Project Financial Analyst

Cognitive Research Corporation; United States; Remote; USD 65,000 - 95,000; Full time

Job summary

Cognitive Research Corporation is seeking a Project Financial Analyst to serve as the finance partner to project managers and core teams, guiding revenue recognition, cash flow, and profitability across projects.

You will deliver accurate analysis, maintain budgets, monitor scope changes, and provide insights to improve performance and risk management. The role demands collaboration, timely reporting, and adherence to company policies, with travel under 10%.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required or equivalent combination of education, training and experience.
• Previous experience as a project financial analyst; clinical research experience preferred.
• Strong Excel and PowerPoint skills; experience with NetSuite or similar financial systems.
• Exceptional attention to detail, accuracy, organizational, interpersonal, and teamwork skills.
• Excellent financial, communication, and interpersonal skills; motivated to achieve.
• Ability to handle confidential and sensitive data.

Responsibilities

• Provide accurate, transparent, and timely financial and non-financial analysis to support project leadership in decision making and forecasting.
• Support project analysis requirements and monthly business analysis (revenues, costs, actuals vs. forecast, variances, cash flow, profitability, cost-to-complete, resourcing, scope management).
• Maintain and communicate relevant project metrics aligned with contract types.
• Synthesize financial and operational data into insights highlighting performance, risk, and opportunities.
• Outline alternative finance scenarios with technical knowledge and business acumen.
• Maintain budgets and analyze scope changes across post-award projects; monitor resource planning and margin implications.
• Support process and technology improvements and respond to client requests.
• Ensure compliance with regulatory requirements and company policies; assist with project setup and closeout.

Skills

Excel

PowerPoint

Financial analysis

Attention to detail

Communication skills

Teamwork

Education

Bachelor’s Degree in Business, Finance or Accounting

Tools

NetSuite

Job description

The Project Financial Analyst acts as the primary finance business partner to project managers, implementation managers and core project team members supporting all project finance matters including, but not limited to, revenue recognition, cash flow, scope management, change order management, profitability, resourcing, customer support and other project related matters.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• Provide accurate, transparent, and timely financial and non-financial analysis to support project leadership in project and project portfolio decision making process; clearly articulate financial implications of business decisions / choices, and provide retrospective analysis as well as drive forward looking actions
• Support the project analysis requirements for simple and complex projects and/or contract types; be responsible for the execution of financial processes and preparation of monthly business analysis (e.g. revenues and costs, actuals vs. forecast, variances, cash flow, profitability, cost-to-complete, resourcing and scope management ) for defined projects
• Maintain, produce and communicate a relevant and impactful set of project metrics consistent with the project and contract types being managed
• Leverage understanding of the business context to synthesize financial and operational data into meaningful business insights that highlight performance, risk, and opportunities
• Outline alternative finance scenarios with a high degree of technical knowledge, business acumen, best practice approach and minimal supervision
• Maintain/update simpler to complex projects and program budgets within relevant tools from post-award onwards including analysis and action on any subsequent changes in scope
• Provide project resource planning support, monitor resource levels on ongoing projects and identify and communicate project/portfolio margin implications
• Support process and technology improvement initiatives
• Interact and support customer requests
• Ensure compliance with all applicable regulatory requirements and company policies and standard operating procedures
• Support project setup and closeout activities as necessary

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree in Business, Finance or Accounting, or in a related field or equivalent combination of education, training and experience
• Previous experience as a project financial analyst; some experience in clinical research industry preferred
• Strong experience with Excel and PowerPoint applications; experience with financial performance systems (e.g., NetSuite)
• Exceptional attention to detail, accuracy, organizational, interpersonal, and teamwork skills
• Excellent financial, communication, and interpersonal skills as well as an elevated level of personal motivation to achieve
• Demonstrated ability to work with confidential and sensitive data
• Effective time management and prioritization skills, to manage multiple projects or tasks simultaneously
• Able to perform in depth analysis using various sources of information
• Able to meet deliverable timelines set by the client, project team and company
• Understands the underlying principles of revenue recognition and the relationship between Revenue, Backlog, Work in process and Invoicing
• Ability to travel <10%