Senior FP&A Manager

About National Underground Group

National Underground Group (NUG) is a U.S. infrastructure services provider founded in 1947 (formerly Hoffman Southwest Corp.) and headquartered in Irvine, California. NUG specializes in underground utility locating, subsurface utility engineering (SUE), pipeline assessment, and maintenance for municipalities, utilities, and contractors. It's two primary business lines include Benchmark and Accumark, with operational offices located in Richmond, VA.

Position Summary

The Senior FP&A Manager is a high-potential finance leader who partners directly with the CFO to own the company's financial planning, reporting, and analysis function, while building the breadth of experience required to step into a Controller or CFO role. This position carries elevated scope and visibility compared to a traditional FP&A manager: the successful candidate will operate as a strategic advisor to executive leadership, represent the company in board and lender interactions, lead and develop a finance team, and maintain end-to-end command of the budget, forecast, reconciliation, and reporting processes that underpin the business. National Underground Group is investing in this role as a deliberate succession pathway, and expects the incumbent to grow into progressively greater financial leadership responsibility.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Financial Leadership & Planning

• Serve as a key strategic partner to the CFO, delivering financial insight and analysis that shapes company-wide strategy, capital allocation, and growth decisions.
• Lead the annual budgeting process and rolling multi-year financial forecasts, partnering with executive leadership, corporate functions, and branch/regional management.
• Own enterprise cash flow strategy, including monitoring, forecasting, and proactively flagging risks or shortfalls to the CFO.

Board, Lender & Executive Reporting

• Prepare and present the monthly financial package for the Board of Directors and Lenders, including narrative commentary on performance, trends, and covenant compliance.
• Serve as a primary point of contact for lender reporting and compliance matters, in close partnership with the CFO.
• Deliver polished, executive-level financial presentations to ownership, the Board, and external stakeholders.

Financial Reporting & Accounting Oversight

• Prepare and review consolidated and branch-level monthly P&L statements for distribution to business owners and executive leadership.
• Partner with the accounting/Controller function on the monthly close, account reconciliations, and financial statement integrity, building the readiness to assume Controller responsibilities directly.
• Oversee Area Manager (AM) and Branch Manager (BM) reconciliations and variance reporting against budget and prior year, identifying and resolving systemic root causes.

Team Leadership & Development

• Build, lead, and mentor an FP&A team, setting goals and development plans and instilling a culture of accountability and analytical rigor.
• Scale finance processes and talent alongside company and branch network growth.

Systems, Process & KPI Ownership

• Own and continuously improve KPI reporting for management and operational stakeholders.
• Track and report on customer revenue trends and profitability by branch and segment.
• Own budget and forecast administration within the financial system (Acumatica or similar ERP), including process improvement and automation initiatives.
• Produce ad hoc analysis to support management decisions, due diligence, and audit requirements.

Succession Readiness

• Partner directly with the CFO on special projects, capital structure decisions, and strategic initiatives that build the experience required for future advancement to CFO or Controller.
• Maintain broad, working familiarity across the finance and accounting function to ensure continuity of leadership.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, or a related field.
• 7+ years of progressive experience in FP&A, corporate accounting, or a related finance leadership role, including experience supporting multi-location or branch-based businesses.
• Demonstrated experience preparing and presenting board- and lender-level financial reporting packages.
• Advanced Excel and financial modeling skills, with a proven ability to build and maintain complex financial models.
• Strong working knowledge of GAAP, budgeting, forecasting, and variance analysis.
• Experience with Acumatica or a similar ERP system.
• Proven people-leadership experience, including managing, developing, and mentoring finance staff.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to translate complex financial information for non-finance and executive audiences.
• High attention to detail and strong organizational skills, with the ability to manage multiple recurring deadlines in a fast-paced environment.

Preferred Qualifications

• CPA, CMA, or MBA.
• Prior experience in a Controller, Assistant Controller, or similar accounting leadership capacity.
• Experience in underground utility, construction, field services, or another multi-branch operating environment.
• Exposure to private equity ownership, debt covenant compliance, or capital markets activity.
• Experience supporting M&A due diligence or post-acquisition integration.
• Track record of driving process improvement or system implementation within a growing organization.

Leadership Competencies

• Strategic & Financial Acumen - translates financial data into business strategy and executive-level decision-making.
• Executive Presence & Communication - communicates confidently and credibly with the CFO, Board, lenders, and ownership.
• Talent Development - builds and mentors high-performing teams and invests in the growth of direct reports.
• Business Partnership & Influence - builds trusted relationships across branch and corporate leadership to drive results without relying on direct authority.
• Accountability & Integrity - holds self and others to high standards of accuracy, transparency, and ethical practice.
• Change Leadership - drives process improvement and adapts approach as the organization scales.
• Sound Judgment Under Ambiguity - makes timely, well-reasoned decisions with incomplete information.
• Ownership Mindset - approaches the role with the perspective of a future CFO/Controller, thinking beyond the immediate function.