Commercial Finance Analyst

This is a Hybrid position requiring an on-site presence 3-4 days per week in Houston, TX. Please note that the number of days on-site can increase based on business needs.

Summary of Job Purpose:

The Finance Analyst will partner with the Merchandising team to deliver actionable financial insights that drive growth, optimize margins, and enhance overall business performance. Leveraging Volume, Sales, COGS, and Gross Profit data across product categories, this role will streamline reporting, uncover key trends, and support data-driven decision-making. The analyst will collaborate closely with the US Broadline Finance team to provide insights into Gross Profit performance and margin drivers resulting from merchandising initiatives.

Duties and Responsibilities:

Financial Insights & Analysis

• Partner with Merchandising leaders to provide detailed financial analysis across product categories, focusing on Volume, Sales, COGS, Earned Income and Gross Profit.
• Conduct ad-hoc analyses of product volume and gross profit, including year-over-year performance comparisons.
• Develop and maintain reporting dashboards and KPIs to measure performance and identify trends.
• Translate large datasets (using data modeling and analytics) into clear, concise insights and communicate findings effectively to stakeholders.

Planning, Budgeting & Forecasting

• Support the Merchandising team in the Annual Operating Plan (AOP), budgeting, and monthly/quarterly business review processes.
• Identify and quantify growth, margin, and efficiency opportunities.
• Analyze key drivers of variances versus budget, forecast, and prior year results.
• Ensure the financial impact of key initiatives is accurately reflected in forecasts and the annual profit plan.

Business Partnership

• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to ensure departmental understanding of financial forecasts and the drivers behind them.
• Work with Merchandising and Commercial leaders to identify margin improvement opportunities and support decision-making with robust financial modeling.
• Provide guidance on the financial implications of strategic and operational initiatives.

REQUIRED MINIMUM EDUCATION/EXPERIENCE:

• Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Finance, Accounting, Statistics, Economics, or related quantitative background required

• Recent college graduate or Work experience in a corporate setting, with emphasis on areas such as reporting development, financial planning and analysis, business analytics, and financial modeling

• Previous sales finance experience preferred but not required

ABILITIES AND SKILLS:

• Strong verbal and written communication skills

• Must be able to read, write and speak English

• Self-starter that is detail oriented

• Strong computer knowledge of Excel, Word and Outlook programs. MS Access experiences a plus

• Ability to analyze information and draw conclusions

• Ability to handle matters of a confidential nature