Financial Planning Analyst: Facts, Skills, and Next Paths

Financial Planning Analysts prepare financial reports, build models, and analyze data to support budgeting and forecasting. They consolidate financials across regions, perform variance analysis against targets, and present findings to leadership.

Core responsibilities include developing and maintaining financial models for budgeting and forecasting, analyzing operational performance, and supporting month-end close. The role often sits at the intersection of finance, operations, and data analytics. For example, FI Consulting hires analysts to work on client projects delivering financial analysis and reporting, while Regions expects analysts to update models and perform monthly reports. At JBS Foods, the analyst coordinates month-end closing and consolidates weekly estimates.

The median salary for financial planning analysts is about $116,972. The most frequently requested skills in current job postings are Analytics & Reporting (80%), Financial Modeling (70%), and Forecasting (60%).