Director of Financial Planning and Analysis

Conexus; El Segundo (CA); On-site; USD 180,000 - 260,000; Full time

Job summary

Conexus in Southern California is seeking a Director of FP&A to lead the company’s financial planning, forecasting, and variance analysis at a strategic level. You will partner with the CFO and executive team to translate data into actionable insights and drive multi-year planning.

You will own budgeting cycles, board materials, and financial modeling of hardware programs, CapEx, and NRE. The role requires strong cross-functional collaboration with manufacturing, operations, and supply chain to

Qualifications

• 8+ years of FP&A/strategic finance experience.
• Experience in defense, aerospace, or hardware-focused companies preferred.
• Strong budgeting, forecasting, and scalable financial models.
• Proven cross-functional partnering.

Responsibilities

• Lead annual, quarterly, and monthly forecasting and variance communication.
• Support CFO and executive team with board reporting and investor materials.
• Model program costs, NRE, and capital expenditures.
• Own the annual operating plan, budgeting cycles, and strategic forecasting processes.
• Build and maintain three-way financial statement models.

Skills

FP&A leadership

Forecasting

Financial modeling

Cross-functional partnering

Excel

Tools

Adaptive Insights

Netsuite

Job description

We are representing our client, a high-speed aircraft manufacturer based in the South Bay of Los Angeles, in hiring a Director of FP&A. The company is well-capitalized and has a $1B+ valuation.

Duties include:

• FP&A Leadership: Partnering closely with the CFO and executive leadership team, serve as the focal point for the annual, quarterly and monthly forecasting and variance communication process across the company translating financial data into actionable information
• Support the CFO and executive team with Board reporting, investor materials and financial analysis for major strategic decisions
• Hardware-First Business Modeling: Partner with technical teams to model program costs, NRE, and capital expenditures
• Business Partnering: Serve as a strategic finance partner to the functional teams - enabling data-driven decision-making.
• Scenario Planning: Collaborate with management to gather inputs and maintain dynamic models to reflect various options in the business model
• Financial Systems & Process: Help mature internal FP&A processes and systems to support multi-year planning, reporting automation, and program profitability tracking.
• Cross-Functional Influence: Collaborate with technical and operational teams to ensure our near-term resourcing is aligned and sufficient to support our long-term strategic plan
• Take full ownership of the annual operating plan, budgeting cycles, and strategic forecasting processes
• Build, maintain, and enhance three-way financial statement models (Income Statement, Balance Sheet, and Cash Flow)
• Perform scenario planning and pressure-test financial models against varying revenue streams, CapEx demands, deliverables, and key milestones
• Accurately forecast full balance sheet items, working capital requirements, and overall cash flow
• Incorporate complex forecasting accruals into routine financial modeling and reporting
• Budget and analyze Cost of Goods Sold (COGS) to ensure accuracy, cost control, and operational alignment
• Establish, enforce, and optimize budget approval workflows across all organizational departments
• Partner closely with the CFO, CEO, and executive stakeholders to drive organizational accountability around data and projections
• Lead thoughtful budget discussions and strategic planning with leaders across Commercial, Operations, Supply Chain, R&D, and other functional areas
• Collaborate directly with manufacturing, supply chain, and procurement teams to manage inventory needs and capital expenditure requirements
• Design and track team key performance indicators (KPIs) that feed seamlessly into digestible executive dashboards
• Identify continuous improvement opportunities to bring structure, consistency, and financial rigor to rapidly evolving processes
• Evaluate financial metrics and operational drivers to maximize profitability and support long-term EBITDA expansion

Preferred Qualifications:

• 8+ years of experience in FP&A, strategic finance, or related roles; experience in defense, aerospace, or hardware-intensive companies is highly preferred.
• Strong understanding of hardware R&D lifecycles, new product introduction, and manufacturing concepts.
• Demonstrated success in budgeting, forecasting, and building scalable financial models.
• Proven ability to partner cross-functionally
• Advanced proficiency in Excel and financial modeling; experience with tools like Adaptive Insights and Netsuite or similar is a plus.