Torchora
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Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Financial Associate

💰 $65,000 - $90,000

FinanceAccountingFinancial ServicesCorporate Finance

🎯 Role Definition

This role requires a highly motivated and detail-oriented Financial Associate to join our dynamic finance team. This role is a cornerstone of our financial planning and analysis (FP&A) function, responsible for providing critical insights that drive strategic decision-making across the organization. The ideal candidate will possess a strong analytical mindset, a passion for financial modeling, and the ability to translate complex data into actionable business intelligence. You will be instrumental in budgeting, forecasting, performance reporting, and supporting senior leadership with ad-hoc financial projects. This position offers significant exposure to various business units and a clear path for professional growth within the company.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

  • Financial Analyst (Junior)
  • Finance or Accounting Intern
  • Recent Graduate (Finance, Accounting, Economics)

Advancement To:

  • Senior Financial Analyst / Senior Financial Associate
  • Finance Manager
  • Business Unit Controller

Lateral Moves:

  • Business Analyst
  • Data Analyst (Financial Focus)
  • Treasury Analyst

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

  • Develop and maintain complex financial models to support long-range planning, budgeting, forecasting, and investment-related decision-making processes.
  • Conduct in-depth variance analysis of monthly and quarterly financial results against budget, forecast, and prior year, providing detailed commentary on key business drivers.
  • Prepare and present comprehensive financial reporting packages for senior management, including P&L, balance sheet, and cash flow statements, along with key performance indicators (KPIs).
  • Assist in the annual budgeting and quarterly re-forecasting processes by collaborating with department heads to gather inputs and validate assumptions.
  • Analyze current and past trends in key performance indicators including all areas of revenue, cost of sales, expenses, and capital expenditures.
  • Perform detailed financial analysis for potential mergers, acquisitions, and other strategic initiatives, including due diligence and valuation modeling.
  • Support the month-end and quarter-end close processes by preparing journal entries, account reconciliations, and accruals to ensure accuracy and compliance with GAAP.
  • Partner with business leaders to provide financial guidance and support, helping them understand their financial performance and identify opportunities for improvement.
  • Monitor and evaluate the financial performance of business units by comparing actuals to budget and forecast, highlighting trends and analyzing causes of unexpected variance.
  • Create and manage dashboards and automated reports using business intelligence tools (e.g., Tableau, Power BI) to enhance financial visibility for stakeholders.
  • Participate in the implementation and enhancement of financial systems and ERP modules to improve efficiency and data integrity.
  • Evaluate capital expenditure proposals by performing ROI, NPV, and IRR analysis to ensure alignment with corporate financial goals.
  • Assist in the preparation of materials for Board of Directors meetings, investor relations presentations, and external financial reporting requirements.
  • Develop sophisticated financial models from scratch to assess the viability of new products, services, or market entry strategies.
  • Manage and track project-based financial performance, providing regular updates to project managers and leadership on budget adherence and financial milestones.
  • Conduct competitor analysis and market research to provide context for financial performance and identify potential risks and opportunities.

Secondary Functions

  • Support ad-hoc data requests and exploratory data analysis to answer critical business questions from senior leadership.
  • Contribute to the organization's data governance strategy and roadmap by identifying and remediating data quality issues.
  • Collaborate with IT and data engineering teams to translate evolving business and financial needs into technical requirements.
  • Participate in sprint planning, daily stand-ups, and other agile ceremonies within the finance and data teams.
  • Assist in documenting financial processes and internal controls to support audit requirements and ensure SOX compliance.
  • Provide training and support to non-finance personnel on financial reports, systems, and budgeting tools.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

  • Advanced Financial Modeling: Demonstrated ability to build, maintain, and audit complex three-statement financial models, DCF, LBO, and scenario analysis models from the ground up.
  • Advanced Microsoft Excel: Mastery of Excel, including complex formulas, pivot tables, Power Query, VLOOKUP/HLOOKUP, INDEX/MATCH, and VBA macros for automation.
  • Financial & Accounting Principles: Strong, in-depth understanding of Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP), IFRS, and corporate finance concepts.
  • ERP & Financial Systems: Hands-on experience with enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems such as SAP, Oracle NetSuite, or Microsoft Dynamics 365.
  • Business Intelligence (BI) Tools: Proficiency in using BI and data visualization tools like Tableau, Microsoft Power BI, or Looker to create insightful dashboards.
  • SQL & Database Knowledge: Ability to write SQL queries to extract, manipulate, and analyze large datasets from relational databases.
  • Financial Planning & Analysis (FP&A) Software: Experience with planning software like Anaplan, Hyperion, or Adaptive Insights is a significant plus.

Soft Skills

  • Exceptional Analytical & Problem-Solving Skills: A proven track record of dissecting complex financial data to identify trends, draw conclusions, and propose actionable solutions.
  • High Attention to Detail and Accuracy: Meticulous in reviewing and preparing financial data, with a commitment to delivering error-free work.
  • Strong Written and Verbal Communication: Ability to clearly and concisely communicate complex financial information to both finance and non-finance audiences.
  • Collaboration and Teamwork: A proactive team player who can build strong relationships and work effectively across different departments and levels of the organization.
  • Time Management & Prioritization: Ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously in a fast-paced, deadline-driven environment.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

  • Bachelor's Degree

Preferred Education:

  • Master's in Finance, MBA, or progress towards a professional designation (e.g., CFA, CPA).

Relevant Fields of Study:

  • Finance
  • Accounting
  • Economics
  • Business Administration

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range: 2-5 years of relevant experience in corporate finance (FP&A), investment banking, public accounting, or a related analytical role.

Preferred: Experience in a publicly-traded company or a high-growth technology/SaaS environment is highly desirable.

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