Financial Analyst

The Hoover Institution at Stanford University is seeking qualified candidates for the full-time position of Financial Analyst. To ensure your application information is captured in our official files for immediate access to your resume, you must apply to http://stanfordcareers.stanford.edu and in the key word search box, indicate Requisition #109157

A cover letter and resume are required for full consideration.

About Stanford University’s Hoover Institution:  The Hoover Institution on War, Revolution, and Peace is a public policy research center devoted to the advanced study of economics, politics, history, and political economy—both domestic and foreign—as well as international affairs.

Founded in 1919 by Herbert Hoover before he became the thirty-first president of the United States, the Institution began as a repository of historical material gathered at the end of World War I.  The library and archives have grown to be among the largest private repositories of documents on twentieth-century political and economic history.  Over time the Institution expanded its mission from collecting archival material to conducting advanced research on contemporary history and economics and applying this scholarship to current public policy challenges.

The Financial Analyst 3 is a member of the Hoover Institution Finance team and will work closely with finance leadership, program administrators, and institutional stakeholders across the organization. The Finance team is responsible for supporting the Institution’s annual budget and financial operations, including the development, implementation, and management of financial planning, forecasting, reporting, and analysis processes that support Hoover’s research programs, operational units, and strategic initiatives. Hoover’s annual operating budget is approximately $150 million.

The Financial Analyst serves as a strategic finance partner to a portfolio of Hoover programs, centers, and/or functional units, supporting end-to-end financial management activities including expense and revenue monitoring, annual budgeting, forecasting, financial analysis, and long-range planning. This role serves as a primary finance partner to lead Fellows, program managers, and administrative leadership, helping support operational and strategic decision-making across assigned areas. The position also serves as a resource and subject matter expert in Stanford financial systems, financial policies and procedures, and institutional budgeting and forecasting practices.
The ideal candidate is proactive, analytical, collaborative, and customer-service oriented, with strong interpersonal and communication skills and the ability to translate complex financial information into clear and actionable guidance for a variety of audiences. This position will provide financial analysis, projections, and recommendations to Hoover leadership, faculty support teams, program administrators, and management.

Primary responsibilities include consulting with assigned programs and departments to:

• Develop and monitor annual budgets, forecasts, and multi-year financial plans;
• Monitor and analyze revenues, expenses, staffing, and funding availability across a complex portfolio of accounts and funding sources;
• Support strategic decision-making through detailed financial modeling and scenario analysis;
• Partner directly with Fellows and program leadership to evaluate funding needs, operational priorities, and long-term sustainability;
• Help ensure compliance with university and institutional financial policies and procedures;
• Develop and promote best practices for financial stewardship and proactive financial management;
• Identify operational efficiencies and support the implementation of process improvements;
• Prepare financial reports, presentations, and analyses for leadership and governance discussions.

The Financial Analyst 3 serves as a representative of the Hoover Finance team and as a subject matter expert for complex financial, policy, procedural, and technical issues. This position manages a broad range of responsibilities in a fast-paced academic and research environment, requiring a high level of professionalism, accuracy, organization, sound judgment, discretion, initiative, and attention to detail.

Success in this role requires a strategic and critical thinker with demonstrated ability to manage complex financial portfolios, identify risks and opportunities, improve processes, and support leadership decision-making. The successful candidate is comfortable working both independently and collaboratively, can effectively present and communicate financial information to diverse audiences, and thrives in a team-oriented environment where success is measured collectively.

If you believe this opportunity is a match for your knowledge, skills, and abilities, we encourage you to apply. Resume and cover letter are required for consideration.

JOB PURPOSE:

Perform complex finance functions and/or activities with programmatic impact on the institution, requiring professional expertise and application of internal policies and systems and external regulations. May manage a key area within a finance operation or department/unit.

CORE DUTIES*: 

• Perform highly analytical, complex finance and control functions; multi-dimensional and complex reconciliations and related analysis; prepare or review and approve complex transactions and higher level dollar value transactions.
• Research, and synthesize data; interpolate results from large amounts of data, identify trends in data, draw conclusions, develop solutions, present and implement recommendations, and create follow up analysis.
• Develop complex budget and forecasting scenarios, long-range planning and analyses for financial reporting and presentations; design and run adhoc reports.
• Identify and resolve unique issues with substantial significance; recognize exceptions, and conduct in-depth analysis using advanced technical knowledge and experience. Recommend and develop solutions that may require policy changes or the development of new processes; maintain broader organizational and university perspective in decision making.
• Review, design, and implement appropriate internal control programs, research new regulations, and implement approved changes. Manage compliance program for area of responsibility, interpret internal policy and external regulations, and create and/or review complex compliance reports.
• Lead and execute unit or cross functional projects and teams, make decisions regarding projects and programs affecting operational effectiveness, policies, or processes.
• Engage in continuous critical analysis of existing systems and processes; make recommendations to achieve greater efficiencies and improve internal controls. Define requirements, develop and implement complex test cases, perform testing and analyze results.
• Lead and support unit and organization strategy and change management initiatives.
• Provide training on new financial systems. Represent organization to client group(s) and external partners; serve as subject matter expert on matters that involve complex technical, financial, or subject matter expertise.
• Assess client and business needs, and formulate recommendations to determine approach to managing and completing processes.
• May supervise, train, coach, and review the work of other staff, as needed. Contribute primarily through applying individual expertise.

* The job duties listed are typical examples of work performed by positions in this job classification and are not designed to contain or be interpreted as a comprehensive inventory of all duties, tasks, and responsibilities. Specific duties and responsibilities may vary depending on department or program needs without changing the general nature and scope of the job or level of responsibility. Employees may also perform other duties as assigned.