year university degree, preferably in Finance or a related field.

NOTE: This position is offered as a 15-month fixed-term contract to support BPA activities.

Skills Desired

• Artificial Intelligence (AI), Controls Compliance, Critical Thinking, Database Normalization, Data Cleansing, Data Reporting, Data Visualization, Employee Engagement, Financial Management, Give Feedback, Insight Generation, Interpersonal Relationships, Key Driver Analysis (KDA), Managing Ambiguity, Market Understanding, Planning Analysis, Problem Solving, Process Optimization, Stakeholder Influence