Vaco

Vaco is hiring for a Director of FP&A opportunity in Des Plaines IL.

The Director of Financial Planning & Analysis (FP&A) will play a critical role in driving financial strategy and decision-making across commercial functions, investor reporting, and business development. This leader will be focused on providing high-quality financial insights, forecasting, and analysis to support strategic business initiatives, with a strong focus on commercial functions and investor communication. The ideal candidate will be an experienced finance professional with strong leadership skills, advanced technical expertise, and a deep understanding of financial modeling and analysis. The role requires an individual who is strategic, collaborative, and highly analytical, with the ability to translate financial data into actionable business insights.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES - ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

Financial Planning & Analysis:

• Lead the financial planning process, including budgeting, forecasting, and long-term planning for various functions, with a specific focus on the commercial functions
• Develop and maintain comprehensive financial models to evaluate business development opportunities, new markets, and strategic investments
• Partner with senior leadership to assess financial performance, identify key trends, and provide insights on improving operational efficiency and profitability
• Provide comprehensive financial analysis to guide business decisions, including profitability analysis, cost control, and revenue forecasting

Investor Reporting & Communication:

• Oversee the preparation and presentation of investor reports and monthly financial results, ensuring alignment with company strategy and performance metrics
• Collaborate across the team to articulate financial results and strategic initiatives to the internal and external stakeholders including investors
• Provide insightful financial analyses for quarterly board meetings and investor updates
• Commercial Function Analysis:
• Partner with commercial teams (sales, client teams, marketing, product) to evaluate and enhance performance across key metrics, including revenue growth, profitability, and customer acquisition and retention
• Analyze product and market-level performance, profitability, and ROI to guide strategic decisions related to pricing, product mix, and market entry
• Design and implement key performance indicators (KPIs) to measure and drive commercial excellence
• Business Development Strategy:
• Evaluate and assess the financial impact of new business opportunities and investments, providing clear financial recommendations to the executive team
• Support business development teams with financial analysis, due diligence, and valuation for potential partnerships, mergers, acquisitions, and joint ventures
• Help drive business development decisions by understanding market dynamics and aligning financial goals with overall corporate strategy

Cross-functional Collaboration:

• Work closely with cross-functional leaders to align financial strategy with commercial and operational objectives
• Provide financial insights and recommendations to guide strategic initiatives, investment decisions, and business performance optimization
• Lead and manage FP&A support for commercial functions, ensuring seamless integration with financial operations

Team Leadership & Development:

• Lead, mentor, and develop a high-performing FP&A team fostering a collaborative environment and ensuring alignment with company financial goals
• Ensure the team is equipped with the tools and capabilities needed to perform at a high level and drive business results

Leadership Responsibilities Strategy

• This is a leadership position that works across and within the business. While this role does have direct reports, the individual in this role must be able to work effectively with individuals at all levels and manage through influence rather than formal reporting structure.

COMPETENCIES - SKILLS:

• Strong proficiency in financial modeling, forecasting, and data and business analytics
• Experience with financial software and reporting tools such as SAP, Hyperion, or similar ERP software, Power BI, OneStream, Tableau
• Excellent communication and presentation skills, with the ability to translate complex financial data into actionable insights to both financial and non-financial stakeholders
• Strong leadership and people management skills, with experience in mentoring and developing teams
• Demonstrates tenacity and energy in leading change towards an effective work environment
• Highly analytical with exceptional problem-solving skills
• Strong business acumen and ability to understand commercial operations.
• Detail-oriented, with a focus on accuracy and data integrity
• Strategic thinker with the ability to see the big picture and align financial decisions with long-term business goals
• Excellent interpersonal skills, with the ability to collaborate across teams and communicate effectively with senior management, investors, and stakeholders
• Demonstrates a results-based leadership style with strong impact and influencing skills
• Can maintain a high degree of confidentiality and integrity

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE:

• Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Accounting, Economics, or related field. MBA, CPA and/or other advanced degree preferred
• Minimum of 10 years of experience in FP&A, finance, or business development, including 7 years’ experience managing a team
• Proven track record of leadership in financial analysis, reporting, and business development strategy, preferably in banking, financial services and/or fleet management
• Familiarity with key commercial performance metrics and the ability to analyze them to drive decision-making
• Strong financial acumen, analytical skills and business savvy
• Strong working knowledge of US GAAP
• Advanced Excel & business modeling skills

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience in a high-growth dynamic environment and/or private equity owned company
• Strong understanding of mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, or strategic partnerships
• Knowledge of industry-specific financial metrics, key drivers, and market dynamics
• Experience with Oracle, OneStream, Tableau

Determining compensation for this role (and others) at Vaco/Highspring depends upon a wide array of factors including but not limited to the individual’s skill sets, experience and training, licensure and certifications, office location and other geographic considerations, as well as other business and organizational needs. With that said, as required by local law in geographies that require salary range disclosure, Vaco/Highspring notes the salary range for the role is noted in this job posting. The individual may also be eligible for discretionary bonuses, and can participate in medical, dental, and vision benefits as well as the company’s 401(k) retirement plan.