Senior Financial Analyst

The Role

ITHAKA is seeking a Senior Financial Analyst to serve as a strategic finance partner for cost support and analysis in our product and shared services areas of JSTOR, JSTOR Stewardship, Portico, and Ithaka S+R.

This is a high-impact individual contributor role for a systems-oriented finance professional who thrives in a SaaS and hybrid revenue environment. The Senior Financial Analyst operates independently across complex, multiproduct analysis, and plays a central role in forecasting, long-range planning, and financial systems optimization.

This role goes beyond reporting. It is about designing clear financial narratives, strengthening planning infrastructure, and ensuring our financial systems—particularly Workday Adaptive Planning and Acumatica—generate reliable, scalable insights that support executive decision-making. This role reports directly to the Director of Financial Planning & Analysis and collaborates closely with Product leadership and key stakeholders across Enterprise Operations, including the Office of the COO, Finance, Legal, and Work Life & Culture.

Responsibilities

Strategic financial partnership

• Serve as the primary finance partner to senior product and functional leaders.
• Maintain our cost allocation model and lead the analysis of cost impacts from our product and functional areas to our four business units (JSTOR, JSTOR Stewardship, Portico, and Ithaka S+R). Translate cost structure analysis into actionable insights.
• Identify financial risks, structural margin drivers, and resource tradeoffs.
• Support evaluation of new initiatives, pricing changes, and portfolio investments.

Forecasting & Planning

• Lead regular and rolling forecasts for complex, multientity areas.
• Lead preparation of monthly and quarterly financial review materials for executive leadership, including variance analysis and forward-looking risk assessment.
• Contribute to long-range planning and scenario modeling.
• Design and maintain our cost allocation model, which includes working with budget owners on updating allocation drivers, updating the data and explaining variances to business unit leaders.
• Ensure assumptions are documented, defensible, and aligned across the portfolio.
• Manage the non-payroll cost budget, and maintain software, cloud, and other purchase order details in the planning system to ensure an accurate forecast.
• Manage the headcount and payroll budget and maintain open positions for accurate forecasting.

Systems & Infrastructure

• Serve as a power user of Workday Adaptive Planning, ensuring models, versions, allocations, and reporting structures are clean and scalable.
• Serve as a power user of Databricks and Tableau ensuring ongoing support and enhancement of the allocated product line financial results dashboards.
• Partner closely with Accounting to ensure integrity of data flows from Acumatica (ERP) into Adaptive.
• Improve data architecture and dimensional consistency across systems.
• Identify opportunities to automate manual processes and improve forecasting accuracy.
• Strengthen reporting governance and system documentation.
• Ensure forecast integrity through rigorous assumption validation, reconciliation to actuals, and alignment with accounting standards.
• Elevate reporting from static output to decision-support tools.

Process Improvement & Innovation

• Identify and drive enhancements to forecasting workflows, allocation methodologies, and reporting structures.
• Leverage AI, automation and analytical tools to improve efficiency and scalability.
• Contribute to modernization of FP&A practices, including integration of new technologies and AI in current processes.

Experience and Skills

• 7+ years of progressive FP&A or strategic finance experience
• Advanced proficiency in Workday Adaptive Planning (model building, reporting, version control, allocations)
• Strong working knowledge of Acumatica ERP and financial data structures
• Experience in SaaS or hybrid subscription and services business models preferred
• Advanced Google Suite, Microsoft 365, and BI capabilities (Power BI/Tableau)
• Proven advanced financial modeling and scenario planning skills
• Ability to synthesize complex financial information into clear executive-ready narratives
• Strong cross-functional communication skills
• Familiarity with automation, AI-assisted analysis, or advanced analytics tools a plus

Work Authorization and Sponsorship 

ITHAKA is not currently considering candidates who require any type of immigration sponsorship (additional work authorization or permanent work authorization) to work in the United States.

Compensation and Benefits

At ITHAKA we believe in openness and fair pay. Part of living those values is our commitment to clarity about salary ranges, so candidates know what to expect. The starting salary for this position ranges from $76,320 - $95,400 per year. Starting pay may vary with job-related knowledge, skills, and experience. At present, our total compensation package for benefits-eligible employees includes medical, dental, and vision plans, an employer-paid 10% retirement contribution, paid parental and caregiver leave, 22 days of paid time off, 11 paid holidays, up to 12 sick days, wellness benefits, and more. Please note that ITHAKA, at its discretion, may make changes to its benefits programs from time to time.