Global Workplace Services, Business Planner

Meta•Seattle, WA

16h•$145,000 - $205,000

About The Position

This role is responsible for driving comprehensive business planning for Global Workplace Services including budgeting, forecasting, accruals, variance analysis, scenario modeling, reporting, and ad-hoc support within GWS. Key responsibilities include leading annual/quarterly planning cycles, managing complex and detailed financial models, providing insightful variance analysis to business leaders, and ensuring accurate reporting and compliance across all expense categories, including operational expenditures (OPEX) and Capital Expenditures (CAPEX). This role will serve as a critical partner to GWS leadership, Finance, and various cross-functional teams to align strategic priorities with financial targets.

Requirements

Budgeting Expertise: Proven experience in developing, owning, and managing annual/quarterly planning cycles, including advanced knowledge of Zero-Based Budgeting (ZBB) principles and driver-based modeling, budget/forecast inputs, projections, and assumptions, and facilitate workbook completion
Financial Analysis & Reporting: Analytical skills to perform in-depth analysis (Forecast v Budget, Forecast v Actuals, budget impact), create real-time budget trackers, and develop operational variance commentary. Proven experience educating and advising business leaders on root cause analysis, financial impacts, and efficiency opportunities. Experience in preparing detailed financial forecasts and plans for operational and capital expenses
Financial Operations & Compliance: Expertise in core financial operations, including managing and maintaining cost classification (Project Codes, Purchase Categories, Entities, Locations), coordinating PO coding for accurate cost tracking (including SEC reporting requirements for GSEP/Section 16 officers), and processing/reconciling monthly actuals
Accrual Management & Expense Reporting: Demonstrated experience coordinating the accrual process, including working with POCs, training, and managing supplier accrual timeliness/accuracy. Experience with complex accrual transactions and managing reclassification files to ensure costs are allocated to the correct GL accounts
Stakeholder Management & Coordination: Proven experience partnering with stakeholders (GWS leaders, Finance, Source to Pay, Accounting) to coordinate calendars, assumptions, and guide financial decision-making including scheduling and facilitating multi-level variance reviews
Data Management & Ad-Hoc Analysis: Proven experience leveraging data to perform ad-hoc impact analysis (e.g., managed service transitions, re-organizations, operating model changes), manage data correction/cleanup, and develop and maintain comprehensive reporting dashboards (e.g., Forecast tracking)

Nice To Haves

Proven experience leveraging AI to drive efficiency in process optimization and speed of deliverables

Responsibilities

Business Planning (OPEX/CAPEX): Lead annual and quarterly planning cycles, owning the process, inputs, projections, and assumptions, particularly utilizing driver-based Zero-Based Budgeting (ZBB) to develop detailed bottoms-up budget plans
Develop and own detailed financial forecasts and plans for operational and capital expenses, incorporating global assumptions, site-specific factors, and stakeholder approvals
Partner closely with business leaders to build, review, and align spending with strategic priorities and approved budgets
Analysis & Variance Management: Perform in-depth insight analysis (Forecast vs. Budget (FvB), Forecast vs. Actuals (FvA), Budget impact analysis, etc.)
Create operational variance commentary and educate business leaders on background and root cause analysis for variances
Schedule and facilitate multiple levels of review for identifying and reviewing variances from the budget owners to pillar leader level
Advise business leaders on possible efficiencies or necessary decisions (e.g., increasing backfill times, headcount reduction, or providing business explanations) to manage overruns and stay within budget
Business Operations & Compliance: Review and validate Purchase Order (PO) coding to ensure proper tracking of costs, including those subject to SEC reporting requirements
Process and reconcile monthly actuals, including extracting and categorizing expenses by country and GL accounts post-AP close
Manage the submission of the reclassification file to correct expense coding (e.g., separating utilities, allocating costs to correct GL accounts)
Facilitate Finance Impact Tracker entries for new and changing initiatives
Coordinate the accrual process, including providing training to POCs and managing the timely and accurate submission of supplier accruals
Ad-Hoc Analysis & Reporting: Perform ad-hoc impact analysis (e.g., managed service transitions, program deprecation, operating model changes, commercial/contractual changes, re-organization support, and data clean up)
Build out real-time business trackers and projections
Develop and maintain comprehensive reporting dashboards (e.g., for Forecast tracking and project tracking)
Provide detailed, region- and site-level spend analysis for monthly and quarterly budget vs. actual comparisons
Manage and track significant financial liabilities related to property taxes (business rates) across multiple countries
Process Improvement & Automation Proactively identify opportunities to streamline financial processes, leveraging automation tools and best practices to reduce manual effort and improve accuracy
Lead or participate in process mapping and reengineering initiatives to optimize planning, forecasting, and reporting workflows