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Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for a Finance Ops Analyst

💰 $65,000 - $95,000

FinanceOperationsAccountingData Analysis

🎯 Role Definition

Are you a meticulously detailed finance professional with a passion for optimizing processes and driving operational excellence? This role requires a proactive and analytical Finance Ops Analyst to join our growing team. In this pivotal role, you will be the backbone of our daily financial activities, ensuring the accuracy and efficiency of our core accounting and finance functions. You will act as a key liaison between finance and other business units, using your data-driven insights to improve systems, support strategic decisions, and scale our operations for future growth. If you thrive in a fast-paced environment and enjoy transforming complex challenges into streamlined solutions, we want to hear from you!


📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

  • Junior Accountant or Staff Accountant
  • Accounts Payable / Accounts Receivable Specialist
  • Financial Analyst Intern or Co-op
  • Operations Analyst

Advancement To:

  • Senior Finance Ops Analyst
  • Finance Operations Manager
  • Controller or Assistant Controller
  • Finance Manager

Lateral Moves:

  • Financial Analyst (FP&A)
  • Business Systems Analyst
  • Data Analyst

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

  • Manage and execute the full cycle of accounts payable (AP) and accounts receivable (AR) processes, including vendor invoice processing, payment runs, customer billing, and collections.
  • Perform daily, weekly, and monthly bank and credit card reconciliations, meticulously investigating and resolving discrepancies to ensure the integrity of our cash reporting.
  • Drive the month-end and quarter-end close process by preparing and posting journal entries, maintaining balance sheet schedules, and performing accrual calculations.
  • Spearhead process improvement initiatives within the finance operations function, identifying bottlenecks, and implementing scalable solutions through automation and system enhancements.
  • Act as a system administrator for key financial tools and platforms (e.g., ERP, billing systems, expense management software), managing user access and ensuring data integrity.
  • Collaborate cross-functionally with Sales, Customer Success, and Legal teams to ensure accurate order-to-cash processing, contract compliance, and proper revenue recognition.
  • Analyze and manage cash flow, preparing forecasts and reports to ensure liquidity and support strategic treasury decisions.
  • Develop, monitor, and report on key financial operations metrics and KPIs, creating dashboards and presentations to provide actionable insights for senior leadership.
  • Oversee the administration of corporate credit card programs and employee expense reporting systems (like Expensify or Concur), ensuring compliance with T&E policies and timely reimbursements.
  • Assist in the preparation and execution of internal and external audits by providing necessary documentation, preparing audit schedules, and explaining financial processes and controls.
  • Maintain the vendor and customer master files within the ERP system, ensuring all information is accurate, up-to-date, and compliant with internal controls.
  • Analyze complex billing issues and payment discrepancies, working directly with customers and internal stakeholders to find a swift and satisfactory resolution.
  • Support the implementation of new financial systems and tools, participating in testing, data migration, and user training to ensure a smooth transition.
  • Ensure compliance with local, state, and federal government reporting requirements and tax filings, including sales tax, use tax, and property tax.
  • Build and maintain financial models to support variance analysis, operational efficiency projects, and ad-hoc financial inquiries from business partners.

Secondary Functions

  • Support ad-hoc data requests and exploratory data analysis to answer critical business questions.
  • Contribute to the organization's data strategy and roadmap by identifying gaps in financial data capture and reporting.
  • Collaborate with business units to translate data needs and reporting requirements into technical specifications for the engineering team.
  • Participate in sprint planning and agile ceremonies as a key stakeholder for the finance function within cross-functional projects.
  • Document finance policies, procedures, and workflows, creating a centralized knowledge base for the team and the broader organization.
  • Assist the FP&A team with budget vs. actual variance analysis by providing detailed explanations for operational spending and revenue fluctuations.
  • Train new team members and business partners on financial operations processes and system usage.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

  • Advanced Microsoft Excel: Mastery of complex formulas, pivot tables, VLOOKUP/INDEX(MATCH), and data modeling is essential.
  • ERP System Proficiency: Hands-on experience with major ERP platforms such as NetSuite, SAP, Oracle, or Microsoft Dynamics.
  • Accounting Principles: Strong understanding of U.S. GAAP and core accounting concepts (debits/credits, accruals, reconciliations).
  • SQL (Structured Query Language): Ability to write basic to intermediate queries to extract and manipulate data from relational databases.
  • Data Visualization Tools: Experience building dashboards and reports in tools like Tableau, Power BI, or Looker to communicate financial insights.
  • Financial Modeling: Ability to build and maintain operational and financial models for forecasting and analysis.
  • Billing & Invoicing Systems: Familiarity with subscription billing platforms (e.g., Stripe, Zuora, Chargebee) is a significant plus.

Soft Skills

  • Meticulous Attention to Detail: A sharp eye for accuracy is critical, as you will be responsible for the integrity of financial data.
  • Exceptional Problem-Solving: The ability to independently investigate issues, identify the root cause, and implement effective solutions.
  • Strong Communication: Capable of clearly and concisely explaining complex financial topics to both technical and non-technical audiences.
  • Process-Oriented Mindset: A natural desire to improve, automate, and document processes to drive efficiency and scalability.
  • Proactive & Self-Motivated: A "get-it-done" attitude with the ability to manage multiple priorities and meet tight deadlines in a dynamic environment.
  • Collaboration & Teamwork: Proven ability to work effectively with cross-functional teams to achieve common goals.
  • Adaptability: Thrives in a fast-paced, high-growth environment where priorities and processes can evolve quickly.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

  • Bachelor’s Degree is required.

Preferred Education:

  • Bachelor’s or Master’s Degree in a relevant field.

Relevant Fields of Study:

  • Finance
  • Accounting
  • Economics
  • Business Administration

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range:

  • 2-5 years of relevant experience in a finance operations, accounting, or financial analyst role.

Preferred:

  • Experience in a high-growth technology, SaaS, or startup environment.
  • CPA or CPA candidate is highly desirable but not required.
  • Direct experience participating in a financial system implementation project.