Finance Associate, Headcount Strategy

Meta; Austin (TX); On-site; USD 96,000 - 142,000; Full time

Job summary

Meta in Austin, TX is seeking a Finance/FP&A leader focused on headcount strategy to own the headcount plan and budget. You will translate plans into dollar budgets, track hiring, and explain variances to Finance leadership, while driving scalable analyses and KPI development.

You’ll support long-range planning, forecasting, and data-driven workforce decisions. The role collaborates with HR, Recruiting, Accounting, and Finance, and involves building models, automating reporting, and partnering

Qualifications

• 4+ years of finance or financial planning and analysis experience.
• Experience with headcount, workforce, or capacity planning and the budgeting behind it.
• Advanced proficiency in financial modeling and data analysis tools.
• Experience building dynamic models in Excel / Google Sheets.
• Experience working with large datasets, including querying, reconciling, and validating data from multiple systems.
• Experience in accounting concepts and financial planning.
• Demonstrated ability to work independently and navigate ambiguity.
• Experience synthesizing complex data into concise narratives and presenting insights to cross-functional partners.
• Detail-oriented, with experience shifting priorities quickly against tight deadlines.
• Bachelor's Degree in Finance, Accounting, Business, Economics, or a relevant field.

Responsibilities

• Own the Company's headcount plan, including building and refreshing headcount models across orgs.
• Drive the headcount budget planning process, translating headcount plans into dollar budgets and partnering with org finance leads on targets, assumptions, and inputs.
• Manage headcount against budget: track hires, attrition, transfers, and open requisitions against approved budget, and flag risks and opportunities early.
• Give executives clear insight into the drivers of headcount growth, risks, and opportunities.
• Contribute to close, forecast, budget, and long-range planning cycles, including enhancing Meta's headcount and corporate models and coordinating with stakeholders on assumptions and inputs.
• Perform variance analysis on headcount and headcount-driven expense, explaining trends and drivers to Finance and business leadership.
• Query, consolidate, and validate large headcount and compensation datasets, and build scalable analyses that leaders can act on.
• Develop tools to automate and streamline headcount reporting, and create KPIs/metrics that help business partners and finance leaders make smart fiscal decisions.
• Manage headcount forecasting and reporting in the Oracle EPM Workforce Planning module.
• Support management, Board business, and financial planning, including presentations and key analysis requests.
• Partner with cross-functional teams, including Finance, HR/People Ops, Compensation, Recruiting, and Accounting to drive scalable analyses and insights.
• Partner with HR/People Ops and Accounting to validate headcount data and reconcile headcount-driven expense.
• Support system and process improvement efforts for headcount planning and reporting tools.
• Assist with ad hoc strategic and operational projects as required.

Skills

Headcount planning

Financial modeling

Data analysis

Excel / Google Sheets

Independent work

Narrative insights

Stakeholder collaboration

Variance analysis

Education

Bachelor's Degree in Finance, Accounting, Business, Economics, or a relevant field

Tools

SQL

Oracle EPM

Workday

ADP

Job description

Summary:

The FP&A team manages Meta's entire budget of revenue and expenses, overseeing our investments in headcount, operating expenses, and capital investments. We focus on using our view into the numbers to recognize trends and opportunities that are developing within Meta and within related industries. Meta is seeking to fill a position on the Headcount Strategy team, responsible for planning, budgeting, and managing the Company's headcount as part of financial planning and analysis. This role will report to the Headcount Strategy lead. In this role, you will own core pieces of the Company's headcount plan and headcount budget from setting and allocating headcount targets, to tracking hiring against budget, to explaining variances and their dollar impact to Finance leadership. You will drive high-profile strategic and operational initiatives, deliver business analytics and insights, and support short and long term decisions regarding workforce planning. You will own a core part of annual budgeting, long range planning, forecasting, and related data analysis, including the evolution of our financial & business planning processes to support a transition to dollar-based budgeting. You will also support ad hoc projects with opportunities for broad cross-functional interactions.

