Director - Financial Planning and Analysis

Director - Financial Planning and Analysis

Join American Greetings as Director – Financial Planning & Analysis. This hybrid role operates from our Creative Studios in Westlake, Ohio, and is targeted at candidates currently residing in Northeast Ohio.

• Lead the financial planning, analysis, and reporting functions for all business units—including Product, Merchandising, Sales & Marketing, Supply Chain, and our International team—owning the annual budgeting process, monthly rolling forecasts, and long‑term strategic planning.
• Manage cash‑flow forecasting in close collaboration with the VP Treasurer to optimize cash management.
• Design, develop, and maintain comprehensive three‑statement financial models (Income Statement, Balance Sheet, Cash Flow) for scenario analysis, decision support, and forecasting.
• Act as a financial partner to senior leadership across business units, providing insights, analysis, and recommendations while collaborating with Accounting, Sales, Supply Chain, Business Intelligence, and International units.
• Analyze financial and operational performance across all departments, identify key drivers, monitor variances, and deliver actionable insights to enhance performance.
• Monitor industry trends, channel evolution, and key competitor strategies; build commercially viable strategies to grow new or existing profit pools.
• Provide strategic financial analysis for business decisions, including pricing strategies, cost optimization, capital allocation, and new product development to align with corporate objectives.
• Support business transformation and M&A initiatives, including due diligence, financial modeling, and acquisition pipeline management.
• Challenge budget holders with corrective actions required to meet performance targets and budgets.
• Oversee preparation of periodic financial reports (monthly forecasts, annual budget) and develop executive presentations highlighting key insights and risks.
• Lead and mentor a high‑performance FP&A team, fostering collaboration and expertise in modeling, forecasting, and analysis.
• Continuously improve financial planning and reporting processes, leveraging best practices, tools, and systems to drive efficiency and accuracy.

• 8+ years in an FP&A role with proven leadership experience.

• Significant experience in strategic planning and multi‑entity forecasting.
• Global consumer goods or manufacturing experience.
• M&A experience.
• Strong team leadership capabilities and communications skills.
• Dynamic, proactive, and enthusiastic leader with credibility across the business.
• Strong financial acumen, broad business skill set, and strategic thinking.
• Excellent verbal and written communication with senior leaders.
• Ability to work independently and as a team member under deadline pressures; set priorities, multitask, and drive change.
• Ability to structure problems and lead complex quantitative analysis.
• Proficiency in financial modeling, advanced Excel, and financial planning software (e.g., SAP‑BPC, Anaplan, SAP).
• Robust analytical, quantitative, and problem‑solving skills.

• Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Accounting, Economics, Statistics, Business Administration, or a related field.
• Preferred: MBA, CMA, or CFA.