Lead Financial Modeling & BI Analyst

The Chronicle Of Higher Education, Inc.; Aurora (CO); Hybrid; USD 80,000 - 100,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical: Multiple plan options

Dental: Multiple plan options

Disability and Life Insurance

Retirement 401(a) Plan

Paid Time Off: 22 vacation days, 15 sick days, 15 holidays

Job summary

The Chronicle Of Higher Education, Inc. is seeking a Lead Financial Modeling & BI Analyst in Aurora, Colorado. This role involves developing Anaplan models and providing support for the Budget, Planning, and Campus Strategy departments. Candidates should have strong problem-solving skills and a background in financial systems and data analytics.

The position offers a hybrid work environment and excellent benefits, including medical, dental, and retirement plans.

Qualifications

• 4-6 years of professional experience in Business Data Analytics or Financial Planning.
• Experience with Anaplan modeling and developing.
• Strong understanding of data structures and analysis.

Responsibilities

• Develop processes and workflows for Anaplan models.
• Act as subject matter expert for Anaplan Business Modeling.
• Manage portfolio of Anaplan models for budgeting and revenue.
• Write and optimize SQL queries for enterprise data.

Skills

Anaplan modeling

Financial Planning

SQL

Data analysis

Education

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Business Administration, Mathematics, or related field

Tools

Oracle

MS SQL Server

Snowflake

Job description

Job Summary

We are seeking a highly analytical professional with strong problem‑solving skills and an interest in financial systems, planning, and data analytics. The University will provide a structured development path that includes Anaplan training, certification support, mentorship, and exposure to enterprise‑planning initiatives.

The Lead Financial Modeling & BI Analyst position represents an exciting opportunity to develop Anaplan models and provide consulting support to the Budget, Planning, and Campus Strategy department, as well as additional ad‑hoc requests from the Executive Vice‑Chancellor's Office. The position will act as an Anaplan subject‑matter expert and focus on creating and supporting complex models that incorporate data from Oracle PeopleSoft HCM and FIN. These insights will inform planning, policy decisions, and operational improvements. The role will also respond to recurring and ad‑hoc requests for information about projects overseen by the offices mentioned above.

As part of the day‑to‑day operations for the Anaplan Center of Excellence (CoE), the incumbent will strategically oversee data collaboration across different units, establish governance and best practices to support transformation, and contribute to the implementation of the Anaplan CoE. The role will establish a pivotal information‑technology framework focused on quality assurance, data analysis and integration, forecasting and projections, modelling, and process/workflow development.

To be successful, candidates will need to rapidly develop a deep understanding of the structures and data available in campus systems, build key relationships with campus partners, identify additional strategic data, and assist partners in assessing needs, mechanisms, and procedures around effective data collection and management.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop processes and workflows to ensure data and performance quality prior to publishing Anaplan models.
• Act as a campus‑wide subject matter expert for Anaplan Business Modeling, devising innovative and creative ways of building Anaplan business models that integrate different data sources together in meaningful ways to support financial planning, forecasting, and reporting processes.
• Manage the current portfolio of Anaplan models: Campus All Funds Budgeting, Salary Setting, Mid‑Year Salary Setting, Tuition Revenue, and Administration models.
• Serve as point person for the School of Medicine FTE Alignment model implementation in partnership with Tru Consulting.
• Translate existing solutions, spreadsheets, and business problems into sophisticated Anaplan multi‑dimensional models.
• Conduct testing and troubleshooting to identify and resolve issues in Anaplan models.
• Stay current with Anaplan updates and enhancements, incorporating new features into existing models as appropriate.
• Deep understanding and troubleshooting of ETL processes, dataflow, and dependencies; validate data quality.
• Write and optimize SQL queries across enterprise data platforms, including Oracle, MS SQL Server, and Snowflake, involving large relational joins, analytical functions (e.g., window functions, CTEs, subqueries), and performance tuning.
• Present data that includes quantitative and qualitative information about the organization's key mission areas and assist senior leadership in interpreting and using the data to influence changes to operations, processes, and/or programs. This analysis will extend to labor, budget, tuition, etc. data and will have a direct impact on long‑range planning and financial modeling.
• Analyze requirements and technical specifications and implement assigned development tasks using various web technologies.
• Liaise with other campus units, working collaboratively to develop sustainable systems, mechanisms, and procedures for tracking institutional data toward strategic goals.
• Consult on strategic decisions to best utilize or adapt current systems when embarking on change management efforts.

