Senior Director, Financial Planning & Analysis

Senior Director, FP&A

Simple Mills · Chicago, United States (Hybrid) · Full-time · Posted 2026-09-23

Workplace: hybrid

Department: Commercial Finance & Revenue Management

Description

Company Description

Simple Mills is on a mission to transform the way food is made, creating nourishing products with astounding ingredients and amazing taste. Founded in 2012 by Katlin Smith, our brand has redefined center-aisle grocery by delivering better-for-you products made with unique, nutrient-dense ingredients. Today, we’re a category leader and the #1 natural brand in multiple segments, with distribution in over 30,000 stores nationwide.

Now, as part of Flowers Foods, we’re entering an exciting new phase of growth—expanding our reach, accelerating innovation, and amplifying brand awareness, all while preserving the integrity of what makes Simple Mills special. Our commitment to using simple, high-quality ingredients ensures that every bite is both delicious and nutritious. Whether it’s watermelon seed flour in our cookies or butternut squash in our crackers, we craft our products with innovative, wholesome ingredients that deliver extraordinary taste.

Our work has been recognized by Fast Company as a Brand That Matters and a Most Innovative Company, and has been featured in Vogue, Forbes, Women’s Health, and NPR’s How I Built This. In 2024, Inc. named us one of its Best Workplaces, reflecting our dedication to fostering an inspiring and inclusive environment where passionate individuals can make a difference.

Join us as we shape the future of food. Learn more at www.simplemills.com.

Requirements

Role Description

The Senior Director, FP&A is a senior finance leadership role responsible for strengthening enterprise planning, improving business performance visibility, and helping guide strategic decision-making across Simple Mills.

Serving as a key finance partner across the organization, this individual will lead annual planning, long-range planning, forecasting, performance management, and executive reporting while helping connect strategy, operating performance, and financial outcomes. The role requires a commercially minded finance leader with strong analytical rigor, executive presence, and the ability to challenge and support business leaders in equal measure.

As Simple Mills continues to evolve, this leader will help strengthen FP&A capability, build greater visibility into business performance, improve planning discipline, and advance how financial insights support decision-making across the organization. The ideal candidate is a strong business partner who can connect details to bigger-picture business outcomes, lead through ambiguity, and bring structure to a fast-moving and increasingly complex business environment.

Enterprise FP&A Leadership

• Serve as a key finance partner to the senior leadership team, providing financial insight, challenge, and decision support across Commercial, Marketing, Operations, Supply Chain, Innovation, and People.

• Lead annual operating planning, forecast development, long-range planning, and enterprise performance management processes.

• Translate business strategies into financial plans that align resources, investments, and priorities to company objectives.

• Connect financial performance to broader business outcomes, ensuring leaders understand the key drivers of growth, profitability, cash flow, and return on investment.

• Partner with functional leaders to identify risks, opportunities, and performance gaps, ensuring plans are financially grounded and tied to business objectives.

• Balance strategic leadership with hands-on analysis and execution in a fast-moving, scaling business environment.

Forecasting, Planning & Performance Management

• Lead consolidated forecasting across revenue, gross margin, operating expenses, capital investments, working capital, and cash flow.
• Own the company’s Annual Operating Plan, rolling forecast process, and long-range planning process.
• Partner cross-functionally to ensure planning assumptions are aligned, transparent, realistic, and financially sound.
• Monitor forecast accuracy, identify key drivers of variance, and recommend corrective actions as needed.
• Lead reporting and analysis of business performance versus forecast, plan, and prior year.
• Develop tools and routines that help leaders proactively manage performance and understand the financial implications of business decisions.
• Support senior leadership with concise, enterprise-level insights tied to growth, profitability, resource allocation, and risk management.

Financial Reporting & Business Insights

• Lead preparation of monthly, quarterly, and annual reporting packages for executive leadership and the Board of Directors.
• Own development of financial scorecards, KPIs, dashboards, and business performance reporting.
• Translate complex financial and operating performance into clear recommendations and actionable insights.
• Partner closely with Accounting to ensure consistency between actual results, forecasts, and management reporting.
• Improve visibility into business drivers across revenue, profitability, working capital, operations, supply chain, and organizational investments.
• Strengthen performance management by creating greater transparency, accountability, and consistency across the organization.

Strategic Finance, Business Partnership & Decision Support

Lead financial evaluation of strategic initiatives, investment decisions, profitability improvement opportunities, and resource allocation priorities.

• Partner with leaders across the business to evaluate growth opportunities, operating initiatives, capability investments, and organizational decisions.
• Support scenario modeling related to revenue growth, margin opportunities, cost structure changes, supply chain initiatives, and enterprise investments.
• Challenge business assumptions when needed to ensure decisions are supported by realistic financial expectations and clear success metrics.
• Help leadership prioritize opportunities based on expected financial return, strategic fit, execution risk, and enterprise impact.
• Build stronger connections between strategy, operating performance, and financial outcomes.

