Financial Analyst

The Financial Analyst is a key partner to Portillo’s leaders, delivering the analysis behind how the business plans, measures, and improves performance. Reporting to the Director of FP&A, this role leads key components of budgeting and forecasting, drives financial reporting and performance analysis, and partners with leaders across Operations, Human Resources, Marketing, and IT to model scenarios, quantify initiatives, and measure results.

The analysis this role produces is shared with senior leadership and the Board.

The ideal candidate brings strong financial modeling skills, sharp analytical thinking, and the curiosity to get to the root cause, and thrives in a fast-paced, results-driven environment.

This position is based at the Portillo’s Restaurant Support Center in Oakbrook, Illinois, with on-site presence required Monday through Thursday and flexibility to work remotely on Fridays subject to business need.

Enable our Purpose to create lifelong memories by igniting the senses with unrivaled food and experiences:

Family:
Work together to make everyone feel at home, and we step up when someone needs help

Greatness:
We’re obsessed with being the best and work hard to continuously improve. Our greatness is rooted in Quality, Service, Attitude and Cleanliness

Energy:
We move with urgency and passion, while maintaining attention to detail

Fun:
We entertain our guests, we connect authentically, and we make each other smile

• Prepare and analyze financial statements, monthly performance reports, and ad-hoc analyses to support the business's financial goals
• Monitor key performance indicators (KPIs) and financial metrics, providing insights into trends, variances, and recommend areas of improvement
• Analyze variances between actuals and plan to translate them into actionable insights for management
• Pull and analyze data from multiple sources to identify root causes and trends

• Lead components of the annual budgeting process, working closely with department heads to gather data and align financial goals
• Develop and maintain financial forecasts to track performance against budgeted targets, adjusting as necessary based on changes in business conditions and operational needs

• Build and maintain complex financial models to support strategic initiatives
• Provide financial analysis for decision-making related to initiative/pilot reporting, early warning alert system, food cost variance reporting, etc.
• Partner with senior leadership and department heads to evaluate operational performance and recommend corrective actions or enhancements

• Create PowerPoint presentations that are shared with senior leadership and the Board
• Participate in special projects requiring ad-hoc analysis and report creation
• Other duties as assigned

This position will report to the Director of FP&A and serve as a partner to several key stakeholders in Operations, Human Resources, Marketing, and IT.

• Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting or Finance or related discipline
• CPA, CFA or MBA (completed or in progress) preferred

• 1-2 years of experience in financial analysis
• Inquisitive nature with the ability to identify root cause and recommend solutions
• Professionally skeptical with a constant focus on process improvement
• Excellent Excel skills (xlookup, pivot tables, sumif, etc.)
• Ability to distill data into findings and clearly communicate them
• Understand of financial accounting, Generally Accepted Accounting Principles, and finance, and how they apply…