Manager, Business Intelligence & Finance (Project Hire)

JOB SUMMARY:

The Manager, Merchandise Business Intelligence and Finance is responsible for designing, delivering, and sustaining finance and commercial reporting, planning, and analytics capabilities that support executive decision-making across Finance, Merchandising, and Supply Chain. This role plays a critical part in establishing standardized KPIs, aligned financial planning models, and trusted data foundations, while driving adoption of modern business intelligence and cloud-based analytics platforms.

The Manager partners closely with Finance, Technology, Product Development, Planning, and Supply Chain teams to ensure consistent metrics, integrated financial and operational plans, and high-quality reporting solutions that enable performance management and strategic insights.

MAJOR RESPONSIBILITIES:

• KPI Framework & Performance Reporting

• Define and maintain a common KPI and metric catalog for Finance, Merchandising, and Supply Chain (e.g., sales, cost, margin, inventory, turns), including clear definitions, calculation logic, and data ownership.

• Align metric definitions and reporting rules across Finance, commercial teams, and operations to ensure consistency across executive, finance, and operational reporting.

• Identify and standardize core reporting packs (e.g., GM&R, executive dashboards, finance reviews) enabled by modern analytics platforms and systems – PowerBI, Snowflake, Oracle.

• Partner with stakeholders to ensure KPIs and reports address priority business questions and performance management needs.

• Data Model, Integration & Governance

• Work with data and technology teams to define the data model required for finance and commercial analytics, including subject areas, key facts, and dimensions.

• Help define and document systems of record / source of truth for financial and commercial data and how data flows into reporting and analytics platforms.

• Support data quality controls, exception reporting, and issue resolution in partnership with data owners and IT teams.

• Contribute to data governance practices related to financial and commercial measures.

• Reporting & Analytics Solutions

• Facilitate the design and delivery of standard dashboards and reports for Finance, executive leadership, and key commercial stakeholders.

• Validate report layouts, calculations, and content with end users to ensure accuracy, clarity, and usability.

• Lead or support user acceptance testing (UAT) for finance and executive reports, including reconciliation and business sign-off.

• Drive expanded use of business intelligence and advanced analytics leveraging systems and tools such as PowerBI, Oracle, Snowflake, Azure, and related cloud-based data platforms.

• Financial Planning & Forecasting

• Map current financial planning and forecasting processes (Business Plan, Latest Estimate, Forecasts) and support the design of the future-state financial planning framework.

• Align financial planning calendars, versions, and scenarios with commercial and operational cycles, collaborating closely with Planning and Supply Chain partners.

• Define how financial plans reconcile with merchandise, inventory, and operational plans at agreed levels of detail.

• Support Finance leadership with scenario analysis, performance drivers, and plan vs. actual insights.

• Project & Delivery Management

• Manage analytics and reporting initiatives using Agile delivery or other project management methods, including backlog management, sprint planning, and stakeholder communication.

• Coordinate with PMO, technology partners, and business stakeholders to manage timelines, dependencies, and risks.

• Ensure clear documentation, communication, and alignment across workstreams.

• Change Management, Training & Adoption

• Develop training materials, job aids, and reference documentation for Finance and business users related to new reports, analytics tools, and performance management processes.

• Support the redesign of meeting cadences, review decks, and templates (e.g., monthly business reviews) to fully leverage new reporting capabilities.

• Monitor adoption, gather feedback, and maintain a prioritized backlog of enhancements and refinements.

• Act as a change champion to improve data literacy and analytics maturity across Finance and Commercial teams.

• Understand and actively participate in Environmental, Health & Safety responsibilities by following established UO policy, procedures, training, and team member involvement activities.

• Perform other duties as assigned.

EDUCATION:

• Bachelor’s degree in Industrial Engineering, Finance, Accounting, Business Analytics, Information Systems, or a related field preferred.

EXPERIENCE:

• 5+ years of experience in industrial engineering, finance analytics, business intelligence, performance management, or related roles.

• Theme-Park retail, consumer products, or merchandising experience strongly preferred.

• Prior experience working cross-functionally with Industrial Engineering, Finance, Commercial, Supply Chain, and Technology teams.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

• Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• Consistent attendance is a job requirement.

• Demonstrated ability to champion projects from beginning through implementation, meet deadlines, handle multiple priorities, and perform job responsibilities accurately with minimal supervision.

• Strong critical thinking and problem-solving skills.

• The ability to work through complex, unstructured problems.

• Strong interpersonal, technical and presentation skills required.

• Strong understanding of Merchandise finance and commercial KPIs, performance management, and reporting.

• Experience with business intelligence and analytics platforms, including Power BI or similar tools.

• Working knowledge of cloud data platforms such as Snowflake or Azure; Oracle experience preferred.

• Solid SQL, advanced Excel skills, and understanding of data models and integrations.

• Experience supporting financial planning, forecasting, and reconciliation processes.

• Familiarity with Agile delivery and project management practices.

• Strong communication and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to translate complex data into clear business insights.

Your talent, skills and experience will be rewarded with a competitive compensation package.

Universal Products & Experiences (UP&E)

At Universal Products & Experiences (UP&E), we transform iconic stories into products and experiences fans can wear, play, collect, and enjoy every day. From the thrilling universe of Jurassic World to the fun of Minions and the timeless magic of Back to the Future, we bring beloved franchises to life far beyond the screen.

Founded in 2016, UP&E combines the energy of a startup with the reach of a global leader. Our mission is bold yet simple: to take imagination beyond the screen through innovative products, immersive retail, and unforgettable theme park experiences. Partnering with world class licensees and creators, we deliver toys, fashion, collectibles, games, and lifestyle products across parks, retail, and digital platforms worldwide.

Creativity, technology, and storytelling are at the heart of everything we do. As part of Universal Destinations & Experiences, you’ll join a collaborative, inclusive global team where every voice matters—helping us be an employer of choice for top talent and a partner of choice for retailers, licensees, and creators. If you’re ready to bring imagination to life and create moments that matter, your adventure starts here.

Join us and help create moments that matter.

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