The Senior Financial Analyst will play an important role within Denny's field finance team, supporting a broad range of forecasting, reporting, and strategic analysis activities. This position partners closely with Marketing, Procurement, Operations, and Franchise stakeholders to provide insight into menu innovation, franchise performance, testing initiatives, and operational opportunities. The ideal candidate brings strong financial acumen, a proactive mindset, and the ability to manage both recurring deliverables and ad hoc analysis in a dynamic, collaborative environment.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS (Duties & Responsibilities)

• Support purchase requisition analysis for new and existing menu items in collaboration with cross-functional partners in Marketing and Procurement.
• Provide financial analysis and presentation support for Field Marketing initiatives, including local market testing and discount analysis.
• Prepare and maintain reporting for monthly, weekly, and ad hoc sales results.
• Conduct check level analysis to determine profitability of various operational programs.
• Lead franchise margin forecasting and reporting.
• Perform financial due diligence for capital planning, investment analysis, and sales forecasting related to proposed new units.
• Support testing, innovation, and cross-functional initiatives through thoughtful financial analysis and recommendations.
• Contribute to day-to-day finance support needs, including reconciliations, data validation, reporting improvements, and ad hoc analysis for business partners.
  

EDUCATION & EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENTS

• Bachelor's degree in Finance, Accounting, Business, Economics, or a related field.
• 3-5 years of experience in financial analysis, forecasting, reporting, budgeting, or a related finance function.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to interpret complex financial and operational data.
• Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel, including financial modeling and recurring reporting.
• Strong communication skills and the ability to present financial information clearly to cross-functional stakeholders.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities, meet deadlines, and adapt in a fast-paced environment.
• High attention to detail and a strong sense of ownership and accountability.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Experience in restaurant, retail, hospitality, or another multi-location consumer-facing business.
• Familiarity with restaurant performance metrics such as food cost, sales, margin, labor, and other operational drivers.
• Experience with financial planning systems, Power BI, reporting tools, or enterprise finance platforms is a plus.