Work Location

Hybrid – the position is eligible for a hybrid work environment, coming to campus three days a week or more depending on business requirements. An on‑campus schedule may be implemented as needed for in‑person meetings.

Benefits

• Medical: Multiple plan options
• Dental: Multiple plan options
• Additional Insurance: Disability, Life, Vision
• Retirement 401(a) Plan: Employer contributes 10% of your gross pay
• Paid Time Off: Accruals over the year
  • Vacation Days: 22/year (maximum accrual 352 hours)
  • Sick Days: 15/year (unlimited maximum accrual)
  • Holiday Days: 15/year
• Tuition Benefit: Employees have access to this benefit on all CU campuses
• ECO Pass: Reduced rate RTC Bus and light rail service

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree from an accredited institution in Computer Science, Information Technology, Business Administration, Mathematics, Statistics, Library Science, or Data Science. Substitution: A combination of education and related technical/paraprofessional experience may be substituted for the bachelor's degree on a year‑for‑year basis.
• 4‑6 years of professional, relevant Business Data Analytics, Financial Planning, or EPM administration experience, which includes two years of experience with Anaplan modeling and developing. Substitution: An advanced degree (Master's or Doctorate) may be substituted for experience on a year‑for‑year basis if the degree is in a field of study directly related to the work assignment.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master's degree and/or equivalent experience in a relevant subject area, such as Computer Science, Information Technology, Business Administration, Mathematics, Statistics, Library Science, or Data Science.
• Certified Anaplan Builder.
• Experience working with Oracle PeopleSoft.
• Experience creating solution tools utilizing multiple sources of data.

Conditions of Employment

• Hybrid work environment, coming to campus three days a week or more depending on business requirements.
• Applicants must be legally authorized to work in the United States without requiring sponsorship. We are unable to provide work‑visa sponsorship or employment authorization for this position now or in the future.
• If the incumbent is not certified in Anaplan, there will be a certification path to become Anaplan Solution Architect certified in the first year of employment. Costs associated with obtaining this certification may be covered by the University of Colorado Anschutz pending available budget.

Competencies

• Working knowledge in Financial Planning & Analysis and Human Resources.
• Familiarity with best practices for data integrity, analysis, visualization, and security.
• Strong understanding of data structures, relationships, and data manipulation.
• Ability to self‑sufficiently understand and document business requirements and translate them into a technology solution.
• Highly motivated problem solver who is a tenacious learner, intellectually curious, and excited about learning new technologies.
• Strong business analytical skills and a strong aptitude for multi‑dimensional modeling tools.
• Advanced analytical and research skills, demonstrated by the ability to develop, assess, and blend information from a wide variety of data sources.
• Demonstrated ability to work as part of a team in a collaborative environment, build consensus and promote the exchange of information.
• Ability to understand the basic workings of databases and data flow.
• Creative problem‑solver with a passion for identifying needs and proposing solutions.
• Ability to manage workload autonomously, work with many constituents, juggle multiple competing tasks, and set priorities to achieve results.
• Ability to work under tight or changing deadlines.
• Ability to learn new software and systems quickly and independently.
• Strong verbal, written communication, and presentation skills.

Equal Employment Opportunity Statement

CU is an Equal Opportunity Employer and complies with all applicable federal, state, and local laws governing nondiscrimination in employment. We are committed to creating a workplace where all individuals are treated with respect and dignity, and we encourage individuals from all backgrounds to apply, including protected veterans and individuals with disabilities.