Financial Planning Manager

Financial Planning Manager

The Financial Planning Manager leads financial planning and forecasting activities across a portfolio of government contracts, ensuring accurate, timely, and actionable financial insights for leadership. This role oversees pricing support, drives budgeting and reforecasting processes, and enhances financial systems and reporting to improve funding utilization, margin performance, and project financial discipline. The position also manages a Financial Analyst, fosters a culture of analytical excellence, and plays a key role in succession planning for future senior finance leadership opportunities.

Responsibilities

• Lead recurring financial forecasts, Estimate at Completion (EAC) updates, and financial planning activities across a portfolio of government contracts.
• Identify financial risks and opportunities and provide clear, actionable recommendations to leadership to support strategic decision-making.
• Drive the annual budgeting process and periodic reforecasting cycles, including the development of templates, reporting packages, and executive-ready summaries.
• Partner closely with project managers and division leadership to improve funding utilization, margin performance, and overall project financial discipline.
• Oversee pricing support by managing a pricing-focused Financial Analyst, ensuring high-quality, compliant, and competitive proposals.
• Review pricing models, assumptions, and cost volumes for new proposals and contract modifications, ensuring accuracy and alignment with business strategy.
• Apply government contracting expertise related to indirect rates, allowability, funded ceilings, and contract compliance in all pricing and financial planning activities.
• Support compliant and competitive pricing strategies across cost-reimbursable, time-and-materials (T&M), and fixed-price (FFP) contracts.
• Utilize Deltek Costpoint, including the Planning module where applicable, to maintain accurate financial plans, reconcile actuals, and improve reporting integrity.
• Develop and maintain audit-ready financial models, standardized templates, and forecasting tools that support consistent and reliable financial reporting.
• Identify and implement opportunities for automation, reporting enhancements, and process optimization within the FP&A function.
• Explore and evaluate innovative uses of AI within FP&A to improve forecasting accuracy, pricing strategy, and margin optimization.
• Coach and develop a Financial Analyst, providing guidance on priorities, quality standards, and cross-functional collaboration.
• Foster a culture of accountability, continuous improvement, and analytical excellence within the finance team.
• Collaborate regularly with project managers and the executive team to communicate financial performance, clarify assumptions, and support strategic initiatives.

Essential Skills

• Bachelor's degree in Finance, Accounting, Business, Economics, or a related field, or equivalent experience.
• 8+ years of progressive experience in government contract finance, pricing, and project financial management.
• Proven experience in forecasting, budgeting, variance analysis, and executive financial reporting across multiple programs.
• Hands-on experience with program controls and project finance in a government contracting environment.
• Strong expertise with cost-reimbursable, Cost-Plus, and fixed-price (FFP) contract types.
• Working knowledge of government contracting principles, including indirect rates, allowability, and contract funding structures.
• Experience with Deltek Costpoint, including using it for planning, reporting, and reconciliation of actuals.
• Advanced Excel skills, including complex financial modeling, pivot tables, scenario analysis, and data manipulation.
• Demonstrated ability to perform financial planning and analysis (FP&A), including financial modeling and reporting.
• Experience in pricing for government contracts, including reviewing cost volumes and pricing assumptions.
• Strong variance analysis skills, with the ability to explain performance drivers and recommend corrective actions.
• Ability to collaborate effectively with project managers and executive leadership, and clearly articulate financial concepts to non-financial stakeholders.
• Demonstrated experience in identifying process improvements and implementing more efficient financial reporting and planning practices.

Additional Skills & Qualifications

• Experience with the Deltek Costpoint Planning module is highly desirable.
• Exposure to healthcare-related government contracting (such as CMS, HHS, Medicaid, NIH, or similar agencies) is a plus.
• Familiarity with FAR or 2 CFR regulations is beneficial.
• Experience exploring or applying AI tools within FP&A for forecasting, pricing, or margin optimization is an advantage.
• Background in managing or mentoring financial analysts or pricing professionals.
• Experience working across multiple programs and divisions in a complex government contracting environment.
• Strong communication skills, with the ability to create executive-ready…