American Greetings
Director - Financial Planning and Analysis
American Greetings, Westlake, Ohio, United States, 44145
Director - Financial Planning and Analysis
Join American Greetings as Director – Financial Planning & Analysis. This hybrid role operates from our Creative Studios in Westlake, Ohio, and is targeted at candidates currently residing in Northeast Ohio.
Essential Duties & Responsibilities
Lead the financial planning, analysis, and reporting functions for all business units—including Product, Merchandising, Sales & Marketing, Supply Chain, and our International team—owning the annual budgeting process, monthly rolling forecasts, and long‑term strategic planning.
Manage cash‑flow forecasting in close collaboration with the VP Treasurer to optimize cash management.
Design, develop, and maintain comprehensive three‑statement financial models (Income Statement, Balance Sheet, Cash Flow) for scenario analysis, decision support, and forecasting.
Act as a financial partner to senior leadership across business units, providing insights, analysis, and recommendations while collaborating with Accounting, Sales, Supply Chain, Business Intelligence, and International units.
Analyze financial and operational performance across all departments, identify key drivers, monitor variances, and deliver actionable insights to enhance performance.
Monitor industry trends, channel evolution, and key competitor strategies; build commercially viable strategies to grow new or existing profit pools.
Provide strategic financial analysis for business decisions, including pricing strategies, cost optimization, capital allocation, and new product development to align with corporate objectives.
Support business transformation and M&A initiatives, including due diligence, financial modeling, and acquisition pipeline management.
Challenge budget holders with corrective actions required to meet performance targets and budgets.
Oversee preparation of periodic financial reports (monthly forecasts, annual budget) and develop executive presentations highlighting key insights and risks.
Lead and mentor a high‑performance FP&A team, fostering collaboration and expertise in modeling, forecasting, and analysis.
Continuously improve financial planning and reporting processes, leveraging best practices, tools, and systems to drive efficiency and accuracy.
Experience Required
8+ years in an FP&A role with proven leadership experience.
Knowledge, Skills & Abilities
Significant experience in strategic planning and multi‑entity forecasting.
Global consumer goods or manufacturing experience.
M&A experience.
Strong team leadership capabilities and communications skills.
Dynamic, proactive, and enthusiastic leader with credibility across the business.
Strong financial acumen, broad business skill set, and strategic thinking.
Excellent verbal and written communication with senior leaders.
Ability to work independently and as a team member under deadline pressures; set priorities, multitask, and drive change.
Ability to structure problems and lead complex quantitative analysis.
Proficiency in financial modeling, advanced Excel, and financial planning software (e.g., SAP‑BPC, Anaplan, SAP).
Robust analytical, quantitative, and problem‑solving skills.
Education Required
Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Accounting, Economics, Statistics, Business Administration, or a related field.
Preferred: MBA, CMA, or CFA.
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Essential Duties & Responsibilities
Lead the financial planning, analysis, and reporting functions for all business units—including Product, Merchandising, Sales & Marketing, Supply Chain, and our International team—owning the annual budgeting process, monthly rolling forecasts, and long‑term strategic planning.
Manage cash‑flow forecasting in close collaboration with the VP Treasurer to optimize cash management.
Design, develop, and maintain comprehensive three‑statement financial models (Income Statement, Balance Sheet, Cash Flow) for scenario analysis, decision support, and forecasting.
Act as a financial partner to senior leadership across business units, providing insights, analysis, and recommendations while collaborating with Accounting, Sales, Supply Chain, Business Intelligence, and International units.
Analyze financial and operational performance across all departments, identify key drivers, monitor variances, and deliver actionable insights to enhance performance.
Monitor industry trends, channel evolution, and key competitor strategies; build commercially viable strategies to grow new or existing profit pools.
Provide strategic financial analysis for business decisions, including pricing strategies, cost optimization, capital allocation, and new product development to align with corporate objectives.
Support business transformation and M&A initiatives, including due diligence, financial modeling, and acquisition pipeline management.
Challenge budget holders with corrective actions required to meet performance targets and budgets.
Oversee preparation of periodic financial reports (monthly forecasts, annual budget) and develop executive presentations highlighting key insights and risks.
Lead and mentor a high‑performance FP&A team, fostering collaboration and expertise in modeling, forecasting, and analysis.
Continuously improve financial planning and reporting processes, leveraging best practices, tools, and systems to drive efficiency and accuracy.
Experience Required
8+ years in an FP&A role with proven leadership experience.
Knowledge, Skills & Abilities
Significant experience in strategic planning and multi‑entity forecasting.
Global consumer goods or manufacturing experience.
M&A experience.
Strong team leadership capabilities and communications skills.
Dynamic, proactive, and enthusiastic leader with credibility across the business.
Strong financial acumen, broad business skill set, and strategic thinking.
Excellent verbal and written communication with senior leaders.
Ability to work independently and as a team member under deadline pressures; set priorities, multitask, and drive change.
Ability to structure problems and lead complex quantitative analysis.
Proficiency in financial modeling, advanced Excel, and financial planning software (e.g., SAP‑BPC, Anaplan, SAP).
Robust analytical, quantitative, and problem‑solving skills.
Education Required
Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Accounting, Economics, Statistics, Business Administration, or a related field.
Preferred: MBA, CMA, or CFA.
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