How to hire a finance planning manager

How to hire a finance planning manager, step by step

Here's a step-by-step finance planning manager hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a finance planning manager job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new finance planning manager
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a finance planning manager do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you start hiring a finance planning manager, identify what type of worker you actually need. Certain positions might call for a full-time employee, while others can be done by a part-time worker or contractor.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   A finance planning manager's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, finance planning managers from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

   Here's a comparison of finance planning manager salaries for various roles:

   Type of Finance Planning Manager	Description	Hourly rate
   Finance Planning Manager	Financial managers are responsible for the financial health of an organization. They produce financial reports, direct investment activities, and develop strategies and plans for the long-term financial goals of their organization.	$37-73
   Finance Analyst-Operations Finance	Financial analysts are professionals who are in charge of the financial operations of businesses. The analysts analyze results, monitor variances, determine trends, and suggest management-related actions to improve corporate finances... Show more	$20-51
   Manager/Finance Accounting	A manager of finance accounting's role is to oversee the financial activities in a company or organization. Their responsibilities revolve around coordinating with other departments to gather financial data, analyze the revenues and expenditures, and develop written reports and presentations... Show more	$31-61

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Financial Analysis
   • Financial Planning Analysis
   • Financial Models
   • Financial Performance
   • Hyperion
   • Financial Data
   • Variance Analysis
   • Balance Sheet
   • Business Performance
   • Cash Flow
   • General Ledger
   • Business Plan
   • Business Cases
   • Essbase

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage international income tax, insurance and treasury functions.
   • Conduct evaluations of budgeting and forecasting tools and integration with PeopleSoft ERP system achieving more efficiency in the budgeting process.
   • Prepare payroll and manage all human resource functions including recruitment, training and performance reviews for all administrative and financial personnel.
   • Develop and assess profitability of product lines through interpretation of financial statements and KPIs.
   • report requirements collection/analysis, reporting system design, writing SQL, building reports . )
   • Partner with other developers and analysts on best practices in Essbase and QlikView design and development.

   More finance planning manager duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in the finance planning manager job description is a good way to get more applicants. A finance planning manager salary can be affected by several factors, such as the location of the job, the level of experience, education, certifications, and the employer's prestige.

   For example, the average salary for a finance planning manager in Hawaii may be lower than in Delaware, and an entry-level engineer typically earns less than a senior-level finance planning manager. Additionally, a finance planning manager with lots of experience in the field may command a higher salary as a result.

   Average finance planning manager salary

   $109,162yearly

   $52.48 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level finance planning manager salary

   $78,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 20, 2026

   Average finance planning manager salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$137,272	$66
   2	Oregon	$123,053	$59
   3	New York	$120,505	$58
   4	New Jersey	$119,233	$57
   5	Washington	$116,665	$56
   6	Massachusetts	$114,995	$55
   7	District of Columbia	$114,055	$55
   8	Nevada	$111,297	$54
   9	Maryland	$111,243	$53
   10	Connecticut	$109,357	$53
   11	Pennsylvania	$109,330	$53
   12	Wisconsin	$108,430	$52
   13	Virginia	$104,487	$50
   14	Illinois	$103,656	$50
   15	North Carolina	$103,415	$50
   16	Minnesota	$100,008	$48
   17	Arizona	$99,466	$48
   18	Ohio	$99,134	$48
   19	Michigan	$98,344	$47
   20	Missouri	$97,798	$47

   Average finance planning manager salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Metropolitan Water District of Southern California	$152,501	$73.32
   2	Cubist Pharmaceuticals	$148,901	$71.59
   3	Safeway	$147,443	$70.89
   4	Citi	$143,947	$69.21	46
   5	Intuitive Surgical	$142,839	$68.67	2
   6	American Tower	$138,951	$66.80
   7	Bank of the West	$137,598	$66.15
   8	Western Alliance Bank	$136,637	$65.69	20
   9	Starbucks	$136,375	$65.56	8
   10	AvePoint	$135,766	$65.27
   11	Penske Media	$134,825	$64.82	1
   12	BD	$133,083	$63.98	1
   13	Maine Health/maine Mental Health Partners	$130,453	$62.72	4
   14	Constellation Brands	$130,314	$62.65
   15	Christian Dior	$129,393	$62.21	1
   16	Microsoft	$128,119	$61.60	82
   17	Nike	$128,084	$61.58	6
   18	Coach	$127,610	$61.35
   19	The Enclave	$127,516	$61.31
   20	Activision Blizzard	$127,090	$61.10	4

4. Writing a finance planning manager job description

   A good finance planning manager job description should include a few things:

   • Summary of the role
   • List of responsibilities
   • Required skills and experience

   Including a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager is also appreciated by candidates. Here's an example of a finance planning manager job description:

   Finance planning manager job description example

   Who We Are:
   
   Cisco Services is an award-winning organization that supports thousands of critical networks around the world every day. Our outstanding people, processes, systems, and capabilities are at the core of enabling and accelerating customer success. The OneX finance team is composed of dedicated, hardworking people who work in an empowered collaborative environment.
   