Team Leadership, Process Improvement & Finance Capability

• Lead and develop FP&A talent as the function continues to evolve, building capability in forecasting, modeling, analysis, communication, and business partnership.

• Improve FP&A processes, reporting, tools, systems, and planning routines to increase visibility, consistency, and speed of decision-making.

• Partner with Finance, IT, Operations, Commercial teams, and other functional leaders to strengthen reporting, forecasting, analytics, and planning capabilities.
• Drive process improvement, automation, and system enhancements that improve efficiency and scalability.
• Build credibility across the organization by bringing practical recommendations, financial discipline, and strong business judgment.
• Help shape future-state FP&A capabilities that support the company’s next phase of growth.
• Performs other projects as assigned 

Position Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Accounting, Economics, or related field required; MBA, CPA, or advanced finance credential preferred.
• 12+ years of progressive finance experience, ideally within CPG, food & beverage, manufacturing, retail, or related consumer industries.
• Significant FP&A, strategic finance, business planning, commercial finance, or corporate finance experience.
• Strong understanding of forecasting, annual planning, long-range planning, financial reporting, performance management, and business analytics.
• Proven ability to partner with senior business leaders and influence enterprise decisions through financial insight and sound judgment.
• Experience supporting executive leadership teams, Board reporting, and strategic decision-making.
• Strong financial modeling and scenario analysis capabilities.
• Ability to challenge assumptions and bring structure to decisions while maintaining strong cross-functional partnerships.
• Experience leading and developing finance talent.
• Strong executive presence and communication skills, with the ability to simplify complex analysis into clear recommendations.
• Strong Excel and financial systems capabilities; ERP, planning platforms, Power BI, or business intelligence experience preferred.
• Agile and adaptable leader comfortable operating through ambiguity, competing priorities, and increasing organizational complexity.
• Strong business judgment with the ability to balance growth, profitability, capability building, and enterprise priorities.

Benefits

Working at Simple Mills

At Simple Mills, we’re not just building a brand, we’re leading a movement that’s transforming how food is made and enjoyed. If you’re passionate about purpose-driven work and crave a role where you can have a meaningful impact, this is your chance to be part of something bigger.

Why Join Us?

• Be a Change-Maker
  Play a key role in redefining the food industry, crafting products that nourish people and contribute to a healthier planet.
• Thrive in a Mission-Driven Community
  Work alongside a dynamic team of innovators and food lovers who are committed to positive change and bold ideas.
• A Workplace Where You Belong
  We foster an environment where every voice is heard, valued, and empowered. Inclusion and belonging are at the heart of our culture, ensuring that everyone can thrive.
• A Culture of Integrity and Impact
  We don’t just talk about doing good, we live it. Our team is committed to ethical practices, responsible sourcing, and making decisions that drive real, positive change.
• Grow with People-First Leadership
  Our supportive leadership team is dedicated to mentorship, collaboration, and your long-term success.
• Continuous Learning & Development
  Whether through hands-on training, innovative learning platforms, or career growth opportunities, we invest in your professional development.

At Simple Mills, you’ll have the chance to make an impact while working in a collaborative and inspiring environment. If you’re ready to shape the future of food, let’s talk.

Benefits

We recognize that our people are our greatest asset. That’s why we offer a highly competitive total rewards package designed to support your financial well-being, health, and overall quality of life. 

• Competitive Compensation: This role offers a salary range of $170,000 to $210,000
• Annual Bonus Opportunity: Eligible for an annual bonus as part of our commitment to recognizing team contributions and company success.
• Holistic Benefits: A variety of health, financial, and wellness programs to help you feel your best and plan for the future.
• Time to Recharge: We believe your best work comes when you have space to rest, refocus, and show up fully—our time off approach is built with that in mind.
• Everyday Well-Being: From lifestyle perks to innovation shipments, we find meaningful ways to support you in living simply and feeling well.

We’re committed to taking care of our people—so you can focus on making an impact. 

Work Model at Simple Mills

Our work model is role-dependent and team focused. With remote, hybrid, or in-office positions, each role is classified by what best supports the needs of the team.

• This position will be hybrid: a balance of in-person and virtual work. Hybrid employees will work from our Chicago, IL office at least once per week. When working remotely, employees must work from a designated location in the United States (the new hire’s permanent residence, as documented in our HR System, Rippling) with sufficient internet access to support video conferencing. Safety protocols in accordance with CDC recommendations are followed.

At Simple Mills, we are committed to providing an environment of mutual respect and inclusion. Equal employment opportunities are available to all applicants and teammates without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, gender (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, past or present military service, physical or mental disability, or other applicable legally protected characteristics. All aspects of employment are decided on the basis of business need, job requirements, and individual qualifications. #LI-DNI

Simple Mills is committed to the full inclusion of all qualified individuals. As part of this commitment, Simple Mills will ensure that persons with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodations. If reasonable accommodation is needed to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and/or to receive other benefits and privileges of employment, please contact [email protected].

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