Required Skills:

1. Own the Company's headcount plan, including building and refreshing headcount models across orgs

2. Drive the headcount budget planning process, translating headcount plans into dollar budgets and partnering with org finance leads on targets, assumptions, and inputs

3. Manage headcount against budget: track hires, attrition, transfers, and open requisitions against approved budget, and flag risks and opportunities early

4. Give executives clear insight into the drivers of headcount growth, risks, and opportunities

5. Contribute to close, forecast, budget, and long-range planning cycles, including enhancing Meta's headcount and corporate models and coordinating with stakeholders on assumptions and inputs

6. Perform variance analysis on headcount and headcount-driven expense, explaining trends and drivers to Finance and business leadership

7. Query, consolidate, and validate large headcount and compensation datasets, and build scalable analyses that leaders can act on

8. Develop tools to automate and streamline headcount reporting, and create KPIs/metrics that help business partners and finance leaders make smart fiscal decisions

9. Manage headcount forecasting and reporting in the Oracle EPM Workforce Planning module

10. Support management, Board business, and financial planning, including presentations and key analysis requests

11. Partner with cross-functional teams, including Finance, HR/People Ops, Compensation, Recruiting, and Accounting to drive scalable analyses and insights

12. Partner with HR/People Ops and Accounting to validate headcount data and reconcile headcount-driven expense

13. Support system and process improvement efforts for headcount planning and reporting tools

14. Assist with ad hoc strategic and operational projects as required

Minimum Qualifications:

Minimum Qualifications:

1. 4+ years of finance or financial planning and analysis experience

2. Experience with headcount, workforce, or capacity planning and the budgeting behind it

3. Advanced proficiency in financial modeling and data analysis tools

4. Experience building dynamic models in Excel / Google Sheets

5. Experience working with large datasets, including querying, reconciling, and validating data from multiple systems

6. Experience in accounting concepts and financial planning

7. Demonstrated ability to work independently and navigate ambiguity

8. Experience synthesizing complex data into concise narratives and presenting insights to cross-functional partners

9. Detail-oriented, with experience shifting priorities quickly against tight deadlines

10. Bachelor's Degree in Finance, Accounting, Business, Economics, or a relevant field

Preferred Qualifications:

Preferred Qualifications:

1. Demonstrated ability to integrate AI tools to optimize/redesign workflows and drive measurable impact (e.g., efficiency gains, quality improvements)

2. Demonstrated ongoing AI skill development (e.g., prompt/context engineering, agent orchestration) and staying current with emerging AI technologies

3. Familiarity with HR/headcount and payroll data systems (Workday, ADP)

4. Experience with compensation or stock-based compensation modeling

5. Experience building data visualizations and dashboards to support financial reporting and decision-making

6. SQL or similar data querying experience, including working directly with large datasets

7. Experience with Oracle EPM or similar financial planning systems

8. Experience supporting headcount or workforce planning at a large, complex company

9. MBA or graduate degree in a relevant field

10. Experience adhering to and implementing responsible, ethical AI practices (e.g., risk assessment, bias mitigation, quality and accuracy reviews)

11. Experience managing multiple workstreams end-to-end

Public Compensation:

$96,000/year to $142,000/year + bonus + equity + benefits

Industry:

Internet

Equal Opportunity:

Meta is proud to be an Equal Employment Opportunity and affirmative action employer. We do not discriminate based upon race, religion, color, national origin, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, transgender status, sexual stereotypes, age, status as a protected veteran, status as an individual with a disability, or other applicable legally protected characteristics. We also consider qualified applicants with criminal histories, consistent with applicable federal, state and local law. Meta participates in the E-Verify program in certain locations, as required by law. Please note that Meta may leverage artificial intelligence and machine learning technologies in connection with applications for employment.

Meta is committed to providing reasonable accommodations for candidates with disabilities in our recruiting process. If you need any assistance or accommodations due to a disability, please let us know at [e-mail].