Staff Program Financial Analyst - Applied Research Associates, Inc

Applied Research Associates (ARA), Inc. has an immediate need for a Program Financial Analyst with a broad set of skills and experience who is proactive, adaptable and deadline driven to join our Integrated Missions Systems (IMS) sector supporting our Raleigh, NC office. The selected candidate will work within the program management office (PMO) and will support technical project managers and clients in executing critical project lifecycle functions. We are looking for someone who sees an opportunity in every challenge, can function well in a fast-paced team environment and will drive efficiencies in the way we operate. Candidates should possess a sharp analytical mind, strong excel skills, multiple years of experience in financial planning and analysis, and a solid understanding of financial management principles.

What you’ll do as a Staff Program Financial Analyst

• Work directly with technical project leads, project managers, subcontractors, external vendors, and PMO staff throughout the project life cycle, to effectively analyze and track budget allocations and incurred costs.
• Work with the PMO Integrated Performer Team (IPT) to prepare spend plans and evaluate planned versus actual costs over time.
• Proactively analyze financial data and determine action items required to re-align project financial obligations with available funding.
• Support the project manager in tracking outstanding financial obligations to subcontractor and vendors. Build and track financial projections that account for both incurred and anticipated expenditures.
• Assist in creating project cost estimates and subcontractor Requests for Proposal (RFP), using approved templates and following established company guidelines.
• Assemble spreadsheets, develop charts and narrative summaries that communicate financial performance for program management reviews, progress reports, and client presentations.
• Support the project manager in adhering to established financial controls and procedures to ensure compliance with government and contract requirements.

Staff Program Financial Analyst Qualifications

• U.S. citizenship is required with eligibility for a US Security Clearance (selected applicants will undergo a security investigation and must meet eligibility requirements at the time of employment).
• Bachelor’s degree in Mathematics, Accounting, Finance, Economics or related field with a minimum of 5 years of relevant experience working in a business environment.
• Knowledge and/or experience pulling financial data reports from a Finance, Planning and Analysis (FP&A) tool (e.g., CostPoint, Cognos, Power BI, etc.)
• Intermediate to Advanced Microsoft Excel modeling skills.
• Ability to build forecast from the ground up including application of wrap rates and correct burdens.
• Ability to extract meaning from financial data and suggest proactive action items to address variances from expected projections.
• Ability to summarize large quantities of financial data into charts and graphics to effectively communicate key take-aways.
• Ability to articulate budgets to technical project leaders, subcontractors, and clients.
• Experience working in a collaborative team environment; ability to work well under tight deadlines and effectively interact with a wide range of personnel.
• Excellent interpersonal and verbal/written language communication skills.

Who is ARA?

Do you want to work for a purpose? Applied Research Associates, Inc. (aka ARA) is an employee-owned international research and engineering company. We have been providing technically superior solutions to complex and challenging problems in the physical sciences since 1979. ARA has over 2,271 employee owners and continues to grow rapidly. Together, our offices throughout the U.S. and Canada provide a broad range of technical expertise in defense, civil, and health technologies, computer software and simulation, systems analysis, environmental technologies, and testing and measurement.

ARA also prides itself, on having a challenging culture where innovation & experimentation are the norm. The motto, “Engineering and Science for Fun and Profit” sums up the ARA experience. Employee ownership ensures you have a voice with what happens in the company. We are also very proud of our Women’s Initiative Network (WIN), whose purpose is to motivate, support, and encourage professional career development for women to maximize career and professional accomplishments.

To find out more about what the Integrated Mission Systems Sector has to offer, visit our website at: https://www.ara.com/benefits/

Experience

• 5 year(s): Relevant Experience

Education

• Bachelors or better in Mathematics or related field

Equal Opportunity Employer/Protected Veterans/Individuals with Disabilities

The contractor will not discharge or in any other manner discriminate against employees or applicants because they have inquired about, discussed, or disclosed their own pay or the pay of another employee or applicant. However, employees who have access to the compensation information of other employees or applicants as a part of their essential job functions cannot disclose the pay of other employees or applicants to individuals who do not otherwise have access to compensation information, unless the disclosure is (a) in response to a formal complaint or charge, (b) in furtherance of an investigation, proceeding, hearing, or action, including an investigation conducted by the employer, or (c) consistent with the contractor’s legal duty to furnish information. 41 CFR 60-1.35(c)