Finance Analyst – Planning & Analytics

JOB DESCRIPTION

• Analyse financial and operational data to identify trends, cost drivers, risks, opportunities and areas requiring management attention.
• Explain over- or under-spending, changes in programme and organisational costs, and the financial implications of operating decisions.
• Translate analysis into concise management insights and actionable recommendations for programme teams, functional leaders and senior management, including opportunities to improve efficiency and resource allocation.

• Support annual and periodic budgeting across programmes and functions; maintain forecasts using actual expenditure, programme plans and expected commitments.
• Conduct budget-versus-actual analysis, investigate material variances and their underlying drivers, and identify corrective actions.
• Build scenarios for staffing, programme expansion, project planning, funding changes and organisational investments; improve forecast accuracy using historical patterns and emerging trends.  

• Develop and maintain financial dashboards, KPIs and management reports that give leadership a clear view of organisational and programme performance.
• Integrate financial information with relevant operational and programme data, and present complex findings in simple, decision-oriented formats.
• Automate recurring reports and reduce dependence on manually prepared spreadsheets.

• Analyse financial performance, programme economics and cost structures across projects, donors, programmes, locations and cost centres to support resource allocation.
• Track project burn rates, utilisation patterns, commitments and forecast expenditure; flag underspend, overspend and funding utilisation risks early.
• Help project teams interpret financial data, strengthen financial planning and assess corrective options.

• Work with Finance and other teams to improve the accuracy, consistency and usability of financial data; ensure analytical reports reconcile with underlying financial records.
• Develop structured datasets and reporting models for analysis across projects, donors, teams and periods.
• Identify reporting gaps and recommend process improvements, automation and stronger integration between finance systems, budgeting tools and management dashboards.

• Undertake financial modelling for new initiatives, proposals and strategic decisions.
• Support cost-benefit, sustainability and financial feasibility analysis, and use historical and comparative analysis to inform organisational planning.
• Respond to analytical requests from Finance leadership and senior management with clear, evidence-based recommendations.  

• 6+ years of relevant experience in financial analysis, FP&A, management reporting, business finance, programme finance or a similar analytical role.
• Strong grounding in budgeting, forecasting, variance and trend analysis, financial modelling and scenario planning.
• Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel / Google Sheets, including analysing large datasets and building financial models.
• Experience developing dashboards, KPIs and management reports using Power BI, Looker Studio, Superset or similar tools.
• Strong ability to interpret financial and operational data, identify patterns and anomalies, and translate analysis into clear insights, recommendations and management actions.
• Demonstrated ability to use data to support decision-making rather than only producing financial reports.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with high attention to data quality and accuracy.
• Ability to communicate complex financial information clearly to programme teams, functional leaders and non-finance stakeholders.
• Experience working with project, programme, grant or donor-funded financial data would be an advantage.
• Familiarity with accounting/ERP systems and extracting or structuring data for analysis; exposure to SQL, data modelling or automation tools would be an added advantage.  

• Comprehensive Personal Accident Insurance covering up to Rs 10,00,000 annually.
• Mediclaim Insurance covers up to Rs 3,00,000 annually through our insurance partner, Anand Rathi, together with additional wellness benefits.
• Reach for the Stars (RFS) support of up to Rs 5,000 each year to encourage your self-learning and professional development.
• Internet reimbursement of up to Rs 750 per month, based on actual usage, to support our flexible and hybrid ways of working.
• Childcare support of up to Rs 3,000 per month for employees with children below six years of age, through a matching contribution towards childcare or daycare expenses.
• Access to Quest Alliance's emotional health and wellbeing programmes, including:
• Group sessions valued at approximately Rs 8,000 per session, fully sponsored by the organisation.
• One-to-one counselling sessions, valued at approximately Rs 2,000 per session, fully sponsored by the organisation.
• Gratuity Allowance, reflecting Quest Alliance's long-term commitment to your financial security and social security. This amount is specifically earmarked by the organisation and becomes payable upon retirement or separation in accordance with applicable laws.