Senior Financial Analyst - Financial Planning & Analysis

Cerebras; Newton (MA); On-site; USD 90,000 - 140,000; Full time

Job summary

Appcast, a global leader in programmatic recruitment advertising, seeks a Senior Financial Analyst – FP&A to join the Finance team in the US. You will drive corporate planning, forecasting accuracy, and business partnering across functions.

In this role, you will lead headcount and expense forecasting, perform variance analyses, and support annual budgeting and long-range planning. Strong Excel, GAAP knowledge, and FP&A tooling experience are essential.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, or related field.
• 5+ years of experience in Finance or Accounting.
• 1–2 years as a finance business partner presenting insights to senior management.
• Proficient in advanced Excel with scenario analyses.
• Experience with FP&A systems such as TM1, Anaplan, Workday Adaptive Planning, or Hyperion.

Responsibilities

• Contribute to monthly forecasts and consolidate corporate forecasts.
• Lead corporate headcount planning and workforce expense forecasting.
• Conduct variance analyses, profitability trends and cost reviews.
• Prepare financial reporting packages, dashboards and presentations.
• Partner with Accounting during month-end close to ensure accurate reporting.
• Support annual operating plan, budget and long-range planning processes.
• Provide actionable insights to senior leadership.
• Perform ad-hoc analyses for evolving business priorities.

Skills

Advanced Excel

GAAP knowledge

Data analytics

Financial modeling

Communication

Cross-functional collaboration

Problem solving

Attention to detail

Forecasting tools

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Accounting or Finance

Tools

TM1 / Planning Analytics

Anaplan

Workday Adaptive Planning

Oracle Hyperion

Job description

Company Description

Appcast is the global leader in programmatic recruitment advertising technology and services. With advanced technology, unmatched market data and a team of the industry’s best recruitment marketers, Appcast’s technology and services manage job advertising annually for enterprise clients across industries. Headquartered in Lebanon, N.H. with offices in the U.S., Canada and Europe. Appcast is part of the Stepstone group, a leading digital recruitment platform that connects companies with the right talent and helps people find the right job.

Job Description

We are seeking a highly motivated Senior Financial Analyst – Financial Planning & Analysis to join our Finance team. This role will play a critical part in supporting corporate financial planning, corporate reporting, decision making, and G&A business partnering.

The Senior Financial Analyst – Financial Planning & Analysis will work closely with Finance leadership and cross-functional business partners to drive financial accountability, improve forecasting accuracy, and provide meaningful insights that support strategic decision-making. The ideal candidate combines strong analytical capabilities, financial acumen, and communication skills with a proactive approach to problem-solving in a fast-paced environment.

Job Responsibilities

Corporate Planning & Reporting

• Contribute to the development and refinement of monthly financial forecasts, support consolidation of corporate forecasts, ensuring precision and timely updates.
• Lead corporate headcount planning and workforce expense forecasting, partnering with the People Team and business leaders to monitor hiring plans, vacancy assumptions, organizational changes, and personnel-related spending to ensure alignment with financial plans and company objectives
• Conduct comprehensive financial analyses, including variance assessments, profitability trends, margin evaluations, and cost management, to identify key performance drivers.
• Create and support the delivery of the company’s financial reporting package, presentations, and dashboards
• Partner with Accounting during month-end close to ensure accurate financial reporting and understanding of business performance
• Support the annual operating plan (AOP), budget, and long-range planning processes
• Foster clear communication and collaboration with all relevant stakeholders.
• Review and analyze monthly financial reports to identify discrepancies and ensure accuracy.
• Compare monthly results with budgeted figures and forecasts, performing variance analysis to provide actionable insights for performance optimization.

Finance Business Partnering

• Serve as a finance business partner for assigned functions, including departments such as People Team, IT, Legal, Finance, Facilities, and Corporate Operations.
• Provide functional leaders with insights related to spending trends, headcount planning, resource allocation, and investment decisions.
• Identify opportunities to improve efficiency and optimize budget utilization.
• Build strong working relationships across the organization and act as a trusted financial advisor to business stakeholders.
• Train client teams in the use of forecasting tools and reporting systems, proactively addressing challenges and creating educational materials to support their success.
• Lead and manage ad-hoc projects to address specific business needs and challenges.
• Support the annual budgeting process to ensure alignment with strategic goals.
• Deliver concise and impactful recommendations to senior leadership based on quantitative and qualitative analysis.
• Perform ad hoc analyses to support evolving business priorities.

Process Improvement & Finance Transformation

• Identify and implement continuous improvement of reporting capabilities to enhance scalability, efficiency, and decision-making.
• Explore and leverage emerging technologies, including AI-enabled tools, to improve financial analysis, reporting efficiency, forecasting accuracy, and business insights.
• Identify opportunities for automation and reporting simplification to increase efficiency and scalability.
• Assist in the integration of new systems and analytical tools to improve financial processes.
• Help establish FP&A best practices and improve financial discipline across the organization.

Qualifications

• Proficient in advanced Excel, with expertise in constructing scenario analyses to inform strategic decisions.
• Solid understanding of GAAP principles, ensuring adherence to accounting standards.
• Experienced in data mining and developing analytical models to drive actionable insights.
• Skilled in distilling complex data into clear, concise information that supports effective decision-making.
• Driven by a strong passion for problem-solving, with a proactive approach to tackling new challenges.
• Exceptional critical-thinking abilities, capable of analyzing data from multiple perspectives.
• Meticulous attention to detail, with a keen ability to identify trends and inconsistencies in large datasets.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to clearly present findings to stakeholders at all levels.
• Thrives in fast-paced, high-pressure environments, excelling in cross-functional collaboration.
• Self-motivated, consistently generating valuable business insights and taking initiative to drive improvements.
• Adaptable and independent, with a flexible mindset that enables success in dynamic work settings.
• Experience working with financial planning and reporting systems, such as TM1 (Planning Analytics), Anaplan, Workday Adaptive Planning, Oracle Hyperion or similar FP&A platforms.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities and work effectively in a fast-paced environment.

Education and Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, or a related field is required.
• 5+ years of experience in Finance or Accounting.
• 1-2 years of experience as a finance business partner working with senior management and presenting financial insights and recommendations.

Travel Requirements

• Travel for this position may include quarterly travel to attend internal and external meetings, however, this may vary based on business needs and opportunities.

Supervisory Responsibilities

• This position will not supervise others.

Additional Information

• We’re the best at what we do. We’re the global leader in programmatic recruitment advertising. With advanced technology, unmatched market data and a team of the industry’s best recruitment marketers.
• We have an amazing culture driven by great people. Headquartered in Lebanon, N.H. with offices in the U.S., Canada and Europe, Appcast is part of the Stepstone group. To better understand our company culture, read Our Story and check out Working at Appcast on our website.
• We take care of our employees. We’re dedicated to creating an inviting environment where individuals from diverse backgrounds can thrive and develop. We believe in providing competitive compensation and comprehensive benefits, ensuring our team can support their loved ones and one another. We enjoy fostering a sense of community through dedicated employee networks, fun gatherings, delicious food, and even welcoming furry friends into our workspace. We live our values each day including volunteering and giving back to our communities.

All your information will be kept confidential according to EEO guidelines.

Appcast is an equal opportunity employer, and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.

This employer participates in E-Verify. The employer will provide the Social Security Administration (SSA) and, if necessary, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), with information from each new employee's Form I-9 to confirm work authorization.

E-Verify® is a registered trademark of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. This employer does not use E-Verify to pre-screen job applicants and will not discriminate based on national origin, citizenship, or immigration status.