Director of FP&A - Ground

Description

The Director Financial Planning and Analysis (FP&A) - Ground leads a team of Finance professionals in delivering financial planning forecasting budgeting and business performance analysis for the companys Ground businesses including less-than-truckload (LTL) truckload services (TLS) domestic freight forwarding (DFF) and pool distribution. They are the primary finance partner to Ground business leadership providing strategic insights decision support and financial guidance to drive operational and financial performance. They own the Ground financial planning models forecasting processes and monthly reporting package with a focus on modernizing and migrating from spreadsheet-driven workflows to scalable governed data platforms in partnership with Business Intelligence and Pricing teams. This is a high-visibility position that regularly presents financial results risks opportunities and recommendations to executive leadership.

Responsibilities

• Lead financial planning budgeting forecasting and long-range planning activities for the companys Ground product business including annual budgets quarterly forecasts and medium-term planning processes.

• Serve as a strategic finance partner to business unit leaders by developing financial plans monitoring performance against targets and providing actionable recommendations.

• Build maintain and enhance driver-based financial models encompassing volume weight revenue per shipment linehaul pickup and delivery terminal costs and other key operational metrics.

• Advance the migration of Ground planning and reporting processes from spreadsheet-based tools to governed enterprise platforms including Databricks and Microsoft Fabric in partnership with the Analytics team.

• Automate and streamline monthly financial reporting processes to increase team capacity for value-added analysis and business partnership activities.

• Prepare and present monthly quarterly and annual financial results forecasts and business insights to executive leadership.

• Perform variance analysis against budget forecast and prior-period results clearly explaining operational and financial drivers.

• Provide financial analysis and decision support for strategic initiatives pricing actions network optimization efforts and capital investment opportunities.

• Identify assess and communicate financial risks and opportunities while recommending corrective actions and mitigation strategies.

• Develop track and maintain key performance indicators (KPIs) dashboards and performance metrics for Ground operations.

• Serve as the business lead for Ground-related FP&A planning tool initiatives including requirements gathering process mapping user acceptance testing and implementation support.

• Ensure compliance with internal controls accounting policies financial reporting standards and established procedures.

• Lead coach and develop a high-performing Ground FP&A team fostering both analytical excellence and technical capability development.

• Conduct ad hoc financial analysis reporting and special projects in support of senior leadership and evolving business priorities.

• All other duties as assigned to meet evolving business needs.

Qualifications

• Education: Bachelors degree in Finance Accounting Economics or a related quantitative field from an accredited college or university required; MBA preferred.

• Certification/Licensure: Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) Certified Public Accountant (CPA) other relevant professional designation(s) preferred.

• Experience: Seven (7) years of progressive experience in financial planning and analysis budgeting forecasting corporate finance or related disciplines including leadership responsibilities.

• Industry Exposure: Transportation logistics supply chain or less-than-truckload (LTL) industry experience preferred.

• Proven ability to lead mentor and develop high-performing finance teams in a dynamic and fast-paced environment.

• Demonstrated experience building financial models forecasts reporting solutions or analytical tools outside of Excel utilizing technologies such as SQL Python R business intelligence platforms or FP&A planning applications.

• Proven success replacing spreadsheet-based processes with automated governed and scalable reporting or planning solutions.

• Strong understanding of financial modeling financial statements performance management forecasting methodologies and corporate finance principles.

• Experience partnering with senior business leaders to provide strategic financial insights influence decisions and drive business performance.

• Preferred experience with Databricks Microsoft Fabric Power BI Tableau Python data warehousing concepts and collaboration with data engineering or analytics teams.

• Demonstrated discretion and confidentiality in handling and protecting sensitive information.

• Technical: Proficient with common office technologies including Windows PCs Microsoft O365 (Outlook Word Excel PowerPoint etc.) and web conferencing (Teams Zoom Webex etc.).

• Environment: Comfort commuting to/from and working in a 100% on-site setting (listed in this posting) with travel for related meetings/events.

Forward Air is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

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Required Experience:

Director