Financial Analyst

Company Description

By working at Harvard University, you join a vibrant community that advances Harvard's world-changing mission in meaningful ways, inspires innovation and collaboration, and builds skills and expertise. We are dedicated to creating a diverse and welcoming environment where everyone can thrive.

Does the thought of working in higher education at an institution whose mission it is to educate leaders that make a difference in the world excite you?

The Financial Office at Harvard Business School has an opportunity for a talented financial professional to provide comprehensive and detailed analyses across a broad portfolio of educational experiences.

The Financial Analyst is a member of the Financial Planning and Analysis team within the Office of Finance at Harvard Business School, a $1B+ institution. The incumbent will support financial planning and analysis across the departments and serve as project manager for various initiatives across the school. In addition, will be responsible for developing financial models, preparing analyses, and supporting the annual budget process.

Projects could include lease vs buy options, gift and endowment assessment exploration, revenue dashboard analysis, customer acquisition cost comparisons across our revenue units, marketing spend benchmarking and carbon offsets to reduce emissions.

Job Summary:

Reporting to the Director of Financial Planning and Analysis, the Financial Analyst will support efforts to improve financial processes, evaluate existing systems, and implement process improvement initiatives. The incumbent will perform other ad-hoc projects in support of decision‑making requested by the CFO and senior leadership. The Financial Analyst will also be able to use data visualization techniques to present to senior management to guide informed decision‑making.

Duties also include consulting with departments and project stakeholders on critical strategic/financial questions that require thoughtful problem‑structuring and analytic capability. Will also assist with quarterly flux reporting, year‑end journals and analysis, quarterly forecasts, tuition and enrollment deliverables (TEFA), multiyear financial planning and capital budgeting.

Job‑Specific Responsibilities:

• Build trust and collaboration by being present on‑site and engaging directly with colleagues and various constituents.
• Conduct complex financial analysis and update financial models and projections.
• Analyze and project budgets and financial activity for multiple programs.
• Provide technical advice and problem resolution for a school/unit financial community.
• Enhance, produce and distribute unit‑specific planning materials; develop and produce materials to facilitate annual budget planning and financial monitoring of budget‑to‑actuals at the local level.
• May consolidate local budgets to facilitate the upload process.
• Review financial data and explore options for report development within University financial applications.
• Ensure financial compliance with University policies and procedures and applicable legal rules and regulations.
• This role is responsible for other duties as assigned.

Basic Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent work experience required.
• Minimum of 5 years’ relevant work experience.

Additional

Qualifications and Skills:

• MBA preferred.
• Higher education background.
• Strong computer skills - Knowledge of Microsoft Office Suite, advanced Excel, PowerPoint and Tableau skills.
• Advanced knowledge of financial analysis and financial modeling.
• Experience with financial systems and data query tools.
• Excellent analytic, written and verbal communication skills.
• Unquestionable integrity. The incumbent will have access to sensitive information and discretion will be imperative.
• Must be well organized, flexible and able to manage multiple, challenging projects simultaneously in a fast‑paced work setting.
• Must have an ability to learn quickly, to initiate action, and an eagerness to grow.
• Applicant should also have a collaborative working style with excellent consultative and problem‑solving skills.
• Must have ability to build strong relationships with people at all…