Senior Level Program Financial Analyst

Senior Level Program Financial Analyst

Job Location: Hollister, CA 95023 Onsite 5 days/week
Job Type: 3-6 Months Contract-to-Hire Role
Industry: Aerospace, Defense & Advanced Manufacturing
Work Authorization: U.S. Citizenship Required

Interview Process:
• First-Round Interview; candidates are encouraged to ask thoughtful questions about the role and business.
• Panel Interview with the Senior Manager and Director; the panel may also include a Senior Program Analyst or the most senior P&A Analyst on the team.

Role Overview:
Our Client is seeking a senior-level Program Financial Analyst who will serve as an active, visible business partner to program and manufacturing teams. This is not a back-office accounting role. The ideal candidate is curious, analytically sharp, and willing to spend time on the manufacturing floor to understand how products are built, develop strong cross-functional relationships, and help drive business performance. Aerospace and Defense industry experience is strongly preferred.

Key Responsibilities:
• Manage program financials from cradle to grave, including budget development, production execution, forecasting, and closeout.
• Establish program budgets, understand and validate underlying assumptions, load budgets into the appropriate systems, and track performance against plan.
• Analyze day-to-day program performance across labor, materials, revenue, costs, and gross margin; identify variances and explain the underlying drivers.
• Partner directly with program managers, buyers, factory managers, and functional leaders to understand operational performance and support sound business decisions.
• Manage a portfolio of approximately 30-50 programs and engage with each program at least annually, with more frequent support based on program needs.
• Lead and support recurring program reviews, including reviews and documentation required for SOX compliance.
• Identify financial or operational risks early and present actionable recommendations to address performance gaps.
• Support the financial close process within a 4-4-5 accounting calendar, including working part of the final Saturday of each quarter for quarter-end close.
• Use Power BI and other reporting tools to analyze and clearly communicate manufacturing and program performance to stakeholders.

Education & Experience:
• Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, Economics, or a related field.
• Three to five years of FP&A, program finance, or financial analyst experience.
• Prior experience supporting manufacturing operations or program-based environments preferred.
• Aerospace and Defense industry experience strongly preferred.
• U.S. Citizenship required.

Key Competencies:
• Business Partnership: Proactively builds relationships with program teams, buyers, factory managers, and functional leaders.
• Willingness to Dig In: Engages deeply with financial data, manufacturing operations, and cross-functional challenges.
• FP&A Expertise: Demonstrates hands-on experience with budgeting, forecasting, variance analysis, planning, and performance reporting.
• Data Analysis: Uses Power BI to analyze, visualize, and communicate financial and operational data; SQL experience is preferred.
• Tolerance for Ambiguity: Works effectively when information, priorities, or processes are not fully defined.
• Critical Thinking and Curiosity: Asks thoughtful questions, investigates root causes, and translates findings into practical recommendations.
• Attention to Detail and Accountability: Produces accurate work, meets deadlines, and follows through on commitments.
• Influence and Communication: Communicates clearly with stakeholders and can influence decisions without direct authority.
• Learning Agility: Quickly adapts to new systems, processes, products, and business requirements.

Tools & Systems:
• Power BI proficiency required.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite, particularly Excel.
• SQL experience preferred.
• Oracle experience preferred; the organization is currently migrating systems, so strong systems aptitude and adaptability are important.