Manager, Financial Planning & Analysis

Panera LLC; United States; On-site; USD 120,000 - 144,000; Full time

Job summary

Panera LLC is seeking a highly analytical FP&A professional to lead capital planning and investment analysis for the system-wide real estate portfolio and development strategy. This role partners with Development, Real Estate, Construction, and Operations to evaluate costs for openings, relocations, remodels, and lease renewals, delivering decision-ready analyses to senior leadership.

The candidate will forecast capital spending, build long-range plans, and drive disciplined capital allocation.

Qualifications

• 2-7+ years of experience in FP&A, corporate finance, strategic finance, development finance, investment banking, or related analytical roles.
• Demonstrated experience building financial models and evaluating investment decisions.
• Strong understanding of financial statements, cash flow analysis, NPV, IRR, ROI, payback, and capital allocation principles.
• Exceptional analytical, problem-solving, and critical-thinking capabilities.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills with the ability to present recommendations to senior leaders.

Responsibilities

• Lead capital planning and investment analysis for Panera's capital portfolio, including forecasts and long-range plans.
• Develop financial analyses supporting development strategy and new cafe openings, relocations, remodels, and lease renewals.
• Prepare investment recommendations and supporting analyses for approvals; deliver concise presentations to senior leadership.
• Lead monthly, quarterly, annual, and multi-year forecasting related to capital spending and development.
• Identify risks and opportunities; support enterprise planning with ad hoc modeling and scenario analyses.
• Leverage Power BI and other tools to streamline reporting and improve visibility into performance drivers.

Skills

Financial modeling

Investment analysis

Forecasting

Power BI

Anaplan

Cross-functional collaboration

Analytical thinking

Communication

Tools

Power BI

Anaplan

Job description

Manager, Financial Planning & Analysis Manager, Financial Planning & Analysis Capital, Development & Strategic Investments Position Summary Panera is seeking a highly analytical and business-minded finance professional to serve as the primary financial partner supporting the system-wide real estate portfolio, development strategy and governance processes. This role sits at the intersection of Finance, Development, Real Estate, Construction, Operations, and Executive Leadership. The successful candidate will own the financial planning, forecasting, investment analysis, and performance reporting associated with Panera's capital expenditures and restaurant development activities, including new café openings, relocations, remodels, closures, lease renewals, and other development initiatives. The position offers a unique opportunity to influence how Panera allocates capital, evaluates growth opportunities, and drives long-term value. This individual will be responsible for translating complex operational and investment scenarios into actionable financial insights that help leadership prioritize initiatives and deploy capital effectively. Success in this role requires data curiosity, sound business judgment, and the ability to partner effectively with and influence leaders across the organization.

What You’ll Do

Capital Planning & Investment Analysis Serve as the finance lead for Panera's capital investment portfolio, supporting annual planning, forecasting, and long-range strategic plans. Develop and maintain capital expenditure forecasts across multiple investment categories, including development, remodels, technology, operations, and other enterprise initiatives. Evaluate potential investments through detailed financial modeling, including ROI, NPV, payback, and scenario analyses. Provide recommendations that improve capital allocation decisions and maximize returns across competing investment opportunities. Track actual capital spending and investment performance against forecasts and approved business cases.

Development Finance

Partner closely with Development, Real Estate, Construction, and Operations teams to evaluate, support, and track costs for: New café openings Relocations Remodels and transformations Café closures Lease renewals and extensions Develop financial analyses supporting development strategy. Assess risks, opportunities, and sensitivities associated with development investments and communicate implications to leadership.

Development Committee & Executive Reporting

Own financial support for Development Committee governance processes. Prepare investment recommendations and supporting analyses for new café approvals, relocations, closures, lease renewals, and other strategic decisions. Deliver clear, concise, and decision-oriented presentations to senior leadership and executive stakeholders. Create recurring reporting that tracks development performance, capital deployment, investment returns, and key strategic metrics. Translate complex financial findings into actionable recommendations for both finance and non-finance audiences.

Forecasting, Planning & Strategic Decision Support

Lead monthly, quarterly, annual, and multi-year forecasting processes related to capital spending and development activities. Partner across functions to identify emerging risks and opportunities and incorporate into strategic plans. Support enterprise planning initiatives through ad hoc modeling, scenario analysis, and business case development. Help identify opportunities to improve planning processes, enhance forecast accuracy, and strengthen decision support capabilities.

Process Improvement & Technology

Leverage modern planning, reporting, and analytical tools to improve efficiency, accuracy, and insight generation. Utilize emerging artificial intelligence solutions and Power BI to streamline reporting processes and improve visibility into performance drivers. Continuously enhance financial models, forecasting methodologies, and reporting frameworks to better support evolving business needs.

Qualifications

Required Grit and ability to “roll up your sleeves” 2-7+ years of experience in FP&A, corporate finance, strategic finance, development finance, investment banking, or related analytical roles. Demonstrated experience building financial models and evaluating investment decisions. Strong understanding of financial statements, cash flow analysis, NPV, IRR, ROI, payback, and capital allocation principles. Exceptional analytical, problem-solving, and critical-thinking capabilities. Strong written and verbal communication skills with the ability to present recommendations to senior leaders. Ability to manage multiple priorities in a dynamic, fast-paced environment. Strong attention to detail paired with the ability to think strategically.

Preferred Experience

Supporting restaurant, retail, hospitality, consumer, franchise, or real estate-driven businesses. Experience evaluating development, real estate, or capital investment opportunities. Familiarity with Power BI, Anaplan, or similar planning and reporting platforms. Experience partnering directly with executive leadership teams and cross-functional business leaders.

Competitive salary

Competitive salary $119,634-$143,561 annually. The actual pay offered will be determined by multiple factors, including but not limited to the candidate’s relevant experience, job-related knowledge, skills, and geographical location. Individual compensation decisions are dependent upon the facts and circumstances of each position and candidate.

Newton Support Center

With more than 2,000 Panera LLC and independent franchise bakery-cafes in the Panera Bread® family, and more locations opening all the time, it’s no wonder our company has been an excellent source of career and personal growth opportunities for more than 25 years. In neighborhoods across the U.S. and Canada, customers enjoy flavorful, handcrafted meals centered around freshly baked artisan bread. To us, that means serving food like we serve our own families – free of any of the items on our ‘No No’ List. Along the way, we also like to give back to our community. We enjoy working together, shoulder to shoulder with our customers, to confront a serious problem plaguing communities across this country – Hunger. Through our Panera Cares community cafes, we offer a dignified dining experience in an uplifting environment. In addition, we support our communities through day-end donations at our bakery-cafe locations and partner with local non-profit organizations. It’s this warmth that you’ll find when you join Panera Bread. From our competitive compensation and benefits packages to our unique cultural values, we’re confident you’ll find us a rewarding and fun place to work.