Director, FP&A-Budgeting & Forecasting

Director, FP&A — Budgeting & Forecasting

We are seeking a Director, FP&A — Budgeting & Forecasting to lead financial planning, budgeting, forecasting, and long-range planning for First Light Fiber. This role will own the annual planning cycle, rolling forecast process, and management reporting while serving as a strategic financial partner to the SVP, Finance and executive leadership team.

The Director, FP&A — Budgeting & Forecasting is a senior finance leadership role responsible for driving the company's planning and forecasting processes end to end. Reporting directly to the SVP, Finance, this leader will deliver actionable financial insight, lead a team of FP&A professionals, and partner cross-functionally across Network, Operations, Sales, Marketing, and Technology.

Key Responsibilities:

• Lead the end-to-end annual budget process across delivering a consolidated, board-ready financial plan.
• Build and maintain integrated budget models covering revenue by product, capital expenditures, operating costs, and headcount.
• Establish the budget calendar, governance framework, and executive review cadence to ensure on-time delivery and senior leadership alignment.
• Own the rolling 12-to-18-month forecast process, providing timely and accurate visibility into financial performance and risk.
• Lead long-range plan, incorporating subscriber growth assumptions, spectrum deployment timelines, competitive dynamics, and macro-economic factors specific to the telecom sector.
• Develop scenario and sensitivity analyses (ARPU compression, churn, capex cycles, regulatory changes) to support capital allocation and strategic decision-making.
• Prepare monthly, quarterly, and annual management reporting packages for the CFO, CEO, and Board of Directors, including variance analysis, bridge analyses, and forward-looking commentary.
• Develop executive dashboards tracking key telecom KPIs: ARPU, installs, churn, EBITDA margin, capex efficiency, and free cash flow.
• Support investor relations with financial analysis and earnings guidance inputs.
• Serve as a financial advisor to Network, Technology, Sales, and Marketing leadership on major strategic and capital investment decisions, including network buildouts, spectrum acquisitions, and M&A opportunities.
• Evaluate and optimize FP&A technology solutions to improve planning accuracy and reduce cycle time.
• Drive automation of recurring reporting and forecasting; identify opportunities for advanced analytics and AI-enhanced forecast capabilities.
• Lead, mentor, and develop a team of FP&A professionals with clear performance expectations and individual development plans.
• Support ad hoc financial analyses, special projects, and executive data requests as business needs evolve.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in Finance, Accounting, Economics, or a related field required; MBA, CPA, or CFA strongly preferred.
• 7+ years of progressive finance experience, with at least 3 years in FP&A leadership roles.
• Telecommunications industry experience preferred but not required.
• Proven track record managing full-cycle budget and forecast processes in a complex, multi-segment business environment.
• Experience supporting Finance leadership and presenting to executive leadership and boards of directors.
• Expert-level Excel modeling; hands-on experience with FP&A platforms such as Anaplan, Adaptive Insights, One Stream, Hyperion, or Oracle EPM.
• Proficiency with ERP systems (SAP, Oracle, Netsuite or similar) and BI tools (Power BI, Tableau, Looker).
• Deep understanding of telecom financial metrics including ARPU, EBITDA, capex intensity, churn, and subscriber economics.
• Exceptional executive communication skills; ability to translate complex analysis into clear narratives for non-finance audiences.
• Strong cross-functional influencing skills and ability to manage competing priorities in a fast-paced environment.
• Collaborative leadership style with a genuine commitment to team development and mentorship.

About First Light:

First Light, headquartered in Albany, New York, provides fiber-optic data, Internet, data center, cloud and voice services to enterprise and carrier customers throughout the Northeast connecting more than 13,000…