WHAT DOES A FINANCE ANALYST DO?
Reviewed by Lam Nguyen under Editorial Standards
Updated: Jun 14, 2025 - The Finance Analyst provides supplemental analysis and financial support that aligns with company objectives, understanding and explaining internal and external drivers impacting performance. Assists with the development of a complete end-to-end budgeting model, including budget toolkits. Plays a key role in developing operational and financial metrics for the Company and builds the required analysis and reporting structure.
A Review of Professional Skills and Functions for Finance Analyst
1. Finance Analyst Duties
- Financial Analysis: Provide supplemental analysis and financial support that aligns with company objectives, understand and explain internal and external drivers impacting performance.
- Budgeting: Assist with the development of a complete end-to-end budgeting model, including budget tool kits.
- Metric Development: Play a key role in developing operational and financial metrics for the Company and build the required analysis and reporting structure.
- Strategic Analysis: Collaborate with the management team on strategic deep dives to create financial models and insights.
- Reporting: Assist in developing, producing, and tracking new reporting and metrics for the company’s key revenue categories and product categories.
- Template Design: Collaborate on the development of a standard financial presentation template.
- Cost Analysis: Analyze Cost of Sales and SG&A expenses and benchmark to industry standards.
- Financial Modeling: Participate in the development of a scenario-driven financial model for the company, including income statement, balance sheet, cash flow, and financial valuation metric views for each scenario.
- Supply Chain Analysis: Prepare supply chain reporting and analysis.
- Accounting Support: Work closely with accounting on the monthly accounting close process.
- Ad-Hoc Analysis: Provide ad-hoc analysis as required by the Controller and the CEO.
- Performance Analysis: Conduct regular (weekly and monthly) analysis of company performance including the development & maintenance of dashboards.
- Accounting Guidance: Help the accounting team determine the appropriate way to book transactions.
- Blockchain Research: Research and assess blockchain transactions.
- Tool Development: Build tools and techniques to help manage the company’s portfolio of cryptocurrency operations.
- Investor Relations: Help prepare investor communications and materials.
- Special Assignments: Conduct special assignments as needed to help operate the business and provide insight to decision makers across the company.
2. Finance Analyst Details
- Forecasting Support: Support the preparation and consolidation of the Quarterly Forecasts, Annual Budget, and Strategic Plan.
- Template Design: Prepare mock-up templates to build projections (Strat Plan files, P&L Reports).
- Project Assistance: Assist in the completion of all Burbank deliverables for the Division and the Lines of Business.
- Financial Support: Assist Finance Managers or Lines of Business heads in the completion of all ad-hoc requests & presentations and in preparing contract renewals analysis.
- Reporting Support: Support the preparation of Standard Financial Reports and prepare KPI's report.
- Financial Review: Review actual accounting information during Quarter Close (Revenue & Expenses accounting).
- Data Integrity: Ensure data integrity and reliability of regional information.
- Report Management: Manage internal reports in a proper manner, assuring consistency between reports.
- System Operation: Own the Run process to perform runs in the ABC cost modelling system, which produces the data required for the preparation of the RFS.
- Data Management: Own the data relationship management workstack, controlling the flow of work and providing accuracy via peer reviews and validations.
- Process Improvement: Operate controls and improve the process, liaising with the Change Control team to ensure changes are accurately input into the correct system run.
- Relationship Building: Build relationships with colleagues across the team, as work relies on accurate inputs and expertise from across the wide Competition Finance Team.
- Dashboard Development: Develop data visualization dashboards, which will then be used and evaluated by the Competition Finance team.
- Data Transformation: Be involved in data transformation processes, utilizing Alteryx, Qlik, and ABC cost modelling system (Cost Perform).
3. Finance Analyst Responsibilities
- Reporting: Manage month/quarter and year-end reporting responsibilities including preparing and posting journal entries.
- Accounting: Prepare and post journal entries.
- Reconciliation: Reconcile GL balances and perform cash reconciliation.
- Analysis: Conduct drug tariff analysis and reconciliation.
- Financial Review: Conduct detailed reviews of accounts, cost centres, and WBS elements.
- Sponsorship Management: Manage and analyze sponsorships.
- Report Preparation: Prepare management reports and prepare VAT information.
- Sales Reporting: Prepare and send sales reports.
- Audit Support: Support the preparation of schedules for external audits.
- Statutory Reporting: Support statutory external reporting and auditor liaison.
- Financial Reporting: Prepare financial statements and support capital requirements.
- Process Improvement: Take an active role in systems and process improvement.
