Director of FP&A – Ground

Forward Air Corp.; Dallas (TX); Hybrid; USD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive base pay with potential of

Health insurance

401(k) with match

Generous PTO

Equity-based incentives

Job summary

Forward Air Corp. seeks a Director of FP&A for Ground to lead budgeting, forecasting, and long‑range planning across LTL, TLS, DFF, and pool distribution. You’ll own financial models and monthly reporting, driving modernization to scalable data platforms.

As a strategic partner to Ground leaders, you’ll deliver actionable insights, oversee a high‑performing team, and guide cross‑functional initiatives with BI and analytics partners. This role is on-site with executive exposure.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Finance, Accounting, Economics or quantitative field required; MBA preferred.
• 7+ years of progressive FP&A experience with leadership responsibilities.
• Experience building financial models and automated reporting outside Excel.
• Experience with Databricks, MS Fabric, Power BI or Tableau desired.

Responsibilities

• Lead FP&A planning, budgeting, forecasting, and long-range planning for Ground product.
• Act as strategic finance partner to Ground leadership with actionable recommendations.
• Develop driver-based models covering volume, revenue per shipment, and cost metrics.
• Migrate planning and reporting to governed data platforms with BI/Analytics teams.
• Automate monthly reporting to increase time for value-added analysis.
• Present monthly, quarterly, and annual results to executives.

Skills

Financial planning

Forecasting

Budgeting

Strategic partnerships

Leadership

Education

Bachelor's degree in Finance/Accounting/Economics

MBA preferred

Tools

Databricks

Microsoft Fabric

Power BI

Tableau

SQL

Python

Job description

• Locations 3200 OLYMPUS BOULEVARD, Dallas, TX, 75019, US
• Job Category Corporate: Leadership
• Job Category Finance and Accounting
• Job Function Finance

Job Description

The Director, Financial Planning and Analysis (FP&A) - Ground leads a team of Finance professionals in delivering financial planning, forecasting, budgeting, and business performance analysis for the company’s Ground businesses, including less-than-truckload (LTL), truckload services (TLS), domestic freight forwarding (DFF), and pool distribution. They are the primary finance partner to Ground business leadership, providing strategic insights, decision support, and financial guidance to drive operational and financial performance. They own the Ground financial planning models, forecasting processes, and monthly reporting package, with a focus on modernizing and migrating from spreadsheet-driven workflows to scalable, governed data platforms in partnership with Business Intelligence and Pricing teams. This is a high-visibility position that regularly presents financial results, risks, opportunities, and recommendations to executive leadership.

Responsibilities

Lead financial planning, budgeting, forecasting, and long-range planning activities for the company’s Ground product business, including annual budgets, quarterly forecasts, and medium-term planning processes.

Serve as a strategic finance partner to business unit leaders by developing financial plans, monitoring performance against targets, and providing actionable recommendations.

Build, maintain, and enhance driver-based financial models encompassing volume, weight, revenue per shipment, linehaul, pickup and delivery, terminal costs, and other key operational metrics.

Advance the migration of Ground planning and reporting processes from spreadsheet-based tools to governed enterprise platforms, including Databricks and Microsoft Fabric, in partnership with the Analytics team.

Automate and streamline monthly financial reporting processes to increase team capacity for value-added analysis and business partnership activities.

Prepare and present monthly, quarterly, and annual financial results, forecasts, and business insights to executive leadership.

Perform variance analysis against budget, forecast, and prior-period results, clearly explaining operational and financial drivers.

Provide financial analysis and decision support for strategic initiatives, pricing actions, network optimization efforts, and capital investment opportunities.

Identify, assess, and communicate financial risks and opportunities while recommending corrective actions and mitigation strategies.

Develop, track, and maintain key performance indicators (KPIs), dashboards, and performance metrics for Ground operations.

Serve as the business lead for Ground-related FP&A planning tool initiatives, including requirements gathering, process mapping, user acceptance testing, and implementation support.

Ensure compliance with internal controls, accounting policies, financial reporting standards, and established procedures.

Lead, coach, and develop a high-performing Ground FP&A team, fostering both analytical excellence and technical capability development.

