Senior FP&A Manager

Empire Auto Parts, LLC; Charlotte (NC); On-site; USD 110,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

Empire Auto Parts, LLC is building a dedicated FP&A team to bring rigor and strategic insight to planning, forecasting, and performance measurement. The FP&A Manager will lead a small team, own monthly forecasts and annual budgets, and deliver executive-level reporting to support strategic decisions.

The role offers high visibility in a growing distribution business and opportunities to partner across sales, operations, and procurement.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree required or equivalent experience.
• 6+ years in FP&A, corporate finance, or related analytics role.
• Experience in distribution/retail or operations-intensive industries preferred.

Responsibilities

• Design, implement, and own a repeatable monthly forecast process for revenue, gross margin, OPEX, working capital, and cash flow.
• Lead end-to-end annual budget process with templates, submissions, and CFO review.
• Manage budget vs. actual and forecast vs. actual variance analysis with clear drivers.
• Develop and maintain financial models to forecast performance and trends.
• Build executive reporting packages and present results to senior leadership.
• Partner with CFO and execs to define KPI framework and scorecards.
• Own inventory analytics and improvements in warehouse/delivery performance.
• Drive AI-assisted variance analysis, commentary drafting, and data cleansing.

Skills

FP&A leadership

Forecasting & budgeting

Financial modeling

Excel

BI tools

AI tools usage

Strategic thinking

Communication

Collaboration

Ambiguity handling

Education

Bachelor's degree in Finance/Accounting

MBA or CPA preferred

Tools

Excel

BI tools

AI tools

Job description

Empire Auto Parts is building a new Financial Planning & Analysis (FP&A) team to bring rigor, speed, and strategic insight to how we plan, forecast, and measure the business. The FP&A Manager will lead this function day-to-day, owning the monthly forecast and annual budget processes, building executive-level reporting, and working closely with senior leadership to support strategic decision-making. This role offers a dynamic and collaborative environment, where you will work with various departments to profitably grow sales, support warehouse and delivery performance, and improve inventory turns. This is a highly visible, build-from-scratch role for someone who wants ownership over how a growing distribution business plans and measures itself. The FP&A Manager will lead one analyst and report directly to the CFO.What Success Looks Like in Year One• A well-functioning FP&A team with clear processes and growing scope• A documented, repeatable monthly forecast process in place and adopted by the organization• A smooth, on-time annual budget cycle with strong department engagement• Executive reporting package delivered monthly/quarterly that leadership relies on to track strategic initiatives• Measurable improvement in inventory turns and at least one quantified operational efficiency win in warehouse or deliveryDuties/ResponsibilitiesForecasting and Budgeting• Design, implement, and own a repeatable monthly forecast process across revenue, gross margin, operating expenses, working capital and cash flow• Lead the annual budget process end-to-end to develop accurate and actionable financial plans: calendar, templates, department submissions, consolidation, and CFO/executive review• Manage budget-vs-actual and forecast-vs-actual variance analysis, with clear narrative on drivers and corrective actions• Develop and maintain financial models to assess business performance and forecast future trendsExecutive Reporting• Build monthly and quarterly executive reporting packages that translate financial and operational results into a clear view of progress against the company's strategic initiatives• Prepare regular financial reports and presentations for senior management and stakeholders, highlighting key performance metrics, trends, and insights• Present financial results and forecasts to senior leadership, including risks, opportunities, and recommended actions• Continuously improve reporting efficiency and accuracy through standardized templates, automation, and single source of truth for key metricsStrategic Support and Performance Monitoring• Build and maintain driver-based financial models that connect operational KPIs (order volume, fill rate, delivery routes, labor hours) to financial outcomes• Partner with the CFO and executive team to define the KPI framework and scorecards used to run the business• Act as the finance business partner to sales and operations leadership, delivering insightful and reliable analyses and supporting key initiatives• Own inventory analytics in partnership with Procurement: track inventory turns, aging, and carrying cost, and lead initiatives to improve turns without harming service levels• Build the business case and ROI analysis for operational and capital investment decisionsTechnology and Process Efficiency• Champion the use of AI tools to accelerate variance analysis, commentary drafting, data cleansing, and report generation. Shift time away from manual data-gathering and toward analysis and business partnership• Partner with IT to continuously improve the company’s dashboards as the primary vehicle for executive and operational reporting• Drive continuous improvement initiatives to enhance the quality and accuracy of financial information and improve overall efficiency within the FP&A functionTeam and Process Leadership• Manage, coach, and develop the FP&A Analyst; set priorities and quality standards for the team's work• Establish FP&A processes, documentation, and calendars from the ground up as a foundational member of a new teamRequired Skills/Abilities• Bachelor's degree in Finance, Accounting, or related field; MBA or CPA preferred• 6+ years of progressive FP&A, corporate finance, or related analytical experience; prior people management experience preferred• Experience in distribution, wholesale, retail, or a similarly operations-intensive industry strongly preferred; auto parts or similar durable goods experience a plus• Strong understanding of inventory economics (turns, carrying cost, obsolescence) and warehouse/logistics cost drivers• Demonstrated experience building or significantly improving forecasting, budgeting, or management reporting processes• Advanced Excel/financial modeling skills, experience with BI tools and hands-on experience using AI tools• Comfortable operating with significant ambiguity and building processes from scratch• Strong attention to detail and a genuine curiosity about how the operational side of the business (warehouse, delivery, inventory) drives financial results• Analytical Mindset: Strong analytical skills with the ability to interpret complex financial data and generate actionable insights• Strategic Thinker: Strategic mindset with the ability to think critically and contribute to strategic decision-making processes• Effective Communicator: Excellent communication and presentation skills, with the ability to effectively communicate financial information to diverse stakeholders• Collaborative Nature: Team player with a roll-up-your-sleeves attitude who can collaborate with cross-functional teams to gather data and insights• Continuous Improvement Champion: Knack for identifying opportunities to streamline financial processes, enhance reporting capabilities, and improve overall efficiency