Financial Analyst - Business Controlling

Lidl US; Arlington (VA); On-site; USD 90,000 - 100,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical / Prescription / Vision

Dental

Paid Holidays & PTO

401K Plan

Life Insurance

Well-Being Program

DailyPay

Job summary

Lidl US is seeking a Financial Analyst (Internal: Senior Analyst - Business Controlling) to bridge data and decision making within the FP&A pillar. You will own select commercial P&L lines, drive month-end close, and conduct deep variance analyses to explain performance.

This role coordinates bi-annual planning, builds rolling forecasts, and supports high-stakes meetings with Merchandising and Marketing, acting as a key analytical engine for the business.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, Mathematics or Business Administration; logical thinking and mathematical proficiency valued
• 2–4 years of FP&A, Commercial Finance or similar analytical role
• Strong ability to break down complex problems into driver-based financial models
• Proficiency with ERP systems (SAP) and BI/dashboarding tools

Responsibilities

• Own select commercial P&L lines, ensuring month-end accruals are accurate
• Drive plan vs. actual variance analyses and uncover drivers of performance
• Coordinate bi-annual planning and develop annual plan and mid-year forecast
• Maintain and develop rolling forecasts with monthly updates to reflect performance
• Support high-stakes meetings with Merchandising and Marketing using data-backed insights

Skills

Quantitative Logic

Proactive Problem-Solving

Technical Agility

Advanced Productivity Suite Mastery

BI Tool Experience

Industry Knowledge

Finance Knowledge

Soft Skills

Quality Assurance

Education

Bachelor’s degree in a quantitative field

Equivalent Experience

Tools

SAP

Job description

Financial Analyst (Internal: Senior Analyst - Business Controlling) to join Business Controlling team

The Financial Analyst plays a pivotal role in bridging the gap between raw data and strategic decision-making. Operating within the FP&A pillar, the role takes ownership of specific commercial P&L lines, driving the month-end close process and conducting deep-dive variance analyses to uncover the root causes behind financial performance. From coordinating bi-annual planning cycles to developing rolling forecasts and supporting high-stakes meetings with key stakeholders, the Junior Business Partner acts as a key analytical engine for the business.

What You’ll Do

• Sub-P&L Ownership: Manage the specific commercial lines of the P&L, ensuring all month-end accruals are accurate and aligned with the department expectations.


• Plan Variance Analysis & Insights: Drive Plan vs. Actual analysis, go beyond the 'what' and find the 'why'. You don’t just identify which products missed the plan, you are the one digging into the volume/price/mix drivers to provide the answer. You will be responsible for both recurring variance reporting and the delivery of ad-hoc analysis to support Business growth.


• Bi-Annual Financial Planning: Play a key role in the Bi-Annual Planning cycle, coordinating the development of the Annual Plan and the mid-year Forecast.


• Short Term Modeling / Forecasting: Maintain and develop the rolling forecasts, updating financial projections monthly to reflect real-time business performance.


• Commercial Business Partner Support: Assist the Commercial Business Partner in preparing for high-stakes meetings with Merchandising and Marketing leads, providing the data-backed evidence needed to influence decisions.

What You’ll Need

• Quantitative Logic: Ability to break down complex business problems into clear, driver-based financial models.


• Proactive Problem-Solving: Someone who identifies trends or anomalies in commercial data and investigates the root cause independently.


• Technical Agility: You are faster and more proficient in systems (Excel/Sheets/BI) than anyone else, including:
  
  
  • Advanced Productivity Suite Mastery: Expert-level proficiency in Microsoft 365 (Excel, PowerPoint, Word) or Google Workspace (Sheets, Slides, Docs).
  
  
  • BI Tool Experience: Proficiency in Dashboarding software, preferably MicroStrategy or Looker.
  
  


• Industry Knowledge: Familiarity with retail-specific metrics; Sales, Margin, Shrinkage, and productivity KPIs.


• Finance Knowledge: Proficiency in Management Accounting; familiarity with Budget Controlling, and the Month-End Financial Close cycle.


• Soft Skills: Strong communication skills: skilled at explaining complex analysis or financial findings to non-financial audiences.


• Quality Assurance: A 'zero-error' mindset with the ability to build sanity checks into complex datasets to ensure 100% accuracy before reporting.

Preferred Knowledge, Skills, Abilities

• Language Skills: Proficiency in German is considered a strong asset, though not a requirement for the role.

Required Education, Certifications/ Licenses, Related Experience

• Education: Bachelor’s degree in a quantitative field (e.g., Accounting, Finance, Mathematics or Business Administration). We value logical thinking and mathematical proficiency above specific degree titles.


• Experience: 2–4 years of progressive experience in FP&A, Commercial Finance, or a similar analytical role.


• Equivalent Experience: In lieu of a formal degree, 5+ years of relevant professional experience in financial planning and analysis will be considered.

Preferred Education, Certifications/ Licenses, Related Experience

• System Expertise: Prior experience with SAP (or similar Tier 1 ERP systems) is highly preferred.

Physical Job Requirements

• Prolonged periods sitting at a desk and working on a computer.


• Must be able to lift up to 15 pounds at times.

What You’ll Receive

• Starting pay of $90,000 annual (with potential to earn $100,000 annual in the future)


• Medical & Prescription | Dental | Vision coverage


• Paid Holiday & Paid Time Off (PTO) to use for sickness or vacation


• Dedicated training plans to ensure you are set up for success


• 401K Plan (+ 5% company match)


• Voluntary Term Life & AD&D Insurance


• Total Well-Being Program


• DailyPay, a voluntary benefit to offer employees access to their pay on their own schedule

Lidl US views our Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) through a lens of actions that are Good for the Environment, Good for People, and Good for You.