4. Finance Analyst Accountabilities
- Sales Analysis Support: Support the wider Commercial Finance team in the preparation of weekly sales reporting, providing key analysis to enable a thorough understanding of business performance.
- Buyer Support: Support buyers by becoming involved in category planning and a variety of analyses to support decision-making.
- Financial Appraisal: Provide sound financial appraisals, including for projects, tenders, and several value-add streams such as VCA and PQF.
- Analysis Support: Support the preparation of ad-hoc analysis and reporting to determine the commercial success of promotional strategies, trials, and seasonal events.
- Compliance Assurance: Ensure compliance with all relevant financial accounting standards and advise buyers and category managers.
- Budget Assistance: Assist the budgeting process for the area, and also provide training and tools to the Trading team.
- Business Support: Provide pivotal support for the Business Unit’s central costs (people cost).
- Data Integrity: Ensure the integrity of award data in the financial system by carrying out control checks and working closely with stakeholders to resolve identified gaps.
- Financial Support: Provide timely support and maintain close controls on the financial aspects of awards from setup through closeouts.
- Financial Validation: Validate donor financial reports.
- Income Management: Maintain the award income schedules by checking and processing claims/refunds/income transfers and following up on outstanding items, including debtors.
- Cost Processing: Ensure the award indirect cost charges are processed correctly.
- Cost Recharge: Ensure the award direct cost recharges are processed correctly and timely, and are documented in the financial system.
- Financial Analysis: Analyze award accounts and reconcile the balances in the financial system.
- Financial Closeout: Perform financial closeouts for awards, including documentation and timely follow-up on outstanding actions.
- Audit Management: Deal with financial audits of awards required by donors.
5. Finance Analyst Functions
- Sales Collaboration: Collaborate with sales management to ensure the alignment of sales processes to shape corporate initiatives and revenue results.
- Proactive Analysis: Provide proactive analysis and insights on business drivers, including trends on pricing, traffic, and other KPIs.
- Finance Partnership: Serve as the Finance Business Partner for Sales, handling month-end close, budget administration, accruals, etc.
- Financial Analysis: Analyze actuals each month, quarterly forecasts, annual budgets, long-term plans, and key business drivers.
- Ad-Hoc Reporting: Perform ad-hoc financial analysis/reports and provide analytical support.
- Performance Insights: Provide meaningful insights into the performance of renewables by analyzing customer segments, commercial categories, and regions.
- Strategic Assessment: Conduct financial assessments of key strategic initiatives based on the return of investment model.
- Budget Assistance: Assist in the preparation of budgets and forecasts to find the key drivers for profitability and growth.
- Results Delivery: Deliver weekly trading results at review meetings and to senior business stakeholders.
- Financial Support: Provide financial support to various members of the team, including Sales, Commercial, Marketing, and Technical within the Renewables area.
- Planning Support: Work with the Head of FP&A to build and maintain the 5-Year Plan, budget, and formal performance reporting.
- Reporting Analysis: Prepare and analyze month-end reporting deliverables; work with the shared service center team to ensure delivery is accurate, timely, and simple (weekly and month-end), and maintain standards.
- Data Analysis: Analyze complex datasets and scenarios with an eye for identifying actionable insights.
- Opportunity Development: Identify and develop key business opportunities and drive efficiency across finance and the wider business while balancing product delivery and customer satisfaction.
- Project Support: Support strategic projects and initiatives.
Job Role FAQs
What is a job role?
A job role refers to the duties, responsibilities, and expectations associated with a specific position within an organization. It explains what tasks an employee performs, how they contribute to team objectives, and how their work supports the company’s overall goals.
What are the typical responsibilities of a job role?
Typical job role responsibilities include completing daily tasks, collaborating with team members, making decisions, and meeting performance targets. For example, a software developer may write code, fix bugs, review pull requests, and collaborate with product teams.
What is the difference between a job role and a job title?
A job title is the official name of a position, such as Marketing Manager or Software Engineer. A job role describes the actual duties, responsibilities, and expectations associated with that position.
Why are clearly defined job roles important?
Clearly defined job roles help organizations improve productivity, reduce workplace confusion, and ensure accountability. When employees understand their responsibilities and expectations, teams can collaborate more effectively.
How do job roles support career development?
Understanding different job roles helps professionals identify career paths and the skills required for advancement. By learning the expectations of various roles, individuals can build relevant skills and plan long-term career growth.
Editorial Process
Lamwork content is developed through structured review of publicly available job postings and documented hiring trends.
Editorial operations are managed by Thanh Huyen, Managing Editor, with research direction and final oversight by Lam Nguyen, Founder & Editorial Lead. Content is periodically reviewed to reflect observable labor market changes.