WHAT DOES A FINANCIAL PLANNING MANAGER DO?
Published: Apr 16, 2025 - The Financial Planning Manager oversees budgeting and financial planning processes while supporting business plan development and capital tracking. This role conducts complex analysis, contributes to cross-functional process improvements, and ensures accurate reporting of financial and operational outcomes. The manager develops solutions within established guidelines, maintains documentation, and recommends best practices to enhance organizational effectiveness.
A Review of Professional Skills and Functions for Financial Planning Manager
1. Financial Planning Manager Duties
- Strategic Advisory: Provide strategic advice across a variety of financial products and services (mutual funds, PMS, stocks, bonds and loans)
- Portfolio Analysis: Analyse the client’s overall financial portfolio, understand their needs and develop robust financial plans based on goals and requirements
- Instrument Due Diligence: Conducting analysis and due diligence of financial instruments like AIFs, PMSs, Structured Products, NBFCs in the market
- Client Guidance: Guide clients towards a profitable and secure financial decision using the NDmoney platform
- HNI Advisory: Provide Advisory services to HNI, UHNI and Corporate Treasuries with Assets under Advisory
- Regulatory Compliance: Comply with all industry rules and regulations
- Cross-Functional Collaboration: Work cross-functionally with planning, buying, and sourcing departments to deliver on the company’s ambitious growth and profitability targets
- Budget Planning: Create realistic and feasible purchasing budgets based on the overall targets and objectives of the company
- Budget Allocation: Allocate purchasing budget for each category based on historical performance, future targets, and overall strategic considerations
- Seasonal Budgeting: Manage seasonal budget adjustments and OTB budget based on performance and buying direction
- Team Coordination: Coordinate activities across a team of merchandise planners
- Cycle Analysis: Manage end-of-cycle hindsight analysis to improve upcoming future buying cycles
- Financial Reporting: Track and report financial performance, optimize existing reporting, and build new ones
- Efficiency Projects: Initiate and drive projects leading to cost savings/efficiency improvement across the team
- Team Coaching: Manage and coach junior colleagues
2. Financial Planning Manager Details
- Budget Management: Manage and support the Budgeting and Forecasting cycle
- KPI Analysis: Analyze current and past trends in key performance indicators, including all areas of revenues, expenses, clients, working capital and cash flow
- Variance Monitoring: Monitor and report on key performance indicators, highlighting trends and analyzing causes of unexpected variance
- Forecast Planning: Oversee, develop and manage the Budget, Forecast and 3YR Plan cycle and tools
- BI Tools Implementation: Implement and work with Business Intelligence Tools and Dashboards (Power BI)
- Process Evaluation: Improve performance by evaluating processes and driving efficiency
- Financial Modeling: Develop financial (planning) models, analytics and analysis to support strategic initiatives
- Management Support: Support the senior management team and client units with in-depth analysis
- Executive Reporting: Prepare monthly/ad hoc presentations to (senior) management, the Executive Committee, and the Supervisory Board
- Best Practices Implementation: Implement best working practices across and work together with other Intertrust Group Western Europe jurisdictions
- Financial Communication: Converse, explain and educate complex financial topics to senior management and articulate their impact on the overall financial health of the business
- Process Improvement: Identify and drive ongoing process improvements and efficiencies
3. Financial Planning Manager Responsibilities
- Budget Development: Develop company-wide, departmental and product line budgets
- Expense Review: Design and lead monthly expense review meetings with departmental leads, FSCs and management
- Variance Awareness: Keep management aware of early signals of variances to the budget
- Expense Tracking: Track and analyze certain expenses, such as production gases, wiring and consumables
- Sales Monitoring: Weekly monitoring of monthly sales projections
- Data Accuracy: Identify and resolve reporting inaccuracies and inconsistencies
- SQL Migration: Design/modify and migrate SQL queries/formulas from XL Connect version 5 to the latest XL Connect release known as Spreadsheet Server
- Inventory Support: Assist with physical inventories (year-end and mid-year)
- Reporting Tools Use: Utilize Accounting-related reporting tools - Epicor and legacy systems
- System Migration: Lead the migration of reporting from legacy systems to Epicor as it pertains to financial reporting, expense analysis and forecasting
- SOP Management: Develop and maintain Standard Operating Procedures
- Status Reporting: Interact and provide progress/status reports to management
- Cost Collaboration: Collaborate with the Costing Department regarding cost and pricing projections
- System Development: Work with multiple teams to develop Epicor functionality
- Budget Coordination: Interact with multiple departments to review budgets and track and explain expenses
4. Financial Planning Manager Job Summary
- Team Management: Manage Planning Team members in their ongoing responsibilities
- Paraplanner Oversight: Oversee Paraplanners to make sure all case prep is completed accurately and promptly
- Engagement Letters: Prepare Planning Engagement Letters
- Plan Development: Build Essential, Advanced, Elite and Business Plans
- Client Customization: Customize Planning Deliverables for Clients
- Process Innovation: Develop and evolve the planning process through new ideas and initiatives
- Review Enhancement: Oversee and enhance the Two-Year Horizon review meeting process
- Summary Preparation: Prepare P&C Summaries, Student Loan Summaries and Social Security Analysis
- Client Coordination: Coordinate Social Security and Medicare Enrollments for Clients
- Retirement Facilitation: Facilitate Retirement Plan Education Meetings and Plan Enrollment and Plan Setup with Clients and TPAs
- Efficiency Improvement: Complete plans efficiently and continually evolve the process
- Task System Development: Develop a follow-up and task completion system
- Pod Leadership: Lead a collaborative planning pod and deliver accurate output promptly
5. Financial Planning Manager Accountabilities
- Budget Management: Manage work for a specific area such as budgets or financial planning
- Structure Development: Participate in the development of the overall organizational operating structure
- Expense Tracking: Develop, administer, and track organization expenses, capital budget, and supporting business plans
- Result Analysis: Compile, analyze, and publish financial and/or operational results
- Business Case Analysis: Provide business case development and analysis
- Process Improvement: Participate in cross-functional teams to establish procedures and to improve processes
- Problem Solving: Provide solutions to a diverse range of complex problems and use judgment within defined policies and practices
- Business Analysis: Manage the execution of business analysis, which collectively supports an area or discipline within an organizational unit
- Process Maintenance: Responsible for process maintenance, documentation, and information management
- Management Contribution: Proactively contributes to management reviews
- Method Development: Participate in methods development and all business processes
- Client Understanding: Act to understand client needs and offer assistance even when not asked
- Best Practice Recommendation: Interpret internal/external business issues and recommend best practices