Strategic FP&A Lead for Department Finance

Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Lab; Laurel (MD); On-site; USD 63,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

The Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory seeks a Department Financial Planning & Analysis Lead to act as the department's lead financial advisor. You will partner with department leaders to shape REDD's financial strategy, lead annual planning, budgeting, and executive briefings, and develop dashboards to inform strategic decisions.

In this highly visible role, you will drive financial analyses, monitor performance, and collaborate with cross-functional teams to optimize resources and ensure

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Accounting, Business Administration, Economics, or a related field.
• 5+ years of progressively responsible experience in budgeting, financial planning, business operations, or fiscal analysis.
• Ability to translate complex financial data into actionable recommendations.
• Experience presenting financial analyses to senior leadership.
• Advanced Excel skills (formulas, PivotTables, Power Query) and financial modeling.
• Strong written and verbal communication; ability to collaborate across multidisciplinary teams.
• Executive-level communication skills for concise recommendations to leadership.
• Eligibility for a Secret level clearance; U.S. citizenship required.

Responsibilities

• Serve as REDD's primary fiscal representative and trusted advisor to Department leadership across overhead, capital, discretionary, and direct activities.
• Lead annual financial planning processes, including QFRs and the Long-Range Plan, aligning plans with staffing forecasts and priorities.
• Lead development of REDD's annual budget with funding priorities, resource allocation, and tradeoffs.
• Develop and present executive-level financial briefings and analyses to senior leadership and stakeholders.
• Validate hiring plans, staffing projections, and resource allocations with leadership while identifying risks and opportunities.
• Develop monthly and ad hoc financial reports, dashboards, models, and analyses to forecast outcomes and inform decisions.
• Monitor departmental performance with analyses to identify variances and mitigation strategies.
• Collaborate on capital planning with facilities and construction teams and support long-term forecasts.
• Support audits and data requests, ensuring integrity of financial information.
• Identify automation and data-analytics opportunities to improve processes and transparency.
• Represent REDD in Laboratory-wide initiatives to share best practices and drive improvement.

Skills

Advanced Excel

Analytical thinking

Financial modeling

Senior leadership presentations

Strategic advisory

Education

Bachelor's degree in Finance, Accounting, Business Administration, Economics, or a related field

Tools

Power BI

PEER

ADDIt

Data Warehouse

EBSS

Job description

The Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory seeks a Department Financial Planning & Analysis Lead to act as the department's lead financial advisor. You will partner with department leaders to shape REDD's financial strategy, lead annual planning, budgeting, and executive briefings, and develop dashboards to inform strategic decisions.

In this highly visible role, you will drive financial analyses, monitor performance, and collaborate with cross-functional teams to optimize resources and ensure