Senior Financial Planning & Analysis Partner II

Nielsen; New York (NY); On-site; USD 120,000 - 185,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health & wellness plans

401(k) with company match

Generous paid time off

Job summary

Nielsen seeks a Senior Finance FP&A Partner to forecast, plan, and report operating expenses and headcount. You will interpret data stories for strategic alignment and partner with leaders across the organization to optimize budgets and resources.

The fast-paced Support FP&A team values strong OpEx budgeting, variance analysis, and collaboration with HR, Finance, and senior leadership to drive performance and insights.

Qualifications

• 8+ years' experience in Accounting or Finance
• FP&A experience required
• Strong OpEx budgeting, cost tracking and variance analysis
• Experience partnering with HR on headcount tracking
• Ability to explain expense variances and provide actionable insights
• Independent contributor with strong communication and detail orientation

Responsibilities

• Forecast and report operating expenses and headcount for the segment
• Partner with leaders to improve reporting packages and financial models
• Advise internal teams on budgeting, forecasting, and resource allocation
• Collaborate with HR and senior leadership to align financial plans
• Lead projects with moderate scope and deliverables independently
• Identify innovative solutions for cost optimization

Skills

Financial analysis

OpEx planning

Forecasting

Cross-functional collaboration

Analytical thinking

Education

Bachelor's degree in Accounting or Finance

Tools

Excel

SAP Analytics Cloud (SAC)

Workforce Planning (WFP)

PowerPoint

Word

Google Suite

Job description

Company Description

At Nielsen, we are passionate about our work to power a better media future for all people by providing powerful insights that drive client decisions and deliver extraordinary results. Our talented, global workforce is dedicated to capturing audience engagement with content - wherever and whenever it’s consumed. Together, we are proudly rooted in our deep legacy as we stand at the forefront of the media revolution. When you join Nielsen, you will join a dynamic team committed to excellence, perseverance, and the ambition to make an impact together. We champion you, because when you succeed, we do too. We enable your best to power our future

Company Description

At Nielsen, we are passionate about our work to power a better media future for all people by providing powerful insights that drive client decisions and deliver extraordinary results. Our talented, global workforce is dedicated to capturing audience engagement with content - wherever and whenever it’s consumed. Together, we are proudly rooted in our deep legacy as we stand at the forefront of the media revolution. When you join Nielsen, you will join a dynamic team committed to excellence, perseverance, and the ambition to make an impact together. We champion you, because when you succeed, we do too. We enable your best to power our future

Job Description

The Senior Finance FP&A Partner is a key member of the Support FP&A team. In this role, you will play an integral part in the forecasting, planning, and reporting of operating expenses and headcount for the segment. This role goes far beyond just reporting the numbers; you will interpret the story the data tells to ensure strategic alignment across the company.

The Support FP&A team is a fast-paced, high-performing group that executes financial reporting, planning, and analysis. You will partner closely with leaders across the entire Nielsen organization to improve reporting packages, planning processes, financial models, KPIs, and workforce analytics. Strong financial acumen, specifically in expense management, budgeting, variance analysis, and operational strategy, is required.

Responsibilities

• Corporate Expense Forecasting & Modeling: Drive the execution of the end-to-end expense forecasting process. Build sophisticated models to predict recurring expenses, monitor vendor contracts and software/tool usage, and lead detailed headcount and labor cost forecasting.
• Strategic Partnership: Serve as a finance advisor to internal corporate support teams (Communications, EIT, Exec, Finance, HR, Legal, and Marketing). Provide the data-driven "why" behind variance gaps and deliver actionable insights to help leaders optimize their budgets and resource allocation.
• Systems & Analytics Optimization: Leverage enterprise tools to improve corporate reporting packages, automate planning processes, and elevate the maturity of our financial KPIs
• Problem Solving & Innovation: Interpret complex internal or external business issues, take a broad perspective to identify innovative solutions, and recommend financial best practices.
• Independent Execution: Work autonomously, requiring minimal guidance on day-to-day operations and executing core deliverables independently, seeking direction only in the most complex, ambiguous situations.
• Project Leadership: Act as a project leader or champion for functional initiatives with moderate resource requirements, risk, and/or complexity.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Accounting or Finance
• 8+ years' experience in Accounting or Finance Role, must have FP&A experience
• Solid foundation in operating expense (OpEx) planning, budgeting, cost tracking, and variance analysis
• Direct experience collaborating with HR partners on headcount tracking
• Proven ability to partner with business leads to explain expense actuals vs. budget, gather key forecasting inputs, and communicate cost drivers and actionable insights.
• Must have a strong work ethic, self-motivated work style and a good attention to detail and enjoy a dynamic environment with new challenges and changing work priorities
• Individual contributor and team player with great communication and interpersonal skills
• Strong organizational skills, close attention to detail and ability to meet deadlines
• Ability to adapt quickly and learn new tasks independently
• Strong quantitative and analytical competency
• Comfortable working cross-functionally and with senior leadership
• Solves complex problems: uses analytical thinking, tools and judgement to identify innovative solutions
• Works independently receives minimal guidance
• Proficiency in Excel, Word, PowerPoint and Google Suite
• Prior experience with SAP Analytics Cloud (SAC) and Workforce Planning (WFP) module

Additional Information

Enabling your best to power a better media future.

Holistic Rewards:

We are committed to an inclusive benefits package that supports our employees and their families. This includes comprehensive health and wellness plans, a 401(k) with a Nielsen company match, and a generous paid time off policy. Depending on the role, additional benefits may include a company-provided vehicle and/or discretionary incentive/bonus eligibility.

Compensation Transparency:

The posted base salary range is a reasonable estimate that may be adjusted based on the final work location of the selected employee. Individual pay within the range is determined by factors such as experience, training, geography, certifications, and business needs. Beyond base salary, this role may be eligible for bonuses, equity, or other incentives.

Nielsen makes hiring decisions without regard to disability status, protected veteran status, or membership in any other protected class.