   What You'll Do:
   
   The OneX Finance Manager - Long-Range Planning & RPA, you will be engaged in driving cross functional strategic projects collaborating with multiple partners across the CX organization. You will also be heavily engaged in the long-range annual planning process. This role requires high level of collaboration skills to work across multiple teams in the organization.
   
   This role will also act as RPA lead for planning and integration projects. You will need to have a strong understanding of requirements, both maintenance and improvements, to influence and drive more automation and efficiency across multiple metrics.
   
   The ideal candidate will be able to build relationships with key partners across all levels of business and finance organizations.
   
   Who You'll Work With:
   
   You will work closely with OneX finance, OneX Organization, Corporate Finance, Planning Performance Management Transformation (PPMT), Finance Transformation Office (FTO), IT Finance, OneX Ops
   
   Who You Are:
   
   You are a dedicated, hardworking, diligent business partner with excellent communication skills. Your ability to understand, interface and explain complex financial metrics, methodologies, etc. to bridge to financial management systems design sets you apart. You are open to new challenges and a constantly evolving working environment. You have developed skills in establishing strong business partner relationships and working independently.
   
   Requirements:
   
   * Bachelor's degree in Business, Finance, Economics, or a comparable field
   * 5+ years' experience with planning and integration of financial systems technology (FP&A, Sales/ Services, Engineering)
   * Understanding of robotic process automation (RPA)
   * Demonstrated ability using tools such as SFDC, Hyperion, CFA, Business Objects
   * You are also intellectually curious with a track record of quality
   * Knowledge of recurring revenue/subscription metrics is a plus
   
   Why Cisco
   
   #WeAreCisco, where each person is unique, but we bring our talents to work as a team and make a difference powering an inclusive future for all.
   
   We embrace digital, and help our customers implement change in their digital businesses. Some may think we're "old" (36 years strong) and only about hardware, but we're also a software company. And a security company. We even invented an intuitive network that adapts, predicts, learns and protects. No other company can do what we do - you can't put us in a box!
   
   But "Digital Transformation" is an empty buzz phrase without a culture that allows for innovation, creativity, and yes, even failure (if you learn from it.)
   
   Day to day, we focus on the give and take. We give our best, give our egos a break, and give of ourselves (because giving back is built into our DNA.) We take accountability, bold steps, and take difference to heart. Because without diversity of thought and a dedication to equality for all, there is no moving forward.
   
   So, you have colorful hair? Don't care. Tattoos? Show off your ink. Like polka dots? That's cool. Pop culture geek? Many of us are. Passion for technology and world changing? Be you, with us.
   
   Cisco Covid-19 Vaccination Requirements
   
   The health and safety of Cisco's employees, customers, and partners is a top priority. Our goal is to protect and mitigate the spread of COVID-19 infection for strong business resiliency during the pandemic. Therefore, Cisco may require new hires to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 if the role requires business-related travel, meeting with customers/partners (including visiting third-party sites on behalf of Cisco), attending trade events, and Cisco office entry, unless otherwise prohibited by applicable law, and in countries where COVID-19 vaccination is legally required. The company will consider legally required accommodations/exceptions for medical, religious, and other reasons as per the requirements of the role and in accordance with applicable law. Additional information will be provided to candidates about the requirements and accommodation process at the offer time based on region.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are various strategies that you can use to find the right finance planning manager for your business:

   • Consider promoting from within or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to find candidates who meet your education requirements.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your finance planning manager job on Zippia to find and recruit finance planning manager candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Recruiting finance planning managers requires you to bring your A-game to the interview process. The first interview should introduce the company and the role to the candidate as much as they present their background experience and reasons for applying for the job. During later interviews, you can go into more detail about the technical details of the job and ask behavioral questions to gauge how they'd fit into your current company culture.

   You should also ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match the ideal candidate profile you developed earlier. Candidates good enough for the next step can complete the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new finance planning manager

   Once you've selected the best finance planning manager candidate for the job, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, this letter should include details about the benefits and perks you offer the candidate. Ensuring that your offer is competitive is essential, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and you should be open to discussion. After you reach an agreement, the final step is formalizing the agreement with a contract.

   It's also important to follow up with applicants who do not get the job with an email letting them know that the position is filled.

   To prepare for the new employee's start date, you can create an onboarding schedule and complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9 forms, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Human Resources should also ensure that a new employee file is created.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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How much does it cost to hire a finance planning manager?