Senior Financial Planning Analyst

An opportunity exists for an individual to join the finance team of the $55M Water Analysis Instruments (WAI) business of Thermo Electron. This position leads the financial planning and analysis effort for the WAI business unit and is also responsible for coordinating all internal reporting requirements across the business unit. The position focuses on preparing meaningful information from data retrieved from the various Management Information Systems.

Key Duties and Responsibilities
?Assist with the coordination and preparation of the business unit?s annual operating plan and quarterly forecasts
?Perform monthly and quarterly consolidation of the business unit?s three locations
?Perform monthly and quarterly variance analysis of actual performance against the latest forecast and AOP
?Develop common analysis and reporting platforms across all WAI reporting entities (i.e. common templates for budget preparation, sales/orders reporting, sales-EBITA bridges, etc.)
?Understand key business drivers and provide management with accurate, timely, and relevant information for decision-making. Communicate to senior management, the areas of concern and actions required to meet financial commitments (i.e. departmental budgets, sales, orders, and EBITA, etc.)
?Provide supporting schedules for management presentations in Excel and PowerPoint to communicate business performance (e.g. Quarterly Business Reviews, Cost Reduction Initiatives etc.)
?Conduct trend analysis relating to spending and revenue patterns to prepare strategic and tactical recommendations for achieving quarterly/annual performance
?Perform margin analysis to account for the impact of price, mix, and volume
?Work with functional leaders to arrive at a more accurate and comprehensive understanding of gross margin by product
?Perform special projects and assist the site locations on an as needed basis
?Develop and test ERP reports to enhance the system?s reporting abilities and automate current reporting processes
?Perform due diligence on acquisition candidates

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:
?Have a thorough understanding of accounting and corporate finance, including the relationships between primary financial statements (balance sheet, income statement, and cash flow statement)
?Strong analytical skills to interpret data in meaningful ways
?Proven ability to effectively interact with multiple organizational units; understands cross-functional relationships within a manufacturing organization
?Track record of successful management of multiple tasks and meeting tight deadlines
?Strong business writing and verbal communication skills
?Self-motivated; bias for action
?Proficiency in MS Office applications, especially Excel, PowerPoint, and Word
?Experience with large-scale ERP systems (SAP, Oracle, PeopleSoft, MAPIC?s, etc.) and financial consolidation tools (Hyperion) is a plus

Minimum Education and Experience Requirements:
?Degree in Accounting or Finance, preferably an MBA and CMA/CPA certification
?4 ? 6 years of experience in a fast-paced manufacturing environment

Job Requirements:
?Some travel may be required.