Director, Finance Data & Analytics

Description

Director, Finance Data & Analytics

Reports to: SVP, Finance

Position Overview

Crain Communications is seeking a strategic and hands-on Director of Finance Data & Analytics to transform how finance leverages data to drive decision-making across the organization. This role will lead the development of a modern finance data ecosystem, delivering actionable insights that improve financial performance, forecasting accuracy, and operational efficiency.

Reporting to the SVP of Finance, this leader will serve as a key partner to Finance, Business Intelligence, and business unit leaders—bridging financial expertise with advanced analytics to support growth across Crain’s portfolio of media brands.

Key Responsibilities

Finance Data Strategy & Leadership

• Define and execute a roadmap for finance data and analytics aligned with corporate strategy
• Build and lead a high-performing team of analysts and data professionals
• Establish governance, standards, and best practices for financial data management
  
  

Analytics & Insights

• Develop advanced financial dashboards, KPIs, and performance reporting across revenue, cost, and profitability
• Deliver deep-dive analyses on audience revenue, subscriptions, events, advertising, and emerging digital products
• Provide actionable insights to support executive decision-making and strategic planning
  
  

Planning, Forecasting & Modeling

• Enhance financial planning & analysis (FP&A) through predictive analytics and scenario modeling
• Partner with FP&A to improve forecasting accuracy and automate reporting processes
• Build scalable models for revenue forecasting, pricing strategy, and margin optimization
  
  

Data Infrastructure & Tools

• Partner with IT and Data teams to modernize finance data architecture (data warehouse, BI tools, etc.)
• Evaluate and implement tools for reporting, visualization, and automation (e.g., Power BI, Tableau, SQL, Python)
• Ensure integrity, consistency, and accessibility of financial data across systems
  
  

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Act as a strategic partner to business leaders across editorial, events, sales, and product teams
• Translate complex financial data into clear, compelling narratives for non-finance stakeholders
• Support M&A analysis, investment decisions, and new business initiatives
  
  

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Accounting, Data Analytics, or related field (MBA or advanced degree preferred)
• 8–12 years of experience in finance, FP&A, analytics, or related roles
• Proven experience leading data-driven finance initiatives and managing teams
• Strong technical skills (SQL, Excel, BI tools; Python/R a plus)
• Experience with financial systems (e.g., ERP, planning tools) and data warehouses
• Ability to connect financial metrics to business drivers in a media, publishing, or digital environment preferred
• Exceptional communication skills with the ability to influence senior stakeholders
  
  

Key Competencies

• Strategic thinker with strong business acumen
• Data-driven and analytically rigorous
• Collaborative and cross-functional mindset
• Change agent comfortable building new capabilities
• Strong attention to detail with a focus on execution
  
  

About Crain Communications:

Crain Communications is a leading business news and information company with a portfolio of 24 media brands that provide indispensable coverage and data for professionals globally and across sectors, including advertising, automotive, finance, healthcare, staffing, and workforce solutions. Many of Crain’s brands are the most influential media properties in the industries and communities they serve, including Ad Age, Automotive News, Pensions & Investments, Modern Healthcare, Staffing Industry Analysts, as well as Crain’s regional business brands. For more than a century, our dedication to deep sector expertise and journalistic integrity has enabled us to provide trusted insights across all our platforms, empowering today’s business leaders to make industry-shaping decisions. To learn more about Crain Communications, visit crain.com.

Environmental Demands

Where you work matters. The job posting will provide specific information on where and when your amazing work would be performed. Employee work location is determined by the needs of the specific team and may include on-site, hybrid or remote.  Employee work location is subject to change.

• An “in-office” role would require the employee to come into the office most days with occasional flexibility to work remotely if tasks can be performed elsewhere and if the manager approves.
• A “remote” role would allow an employee to work from a home office that is in one of the states Crain does business in. We can only employ a remote / "work from home" employee if they reside in one of these states: AZ, CA, CO, FL, GA, IL, MD, MA, MI, MN, NV, NY, NC, OH, OR, TN, TX, VA, WA, WI, and Washington, DC.
• A “hybrid” role would be a mix of in-office and remote work. There may be a specified schedule for coming into the office or it could be at the discretion of the employee with the manager’s approval, subject to change.
• Employees who live within a reasonable commute distance from a Crain office are expected to work on-site 3 days per week.
  
  

Many positions will also include work done in “the field.” Depending on the role, this may include conducting in-person interviews, attending work-related events, meeting with sources or clients. Specifics will be noted in the job posting but are subject to change as a role evolves.   Employees may be exposed to adverse environmental conditions, specifically during field work. Other typical job functions are performed under conditions such as those found in general office work. 

Travel to cover news stories/events, meetings with clients, and to our geographically separated offices may be required.  It is the nature of many positions to experience non-standard working hours and be on-call when needed for responding to email, meeting with clients, attending work-related events, story development or breaking news. Most employees perform work Monday through Friday, although early-morning, evening or weekend shifts may be required.   Work schedule and travel requirements are subject to change as a role and needs evolve over time.

Physical Demands

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of many Crain jobs and are subject to change.

Physical activities will include frequent in-person or virtual interactions.  For most positions, it is essential to be able to remain at a desk/computer workstation for prolonged periods, perform computer-related tasks, and create/maintain documents within filing systems.  Must have close visual acuity to perform an activity, such as preparing and analyzing reports and information, transcribing, viewing a computer terminal, or extensive reading.  The typical physical requirements are light work—exerting up to 25lbs of force occasionally and/or up to 10lbs of force frequently and may include climbing, pushing, standing, hearing, walking, reaching, grasping, kneeling, stooping, and repetitive motion.  Some positions will have additional physical requirements, including exerting up to 50lbs of force to move and/or carry equipment, supplies, files, or other materials as the role requires.

Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential job functions and meet the environmental and physical demands of the role.

Equal Opportunity Employer/Protected Veterans/Individuals with Disabilities The contractor will not discharge or in any other manner discriminate against employees or applicants because they have inquired about, discussed, or disclosed their own pay or the pay of another employee or applicant. However, employees who have access to the compensation information of other employees or applicants as a part of their essential job functions cannot disclose the pay of other employees or applicants to individuals who do not otherwise have access to compensation information, unless the disclosure is (a) in response to a formal complaint or charge, (b) in furtherance of an investigation, proceeding, hearing, or action, including an investigation conducted by the employer, or (c) consistent with the contractor’s legal duty to furnish information. 41 CFR 60-1.35(c)