Strategic Finance & Planning Lead

Lead, Strategic Planning & Finance Operations, Apple Services Engineering Cupertino, California, United States Software and Services At Apple, the places where people work are as intentional as the products we make. As a Lead in the Strategic Planning & Finance Operations organization, you will own the financial planning and operational governance for a large‑scale engineering organization of over 7,000 employees, responsible for managing and operationalizing more than $500M in annual spend across Professional services, Data Licenses, Software Licenses & Program spend. Description This is a highly strategic and hands‑on role at the center of how the organization plans, prioritizes, allocates, and operationalizes spend. You will lead complex planning discussions across multiple business units, navigate ambiguous funding and allocation challenges, and build the operational frameworks that enable the organization to scale effectively. You are equally comfortable diving deep into accruals and reconciliations as you are driving executive‑level planning conversations and operational decision‑making. You will own the most complex planning challenges, difficult reconciliations, and high‑judgment financial tradeoffs end‑to‑end. You will serve as a trusted partner to both Finance and Engineering leadership — translating operational realities into financial plans, driving alignment across stakeholders, and bringing structure to highly complex and fast‑moving environments. Responsibilities This role requires someone who thrives in ambiguity, drives execution with urgency, identifies operational gaps before they become problems, and continuously improves the systems and processes that support the business. While this role partners closely with program managers and contractors supporting execution workstreams, this is a senior individual contributor role with broad organizational influence and a strong path toward future people leadership. Own financial planning and operational governance across professional services, vendor spend, software licenses, and program‑related budgets. Lead annual and quarterly planning cycles, forecasting, accrual reviews, variance analysis, budget allocation, and spend prioritization across multiple business units. Partner closely with Finance to manage complex funding models, allocation methodologies, reconciliations, and movement of funds across the organization. Act as the primary operational liaison between Finance and Engineering teams, aligning business priorities with financial realities and planning constraints. Build and scale operational processes, governance models, reporting frameworks, and planning mechanisms that improve visibility, consistency, and execution. Drive executive‑level reporting, operational insights, and decision‑support frameworks for leadership reviews and planning discussions. Identify operational inefficiencies, process gaps, and scaling challenges — proactively driving simplification, automation, and continuous improvement initiatives. Coordinate execution across program managers, contractors, Finance, and business stakeholders to ensure planning accuracy and operational alignment. Balance long‑term strategic planning with near‑term operational execution in a fast‑moving and highly dynamic environment. Bring structure, clarity, and accountability to ambiguous operational and financial problems. Minimum Qualifications Bachelor's degree in Finance, Accounting, Business, or related field — or equivalent practical experience. 10+ years of experience in financial planning, business operations, operational finance, strategic planning, or related functions within a large and complex organization. Strong financial and operational acumen with hands‑on experience in budget ownership, accruals, reconciliations, vendor spend management, and cost center governance. Experience supporting large‑scale organizations with complex allocation methodologies and multi‑business‑unit planning environments. Strong analytical and problem‑solving skills with the ability to navigate ambiguity, connect disparate information, and drive decisions with incomplete data. Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to influence across Finance, Engineering, Operations, and leadership teams. Strong process orientation with a track record of building scalable operational frameworks and improving business rhythms. Comfortable operating as both a strategic planner and hands‑on operator — someone who takes ownership of difficult problems and drives them to resolution. Preferred Qualifications Experience leading through influence across matrixed teams and cross‑functional environments. Demonstrated ability to identify gaps, challenge inefficient processes, and continuously iterate toward better operational outcomes. High sense of ownership, urgency, accountability, and operational excellence. MBA in Finance or Operations. At Apple, base pay is one part of our total compensation package and is determined within a range. This provides the opportunity to progress as you grow and develop within a role. The base pay range for this role is between $172,100 and $305,600, and your base pay will depend on your skills, qualifications, experience, and location. Apple employees also have the opportunity to become an Apple shareholder through participation in Apple’s discretionary employee stock programs. Apple employees are eligible for discretionary restricted stock unit awards, and can purchase Apple stock at a discount if voluntarily participating in Apple’s Employee Stock Purchase Plan. You’ll also receive benefits including: Comprehensive medical and dental coverage, retirement benefits, a range of discounted products and free services, and for formal education related to advancing your career at Apple, reimbursement for certain educational expenses — including tuition. Additionally, this role might be eligible for discretionary bonuses or commission payments as well as relocation. Learn more about Apple Benefits. Note: Apple benefit, compensation and employee stock programs are subject to eligibility requirements and other terms of the applicable plan or program. Apple is an equal opportunity employer that is committed to inclusion and diversity. We seek to promote equal opportunity for all applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, Veteran status, or other legally protected characteristics. Learn more about your EEO rights as an applicant. At Apple, we believe accessibility is a fundamental human right. You’ll find that idea reflected in everything here — in our culture, our benefits and our digital tools. By welcoming as many perspectives as possible, we help you build a career where you feel like you belong. Learn about accessibility in Apple’s workplace. Learn about reasonable accommodations for job applicants. Apple accepts applications to this posting on an ongoing basis. #J-18808-Ljbffr