Finance Analyst / Business Analyst
LAPPKey Responsibilities
Planning & Forecasting
- Build, maintain, and continuously improve financial forecasts covering revenue, expenses, headcount, and cash flow.
- Lead or support the annual budgeting process and periodic re-forecasts in partnership with department leaders.
- Analyze actual-vs.-budget and actual-vs.-forecast variances, identify drivers, and communicate findings to leadership and ownership.
- Monitor key business and financial metrics, flagging risks and opportunities as they emerge.
- Develop scenario models and sensitivity analyses to support strategic decisions (pricing, hiring, capital expenditures, new initiatives).
- Prepare monthly and quarterly financial packages, dashboards, and board- or ownership-level reporting.
Process Upgrades
- Analyze current business processes, workflows, and systems to identify inefficiencies, bottlenecks, and opportunities to eliminate manual work and control gaps.
- Lead or support process improvement initiatives from requirements gathering through implementation.
- Recommend and help implement systems, tools, or automation (e.g., ERP enhancements, planning software, reporting tools) to reduce manual effort and improve accuracy.
- Ensure process compliance with document retention requirements.
- Partner with the accounting/finance team to incorporate AI-driven solutions into their processes and upgrade technology skillsets.
- Document business requirements, process maps, and standard operating procedures (SOPs), including training team members.
- Partner cross-functionally with operations, sales, and other departments to ensure reported data is accurate and timely.
- Map current-state and future-state processes.
Accounting Support
- Assist with month-end and year-end close activities, including journal entries and account reconciliations.
- Support accounts payable/receivable and general ledger maintenance as needed.
- Help ensure financial records are accurate, complete, and maintained in accordance with company policy and GAAP.
- Assist with preparation for audits, tax filings, or lender/investor reporting requirements as applicable.
What You'll Need
- Bachelor's degree in Finance, Accounting, or Business Analytics.
- Prior internship experience in Finance or Accounting.
- Demonstrated experience building financial forecasts, budgets, and variance analyses.
- Working knowledge of core accounting principles (GAAP and IFRS) and hands-on experience with routine accounting transactions.
- Experience with data visualization or business intelligence tools (e.g., Power BI, Tableau).
- Prior experience in a role that combined operational/process analysis with financial responsibilities.
- Advanced Excel skills (financial modeling, complex formulas, pivot tables); experience with an ERP or accounting system (e.g., NetSuite, QuickBooks, Sage, Microsoft Dynamics).
- Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with a track record of identifying and implementing process improvements.
- Excellent communication skills, with the ability to present financial information clearly to non-finance stakeholders.
- High level of accuracy, discretion, and comfort handling sensitive financial information in a privately held company.
Nice to Have
- Experience in a small or mid-sized private company or family-owned business environment.
- Familiarity with financial planning software (e.g., Adaptive Insights, Vena, Anaplan) or BI/reporting tools (e.g., Power BI, Tableau).
Compensation & Location
This role is based in Savage, MN, with a hybrid schedule of three days per week in office. Pay range: $68,000–$80,000 annually, depending on experience.