FP&A Manager – R&D

Title: FP&A Manager – R&D

Location: Hybrid 3 days per week in Lakewood, CO 80215

Job Summary:

The FP&A Manager – R&D is responsible for financial planning, forecasting, and performance management for the global Research and Development organization. This role serves as the primary finance partner to R&D leadership and ensures financial discipline, transparency, and decision support across new product development, sustaining engineering, and innovation investments. The position reports to the Director of Corporate FP&A and leads R&D FP&A activities, manages analyst resources, and supports enterprise planning cycles, investment governance, and long‑range planning within a global, regulated medical device environment.

About the Role This is a hands‑on finance leadership position that combines FP&A expertise, accounting knowledge, and people management. The FP&A Manager will own key planning and forecasting responsibilities while managing a Senior Financial Analyst. This role requires direct work in systems, Excel, and data. It is not a strategy‑only or review‑only position.

Key Responsibilities

Sales Leadership

• Own forecasting, budgeting, and variance analysis.
• Partner with Accounting to ensure financial accuracy and alignment.
• Support R&D‑driven financial planning and understand how design activity impacts financial results.
• Manage and develop one direct report (Senior Financial Analyst).
• Work directly in FP&A systems and Excel.
• Navigate complexity related to financial systems and processes.

R&D Financial Leadership and Accountability

• Lead FP&A responsibilities for the global R&D function, including operating expense planning, headcount planning, capital tracking, and project investment visibility.
• Serve as a finance advisor to R&D leadership to support decision‑making across innovation and development priorities.
• Partner with R&D leaders to balance investment, risk, speed‑to‑market, and cost discipline.

Planning, Forecasting, and Long‑Range Strategy

• Lead R&D components of monthly and quarterly forecasts, the annual operating plan, and long‑range planning.
• Guide R&D leaders through planning assumptions, trade‑offs, and scenario analysis.
• Ensure alignment between R&D plans and enterprise financial objectives.
• Review and approve R&D financial submissions before corporate consolidation.

Portfolio and Investment Analysis

• Provide financial leadership across new product development, sustaining engineering, and technology investments.
• Support portfolio governance, investment committee inputs, and post‑investment performance tracking.
• Develop and maintain models to assess financial impact, capacity utilization, and risk across the R&D pipeline.

Team Leadership and Development

• Lead and develop Financial Analysts supporting R&D.
• Set expectations for analytical rigor and high‑quality business partnership.
• Review and elevate team analyses for accuracy and clarity.
• Allocate workload and priorities in alignment with corporate FP&A direction.

Reporting, Analytics, and Process Excellence

• Deliver clear and actionable R&D financial reporting to FP&A leadership and executives.
• Drive continuous improvement in R&D FP&A processes, tools, and reporting.
• Partner with Corporate FP&A on standardization, transformation, and system enhancements.
• Ensure effective use of ERP, planning, and BI tools.

Required Experience (Non‑Negotiable)

• Prior people management experience.
• Strong FP&A background with accounting exposure.
• Hands‑on experience with FP&A systems such as Adaptive Insights, Anaplan, or comparable tools.
• Advanced Excel proficiency.
• Experience partnering across finance, accounting, and technical teams.
• Candidates without prior management experience are not an ideal fit.

Preferred Background

• Experience in manufacturing, R&D‑heavy, or regulated industries such as medical device, aerospace, or pharmaceuticals.
• Experience supporting environments with design controls or product development lifecycles.

Working Model

• Strong preference for onsite or local candidates.
• Regular in‑person interaction with R&D partners is important.

Minimum Qualifications Education

• Bachelor’s degree in Finance or Accounting required.
• MBA or advanced degree preferred.

Experience

• Minimum 8 years of progressive FP&A or corporate finance experience.
• Minimum 2 years in a people leadership or process‑ownership role preferred.
• Experience partnering with R&D or engineering organizations strongly preferred.
• Experience in medical device, life sciences, healthcare, or regulated manufacturing preferred.
• Experience in a global, matrixed organization.

Skills

• Expert financial planning, forecasting, and analytical skills.
• Strong understanding of R&D cost structures, capitalization, and portfolio economics.
• Ability to influence senior stakeholders and lead through complexity.
• Advanced financial modeling and Excel skills.
• Strong executive communication skills.
• Experience with SAP or similar ERP systems preferred.
• Experience with planning systems such as Workday Adaptive, Anaplan, or OneStream.
• Experience with BI tools such as Power BI or Tableau.
• Demonstrated leadership, judgment, and accountability.
• Competency with public AI tools.

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