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Senior finance planning analyst skills for your resume and career

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
Quoted experts
Dr. Alex Lebedinsky,
Dr. Alex Lebedinsky
Below we've compiled a list of the most critical senior finance planning analyst skills. We ranked the top skills for senior finance planning analysts based on the percentage of resumes they appeared on. For example, 11.0% of senior finance planning analyst resumes contained hyperion as a skill. Continue reading to find out what skills a senior finance planning analyst needs to be successful in the workplace.

15 senior finance planning analyst skills for your resume and career

1. Hyperion

Here's how senior finance planning analysts use hyperion:
  • Collaborated with executives and financial managers from numerous cross-functional disciplines on high-level financial projections, reporting and Hyperion administration.
  • Facilitated periodic forecast and annual plan submission process into Hyperion by partnering with MetLife s business units.

2. Financial Analysis

Here's how senior finance planning analysts use financial analysis:
  • Developed and maintained financial models and process that supported global long-term corporate strategy, including scenario planning & financial analysis.
  • Maintained and enhanced current financial systems based on understanding and applying concepts related to sales and financial analysis.

3. Financial Planning Analysis

Here's how senior finance planning analysts use financial planning analysis:
  • Provided competitive/strategic financial planning analysis vs. industry competitors from a cost perspective in revenue forecasting.
  • Worked closely with teams to perform financial planning analysis and reporting activities.

4. Financial Models

Here's how senior finance planning analysts use financial models:
  • Developed various financial models and metric dashboards to evaluate sales, product performance and customer segmentation.
  • Supported financial planning activities including formulating statistical and financial models, developed capital and operating budgets.

5. Ad-Hoc Analysis

Here's how senior finance planning analysts use ad-hoc analysis:
  • Provided ad-hoc analysis for owners regarding dividend policy, tax strategy, and credit ratings impacts of sensitive capital budgeting decisions.
  • Provided ad-hoc analysis for Sales, Marketing and Passenger Services Divisions, including review and analysis of capital expenditure requests.

6. Financial Data

Here's how senior finance planning analysts use financial data:
  • Interact with auditors to ensure understanding of financial data, methodology, and applicability under appropriate industry regulations.
  • Consolidated and prepared financial data pertaining to various forecasting requirements and annual presentations for senior management.

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7. Financial Performance

Here's how senior finance planning analysts use financial performance:
  • Analyzed and reported project financial performance.
  • Assess business operations for expense management and improvement opportunities, monitor risk, and drive focus on financial performance.

8. Strong Analytical

Here's how senior finance planning analysts use strong analytical:
  • Prepared weekly cash management/short-term cash flow models, long-term financial forecasts and departmental budgets utilizing strong analytical and MS excel skills.
  • Identified and resolved problems by using strong analytical techniques, innovative approaches and taking initiative in preventing and solving problems.

9. SQL

Here's how senior finance planning analysts use sql:
  • Function as a Subject Matter Expert on all SQL reporting nationally within the Corporate Finance organization.
  • Write SQL to extract report data from the Data Warehouse.

10. Financial Statements

A financial statement is a report of an individual or a company that includes all the information about the declared assets, the use of money, income, and also the contribution of shareholders over a certain period.

Here's how senior finance planning analysts use financial statements:
  • Recommended tactical business changes based on a thorough investigation of financial statements and DCF models which were approved by executive management.
  • Prepared quarterly financial statements and projections for the university and the related analysis associated with the results.

11. Cash Flow

Here's how senior finance planning analysts use cash flow:
  • Prepare monthly trends reports including cash flow analysis, productivity analysis and income statements to determine profitability.
  • Utilized discounted cash flow analysis and market valuation techniques to evaluate acquisitions.

12. Process Improvement

Here's how senior finance planning analysts use process improvement:
  • Implemented several planning and forecasting process improvements including the streamlining of gross margin analyses by 50% without impacting management effectiveness.
  • Led worldwide initiative to determine root cause of variance to forecast and implement several process improvements to address forecast accuracy.

