Senior Financial Analyst Job Description, Duties, and Responsibilities

This post provides detailed information on the senior financial analyst job description, including the key duties, tasks, and responsibilities they commonly perform.

It also highlights the major requirements that you may be expected to meet to be hired for the senior financial analyst role by most recruiters/employers.

What Does a Senior Financial Analyst Do?

The chief responsibility of a senior financial analyst is to review financial spreadsheets and any other reports in order to predict current and future financial performance.

They work with accountants and other financial analysts in the firm with a job description to develop financial forecasts which are used by the stakeholders to take critical financial decisions.

Senior financial analysts research the economic climates and investigate other investment portfolios to determine the effect that these factors will have on the enterprise’s performance.

Their other roles might involve budgeting and tracking the current financial progress against their forecasts to ascertain the company progress according to schedule.

They also often make adjustments to the financial forecast which the variance or changes reported to senior management or the relevant stakeholders, and perform any other tasks assigned by their organizations.

Senior Financial Analyst Job Description Example/Sample/Template

Senior financial analysts perform various functions in a company in their quest to provide accurate forecast of financial performance for the organization.

The major tasks, duties, and responsibilities that commonly define a senior financial analyst role are given in the job description example below:

• Perform daily general ledger accounting, financial reporting, and analysis
• Review and investigate the company’s accounting transactions to improve data accuracy
• Create financial policies that align with the goals of the organization
• Develop financial models and cost projections
• Collaborate with the senior management team or the CFO on achieving company’s long-term financial planning objective
• Conduct an in-depth research of historical financial data; analyze and report company’s current financial status
• Study investment options and present SWOT of the investments
• Compare actual results with forecasted to analyze and identify areas of strengths and weaknesses
• Review, track, and analyze invoices and manage procurements according to the standard of the organization
• Forecast monthly, quarterly, biannual or annual profits and provide analytical review, feedback, and recommendation to executive management
• Run balance sheet account reconciliations, contract accounting and reporting, account analysis, accrual calculations, and any other related accounting or financial documents or schedules
• Train and mentor junior analyst and other staff on best financial practices
• Maintain confidentiality of financial information, investment decisions, or any other tasks assigned by the organization.

Requirements – Skills, Abilities, and Knowledge – for the Role of a Senior Financial Analyst

If you are seeking to work as a senior financial analyst, here are major requirements and qualifications most employers may expect you to fulfil to be eligible for consideration for the job:

• At least five to seven years experience as a senior financial analyst, financial analyst, or in a similar position
• Strong research and analysis skills
• College degree in finance, business, economics, or accounting, or any management related degree. Postgraduate degree in a business related field or an MBA is desired
• Excellent communication skills – effective communication both written and oral
• Excellent presentation skills – the ability to understand and interpret complex data easily to all necessary stakeholders
• Expertise and confidentiality in handling financial database, finance, and statistical software
• Ability to learn new concepts and tasks quickly, work under pressure, and meet deadline requirements in a fast-paced, dynamic environment
• Ability to work well independently and better in a team
• Possess strong attention to details, effective multitasking, and swift strategic thinking skills
• Knowledge of IFRS and other related accounting law or standards
• Good organizational and recordkeeping abilities
• Ability to effectively mentor and evaluate team members
• High proficiency with the use of MS office, especially Excel and Power-Point
• Possession of any of CFA, CPA, CMA, ACCA, ACA certification is an added advantage
• The hiring process for this position mostly requires taking certain pre-employment assessment tests.

Conclusion

This post is valuable to both employers and job seekers interested in the senior financial analyst role.

If you are an employer in the process of recruiting for the senior financial analyst position in your company, the sample job description provided in this post will help you in creating the perfect description for the position in your organization.

With a detailed work description, you will be increasing your chances of attracting the best financial analysts for the vacant senior position in your organization.

Also, individuals interested in the financial management and analysis career will find this article helpful in improving their knowledge of the duties and responsibilities of senior financial analysts, and will therefore be able to make the best career decisions.