Financial Planning & Analysis Business Manager
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Job Description
The Business Manager (BM) is intended to be the primary financial advisor to the Associate Laboratory Director (ALD) of a specific research directorate. Principally, the role will involve:
- developing a deep understanding of how the directorate works,
- ensuring that financial forecasting, planning, and execution processes optimize researcher efficiency while supporting management decision making,
- linking financial planning and execution to directorate strategy,
- leading a team of 2-4 financial analysts and other directorate support staff to do these things.
The Business Manager will report to the Financial Planning and Analysis director in the Office of the Chief Financial Officer (OCFO), with matrixed reporting to the Associate Lab Director of a specific directorate (business unit). An Associate Lab Director is chiefly responsible for:
- a directorate's strategy, people, facilities, equipment, and budget
- a portfolio of research projects led by members of the directorate
- the directorate's indirect budget
- NREL's relationship with one or more DOE research programs
- supply of staff to projects managed by other directorates.
The Business Manager supporting an ALD will have the following roles and responsibilities:
- Help the ALD link financial planning and execution to directorate strategy. Work with the directorate's management team to understand the directorate's differentiating characteristics, competitive landscape, risks, and opportunities. Work with directorate management to develop strategic goals and the multi-year directorate business plan to maximize opportunities while aligning with overall NREL strategy. As part of the business plan process, deliver requirements for staffing, facilities, capital equipment, and budgets to the lab's overall planning process. Develop long-range forecasts, intermediate objectives and key performance indicators to measure progress toward strategic goal achievement.
- Drive the directorate's annual financial target setting process and ensure its integration with DOE's Annual Operating Plan (AOP) process. Help the ALD work through center directors, program managers, business development teams and project managers to develop monthly/quarterly/annual financial targets that support achievement of directorate goals.
- Help the ALD drive improved project management and budget execution down into the directorate. Optimize processes to manage the directorate's financial execution, to include efficient financial reporting, analysis, and plan adjustments. Work with center directors, project managers and the project management support organization to ensure that matrixed resource plans are accurately reflected in financial plans.
- Simplify financial management for project, center, and directorate leaders. Work with other business managers and stakeholders to develop ideas, simplify and integrate all key business processes from identification of opportunities to project closeout. Ensure that process and system design maximizes value to project managers so that system data is as accurate as possible. Partner with various lab stakeholders to drive change in support of these goals.
- Be the directorate's key interface to other OCFO organizations. Work with the Acquisition Services Group to improve the directorate's procurement forecasting and contract management processes. Work with OCFO's Financial Operations Group to ensure Oracle cost reporting and Alliance funding needs are accurate.
- Serve as the directorate's expert for all financial matters, and coordinate financial training for the directorate. Work with OCFO staff and other NREL office staff on behalf of the directorate to develop options, resolve issues, and support decision making as required. Distill and brief innovative solutions to the most complex issues in a manner that inspires confidence among the most senior level internal or external audiences.
- Evaluate existing policies and procedures for unintended consequences and misaligned incentives and develop options to maximize the directorate's effectiveness while complying with federal cost accounting standards and NREL contract requirements.
Basic Qualifications
This position is open to two levels of candidates:
Professional V-Business Manager Lead: Relevant Bachelor's Degree and 14 or more years of experience or equivalent relevant education/experience. Or, relevant Master's Degree and 12 or more years of experience or equivalent relevant education/experience. Or, relevant PhD and 9 or more years of experience or equivalent relevant education/experience. Or, relevant JD and 9 or more years of experience or equivalent relevant education/experience.
Professional VI-Business Manager Lead: Relevant Bachelor's Degree and 20 or more years of experience or equivalent relevant education/experience. Or, relevant Master's Degree and 18 or more years of experience or equivalent relevant education/experience. Or, relevant PhD and 15 or more years of experience or equivalent relevant education/experience. Or, relevant JD and 15 or more years of experience or equivalent relevant education/experience.
Additional Required Qualifications
Professional V-Business Manager Lead:
- Applies advanced technical principles, theories and concepts.
- Contributes to the development of new principles and concepts.
- Develops advanced concepts, techniques and standards.
- Develops new processes based on professional principles and theories.
- Viewed externally as subject matter expert in field.
- Comprehensive and advanced knowledge and consultation of laws, regulations, principles, procedures and practices related to financial planning and analysis.
- Superior leadership, project management and problem solving skills.
- Ability to use various financial planning and analysis computer software programs.