Senior Financial Planning & Analysis Partner II

SmartRecruiters, Inc.; New York (NY); On-site; USD 102,000 - 189,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health and wellness plans

401(k) with Nielsen company match

Generous paid time off

Company-provided vehicle (depending on

Job summary

Nielsen is seeking a Senior Financial Planning & Analysis Partner II in New York to drive forecasting, budgeting, and reporting of expenses and headcount. You will translate data into actionable insights for senior leadership and collaborate across Finance, HR, Legal, and Marketing to align budgets with strategic priorities.

The role emphasizes enterprise analytics, KPI maturation, and autonomous execution within the Support FP&A team, with strong OpEx expertise and SAP/analytics experience.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Accounting or Finance and FP&A experience.
• 8+ years of accounting or finance experience with FP&A background.
• Strong OpEx planning, budgeting, variance analysis and reporting skills.

Responsibilities

• Corporate Expense Forecasting & Modeling: drive end-to-end expense forecasting and headcount projections.
• Strategic Partnership: act as a finance advisor to internal teams with data-driven insights.
• Systems & Analytics Optimization: improve reporting packages and KPI maturity using enterprise tools.
• Problem Solving & Innovation: identify innovative financial solutions and best practices.
• Independent Execution: work autonomously on core deliverables with minimal guidance.
• Project Leadership: lead cross-functional initiatives with moderate scope and risk.

Skills

Analytical thinking

Cross-functional collaboration

Attention to detail

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Accounting or Finance

Tools

SAP Analytics Cloud (SAC)

Workforce Planning (WFP)

Excel

Google Suite

Job description

Senior Financial Planning & Analysis Partner II

• Full-time
• Compensation Min: $101,750
• Compensation Max: $188,870

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

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

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

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