13. Balance Sheet

Here's how senior finance planning analysts use balance sheet:
  • Created quarterly industry benchmark studies, including earnings/profitability performance, market valuation, and balance sheet/capital structure comparisons.
  • Provided independent outside auditors with quarterly profit and loss and balance sheet analysis reports by business unit.

14. Financial Reports

Here's how senior finance planning analysts use financial reports:
  • Provided monthly/quarterly financial reports showing actual general and administrative costs.
  • Increased efficiency by developing and managing complex excel-based financial reports.

15. Business Plan

Here's how senior finance planning analysts use business plan:
  • Monitor and prepare business global monthly headcount analysis and provide commentary and trend analysis for business planning.
  • Prepared budgets, forecasts, business plans, and performed variance analysis to facilitate executive-level decision making.
top-skills

What skills help Senior Finance Planning Analysts find jobs?

Tell us what job you are looking for, we’ll show you what skills employers want.

What skills stand out on senior finance planning analyst resumes?

Dr. Alex Lebedinsky

Chair and Professor, Western Kentucky University

Knowledge of economics is expected. We are good at applying economic thinking, our careful way of considering the costs and benefits of actions, and thinking through unintended consequences of actions/policies. What really makes someone stand out as an economic analyst is combining the understanding of economics with the ability to use data to answer questions. That means training in statistics and econometrics as well as general data skills. Good training in econometrics also helps understand the limits of what the data can tell us and what questions may not even be answerable, regardless of how much data you have - and that is a useful skill.

What soft skills should all senior finance planning analysts possess?

Dr. Alex Lebedinsky

Chair and Professor, Western Kentucky University

Ability to convey complex ideas to general audiences. Ability to boil down complicated questions into a few simple statements. Ability to write well. Presentation skills.

What hard/technical skills are most important for senior finance planning analysts?

Dr. Alex Lebedinsky

Chair and Professor, Western Kentucky University

Econometrics, data skills (importing data into whatever software you will use for analysis, combining multiple datasets, clean data). Software: R, Stata, SAS (less popular but still widely used). Python is good too. Basic SQL could be helpful. Excel still rules in many places, so you should know that well too.

What senior finance planning analyst skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?

Kim Tan Ph.D.Kim Tan Ph.D. LinkedIn profile

Professor, Accounting, Chair, California State University - Stanislaus

Travel abroad. Study/work on some certification to learn new/related skills (MOOC). Volunteer work. Work to help support the family. Prepare for graduate school. Work at a lower-level job in an organization they are interested in.

What type of skills will young senior finance planning analysts need?

Dr. Reid CummingsDr. Reid Cummings LinkedIn profile

Associate Professor of Finance & Real Estate, University of South Alabama

As computing systems continue to advance and evolve, and as artificial intelligence becomes more prevalent in data analytics, the ability to work with a variety of data manipulation, analysis, and presentation platforms will become increasingly important. Equally, a focus on improving critical thinking and communication skills, and the abilities to present outcomes, analysis, and ideas in a succinct, cogent, and logical fashion, will largely differentiate those who will succeed at a high level from everyone else.

List of senior finance planning analyst skills to add to your resume

Senior finance planning analyst skills

The most important skills for a senior finance planning analyst resume and required skills for a senior finance planning analyst to have include:

  • Hyperion
  • Financial Analysis
  • Financial Planning Analysis
  • Financial Models
  • Ad-Hoc Analysis
  • Financial Data
  • Financial Performance
  • Strong Analytical
  • SQL
  • Financial Statements
  • Cash Flow
  • Process Improvement
  • Balance Sheet
  • Financial Reports
  • Business Plan
  • Essbase
  • Analytical Support
  • Financial Support
  • GAAP
  • Cognos
  • Strategic Plan
  • Develop Financial Models
  • Treasury
  • Financial Systems
  • ROI
  • ERP
  • Financial Forecasts
  • Journal Entries
  • Reconciliations
  • Provide Management
  • Management Reports
  • Business Analysis
  • KPIs
  • Accruals
  • Close Process
  • Adaptive
  • Executive Management
  • HR
  • Business Cases
  • Income Statement
  • Sensitivity Analysis
  • NPV
  • Capital Projects
  • Financial Projections
  • Real Estate
  • Business Development
  • Cost Savings

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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