HR Service Jobs is seeking a highly analytical, detail-oriented, and business-focused Senior Financial Analyst – Planning and Decision Support to support financial planning, budgeting, forecasting, performance analysis, and strategic decision-making. The successful candidate will play a key role in transforming financial data into meaningful insights that help management evaluate business performance, identify growth opportunities, control costs, and achieve long-term financial objectives.

This role requires a strong understanding of financial modeling, management reporting, variance analysis, and financial planning and analysis (FP&A;). The Senior Financial Analyst will collaborate with finance leaders, department heads, and cross-functional stakeholders to develop reliable financial forecasts, evaluate business initiatives, and provide actionable recommendations that improve profitability and operational efficiency.

The ideal candidate combines technical financial expertise with solid communication, problem-solving, and business partnering skills. They should be comfortable working with complex financial datasets, presenting findings to senior management, and managing multiple priorities in a dynamic business environment.

Key Responsibilities

Financial Planning and Budgeting

- Lead and support annual budgeting, quarterly forecasting, and long-range financial planning processes.
- Develop comprehensive financial plans based on historical performance, business objectives, market conditions, and operational expectations.
- Work with department managers to establish budgets, financial targets, and performance indicators.
- Consolidate departmental budgets and identify potential financial risks, resource gaps,



and opportunities for improvement.
- Maintain accurate financial planning models and ensure assumptions are clearly documented and regularly reviewed.

Financial Analysis and Decision Support

- Analyze revenue, operating expenses, profitability, cash flow, and other key financial metrics to assess business performance.
- Provide financial insights and recommendations to support strategic investments, operational changes, pricing decisions, and resource allocation.
- Evaluate business cases, capital expenditure proposals, and new initiatives using appropriate financial analysis techniques.
- Conduct scenario planning, sensitivity analysis, and what-if modeling to assess the potential impact of changing business conditions.
- Translate complex financial information into practical recommendations for senior leaders and non-finance stakeholders.

Management Reporting and Performance Monitoring

- Prepare monthly, quarterly, and annual financial reports, dashboards, and management presentations.
- Analyze actual financial results against budgets, forecasts, and prior-period performance.
- Investigate material variances, identify root causes, and recommend corrective actions.
- Monitor key performance indicators (KPIs), financial trends, and business performance against established targets.




- Ensure reports are accurate, consistent, timely, and aligned with internal reporting requirements.

Financial Modeling and Forecasting

- Build and maintain financial models to support business planning, profitability analysis, and strategic decision-making.
- Develop revenue forecasts, expense projections, cash flow estimates, and profitability scenarios.
- Assess the financial implications of operational changes, market developments, and business growth plans.
- Improve forecasting methodologies by incorporating relevant historical data, operational drivers, and updated assumptions.
- Maintain model integrity through appropriate validation, documentation, and regular review.

Business Partnering and Stakeholder Collaboration

- Partner with finance, accounting, operations, sales, human resources, and other departments to understand business needs.
- Explain financial results and performance trends to stakeholders who may not have a financial background.
- Challenge assumptions constructively and encourage data-driven decision-making.
- Support senior management with financial presentations, strategic reviews, and executive-level reporting.
- Build productive working relationships across teams to improve financial accountability and planning accuracy.

Process Improvement and Financial Governance

- Identify opportunities to streamline financial reporting, budgeting, forecasting, and analytical processes.
- Automate recurring reports and improve the use of financial systems, spreadsheets, and business intelligence tools.
- Maintain appropriate documentation, internal controls, and data-quality standar

📌 Senior Financial Analyst – Planning and Decision Support (Ottawa)
🏢 HR Service Jobs
📍 Ottawa