Lead Financial Analyst

Job Description UKG is seeking a Lead Financial Analyst to join our growing Finance organization. As part of the FP&A team, this role will lead financial planning, forecasting, reporting, and strategic analysis for key G&A functions, serving as a trusted financial partner to business leaders. At UKG, our purpose is people. We are committed to helping organizations understand and empower the working world, and our Finance team plays an important role in enabling thoughtful, data-driven decisions that support our customers, employees, and business priorities. The Lead Financial Analyst will work closely with business leaders to shape financial plans, evaluate investments, and provide insights that influence business decisions. This is a highly collaborative role for someone who enjoys going beyond the numbers, challenging assumptions, connecting financial performance to business strategy, and helping teams make better decisions. This person will also help drive operational excellence and advance AI adoption across Finance by identifying new ways to simplify processes, improve forecasting, and make financial insights more accessible. The ideal candidate is naturally curious, data-driven, and comfortable asking thoughtful questions. They enjoy solving complex problems, bringing clarity to ambiguity, and working with others to turn ideas into meaningful results. Responsibilities • Serve as a trusted financial partner to business leaders, providing strategic insights, challenging assumptions, and influencing decisions related to investments, resource allocation, and company priorities. • Lead annual planning, quarterly forecasting, monthly financial reviews, and long-range planning for assigned G&A functions, ensuring financial plans align with business objectives. • Analyze financial performance against forecasts and budgets, identifying underlying business drivers, risks, opportunities, and actionable recommendations to improve results. • Lead financial analysis of strategic initiatives and investments, evaluating costs, benefits, ROI, and tradeoffs across headcount, vendor spend, and operating expenses. • Build and own financial models to support expense planning, workforce planning, investment decisions, and scenario analysis, ensuring accuracy, transparency, and scalability. • Develop executive-ready reporting, dashboards, and financial narratives that translate complex data into clear insights and recommendations for Finance and business leadership. • Partner with business leaders to define key financial metrics, establish performance expectations, and track progress against operating plans and strategic priorities. • Drive continuous improvement across Finance by simplifying processes, leveraging automation and AI-enabled tools, and enhancing reporting capabilities through platforms such as Power BI. • Partner with teams across FP&A, Accounting, IT, People, Legal, Real Estate, Communications, and the broader business to strengthen financial discipline, improve visibility, and support data-driven decisions that advance company priorities. • Lead high-impact financial analyses and special projects, bringing structure to ambiguous business questions and helping stakeholders evaluate alternatives and make informed decisions. Qualifications • Bachelor's degree in Finance, Accounting, Economics, Business, Data Analytics, or a related field. • 5-8 years of progressive experience in Finance, FP&A, Corporate Finance, Strategic Finance, or a related analytical role. • Demonstrated experience independently leading financial planning, forecasting, and analysis for business functions or departments. • Strong financial modeling skills, including expense planning, workforce modeling, scenario analysis, and investment evaluation. • Advanced proficiency with Microsoft Excel, including complex financial models, large datasets, and management reporting. • Proven ability to build trusted relationships with business leaders, influence decisions, and communicate financial recommendations with confidence. • Strong analytical, problem-solving, and business judgment skills, with the ability to connect financial results to operational and strategic priorities. • Self-starter with an ownership mindset who can navigate complexity, challenge assumptions, and bring structure to ambiguous business problems. • Excellent communication and presentation skills, including the ability to simplify complex analysis and deliver clear, executive-ready insights. • Collaborative and curious team player who operates with integrity, accountability, and a continuous improvement mindset. The pay range for this position is $105,800 to $135,000. The actual base pay offered may vary depending on skills, experience, job-related knowledge and work location. In addition to base pay, employees may be eligible to participate in a performance-based bonus plan and to receive restricted stock unit awards as part of total compensation. Learn more about UKG's benefits and rewards at https://www.ukg.com/about-us/careers/benefits