Conduct ad hoc financial analysis, reporting, and special projects in support of senior leadership and evolving business priorities.

All other duties as assigned to meet evolving business needs.

Qualifications

Education: Bachelor's degree in Finance , Accounting, Economics, or a related quantitative field from an accredited college or university required; MBA preferred.

Certification/Licensure: Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA), Certified Public Accountant (CPA), other relevant professional designation(s) preferred.

Experience: Seven ( 7)+ years of progressive experience in financial planning and analysis, budgeting, forecasting, corporate finance, or related disciplines, including leadership responsibilities.

Industry Exposure: Transportation, logistics, supply chain, or less-than-truckload (LTL) industry experience preferred.

Proven ability to lead, mentor, and develop high-performing finance teams in a dynamic and fast-paced environment.

Demonstrated experience building financial models, forecasts, reporting solutions, or analytical tools outside of Excel utilizing technologies such as SQL, Python, R, business intelligence platforms, or FP&A planning applications.

Proven success replacing spreadsheet-based processes with automated, governed, and scalable reporting or planning solutions.

Strong understanding of financial modeling, financial statements, performance management, forecasting methodologies, and corporate finance principles.

Experience partnering with senior business leaders to provide strategic financial insights, influence decisions, and drive business performance.

Preferred experience with Databricks, Microsoft Fabric, Power BI, Tableau, Python, data warehousing concepts, and collaboration with data engineering or analytics teams.

Demonstrated discretion and confidentiality in handling and protecting sensitive information.

Technical: Proficient with common office technologies, including Windows PCs, Microsoft O365 (Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc.) and web conferencing (Teams, Zoom, Webex, etc.).

Environment: Comfort commuting to/from and working in a 100% on-site setting (listed in this posting), with travel for related meetings/events.

Forward Air is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

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#LI-Onsite #LI-BT1

WHAT WE OFFER

• Compensation: Competitive base pay based on experience, industry/geographic benchmarks and internal equity. Some positions may be eligible for incentive pay programs and/or equity-based incentives. Pay ranges published on job boards are not provided nor verified by the Company.
• Health: Medical and Pharmacy insurance; Health Savings Account (HSA); Vision; Dental; Life and Disability; Critical Illness; Accident Indemnity; Hospital Indemnity; On-demand telehealth via Teladoc; Employee Assistance Program (counseling and financial/lifestyle coaching).
• Wealth: 401(k) retirement savings plan with employer match; Employee stock purchase program; Flexible Spending Account (FSA); Commuter Benefits; LegalEASE legal coverage.
• Time: 7 paid holidays and generous Paid Time Off (PTO) tiers ranging from 10–25 days annually.
• Culture: A collaborative, transformation-driven, solutions-first environment full of "can do" attitude and "will do" work ethic.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

• Agencies: The Company does not accept unsolicited outreach from third parties. Absent an agreement signed by internal Talent Acquisition and Procurement, and a documented request from Talent Acquisition to submit candidates for a specified requisition, we will not approve payments to any third party.
• Work Authorization: Within the United States, the Company is an E-Verify employer. Unless otherwise indicated, U.S.-based workers must be legally authorized to work in the U.S. without sponsorship, including but not limited to F-1, H-1, H-2, L, J, and TN visas, etc.
• Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI): The Company is proud to be an equal opportunity employer . Applicants will be considered without regard to race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, marital status, disability, gender identity or veteran status.
• Reasonable Accommodations: Physical/mental requirements are listed only to identify where potential accommodations may be needed, not as qualification standards. In compliance with applicable laws and regulations (including ADA, ADEA, and FMLA), accommodations may be available to qualified individuals unable to perform essential duties without them. Additional requirements may apply to meet legal, regulatory, and Company standards.
• Recruitment Fraud: We will only contact you from @forwardair.com or @omnilogistics.com emails (system messages may come from @workflow.email.us-phoenix-1.ocs.oraclecloud.com). If reached via Indeed or LinkedIn, verify recruiters by reviewing their LinkedIn profiles. We will never request sensitive personal information outside secure systems, nor ask for purchases. Report suspected scams to the Federal Trade Commission and your state Attorney General .