WHAT DOES A FINANCIAL PLANNING MANAGER DO?
Reviewed under Editorial Standards by Lam Nguyen
Updated: Jun 22, 2026 - 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
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.