Senior Manager Financial Planning Analysis

GENERAL SUMMARY:

The Senior Manager, Financial Planning and Analysis is a hands-on finance role focused on complex modeling, forecasting, cost analysis, cash flow analysis, rate analysis, and executive-level financial presentation support. This position serves as a senior analytical partner within a flat Finance and Data Analytics organization, translating firm financial data into clear business insights, recommendations, and decision-support materials for leadership.

This is a senior individual contributor role for an experienced FP&A professional who can independently own nuanced, judgment-based analysis from question-framing through model development, interpretation, and executive presentation.

The role will support areas such as revenue forecasting, lateral group modeling, profitability analysis, expense planning, cash flow forecasting, pricing and rate analysis, and strategic scenario modeling. The successful candidate must be comfortable working directly in the details, pressure-testing assumptions, developing financial narratives, and preparing polished materials for senior audiences.

This role reports to the Director of Finance and Data Analytics and will work closely with members of the FP&A, business intelligence, and broader Finance teams to support the firm’s planning, reporting, and strategic analysis needs.

ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS:

• Independently build, maintain, and enhance complex financial models supporting revenue forecasting, cost analysis, cash flow planning, rate analysis, profitability analysis, and strategic scenario modeling.
• Develop revenue forecasts and related analyses that incorporate historical trends, billing and collections patterns, matter activity, staffing assumptions, practice group dynamics, and other relevant business drivers.
• Support lateral partner, lateral group, and other strategic growth analyses, including modeling projected revenue, compensation, staffing, expenses, profitability, cash flow impact, and sensitivity scenarios.
• Prepare financial analyses and executive-ready presentations for firm leadership, practice group leaders, office leaders, and administrative leadership, with a focus on clear narrative, key implications, risks, and recommended actions.
• Analyze key law firm performance drivers, including hours, demand, rates, realization, collections, leverage, matter economics, client profitability, practice performance, office performance, and market trends.
• Partner with business intelligence and technical finance colleagues to leverage source-system data, dashboards, and reporting tools while independently applying financial judgment, business context, and analytical interpretation.
• Translate complex financial and operational data into concise, practical insights that support planning, resource allocation, pricing, staffing, investment, and strategic decision-making.
• Conduct detailed expense, headcount, compensation, and operating cost analyses to support budget development, forecast updates, variance analysis, and management decision-making.
• Assist with the annual budget, periodic forecast updates, long-range planning, and other recurring FP&A processes, with a focus on modeling, analysis, assumption development, and leadership-facing materials.
• Respond to sensitive ad hoc requests from senior leadership and other internal stakeholders by quickly framing the issue, identifying the required data, developing the analysis, and communicating findings clearly.
• Benchmark firm, practice, office, client, and matter performance against internal trends and external market data, where available, to identify risks, opportunities, and areas requiring further analysis.
• Collaborate effectively in a flat team environment, contributing hands-on analytical capacity and financial perspective without relying on formal people-management authority.

QUALIFICATIONS / KSAs

• Bachelor’s degree with a Business, IS, or STEM major required; an MBA preferred.
• 7 years of experience in a professional services environment, with a focus on financial planning and analysis.
• Strong FP&A foundation, including forecasting, budgeting, variance analysis, profitability analysis, scenario modeling, cash flow analysis, and executive-level financial reporting.
• Advanced Excel and financial modeling skills, with the ability to build, maintain, and explain complex models independently.
• Strong PowerPoint and executive presentation skills, including the ability to translate detailed financial analysis into concise, decision-ready materials.
• Experience working with large, complex data sets; familiarity with SQL, Power BI, Tableau, Python, SSMS, Elite, Aderant, or other business intelligence and financial systems is preferred.
• Excellent communication skills, both verbal and written.
• Highly responsive with a strong sense of time management and the ability to meet deadlines efficiently and effectively.
• Ability to handle sensitive and confidential information with discretion.
• Self-motivated and flexible; ability to navigate roadblocks and deal with the unplanned and unexpected to find alternative ways to get things done.
• Excellent interpersonal skills and team orientation; ability to work well with others at all levels.
• Demonstrated ability to lead workstreams, influence stakeholders, and drive analysis to completion in a flat, collaborative environment.
• Strong facilitation, research, problem-solving, and critical thinking skills.
• Significant experience delivering presentations to diverse audiences, both virtually and in person, with excellent organizational skills and attention to detail.
• Ability to multi-task and perform well under pressure.

PHYSICAL EFFORT / WORK CONDITIONS

• This position operates in a professional office environment which is generally free of hazards and exposure to adverse environmental conditions.
• This position requires regular attendance on-site at Dechert’s Philadelphia office- with some travel to different sites using various modes of private and commercial transportation. Incumbents may be required to work extended hours including evenings and weekends.
• This position routinely operates standard office equipment such as computers, phones, photocopy machines and filing cabinets, and requires frequent communication with the firm’s employees and partners as well as third parties.
• This position is mainly sedentary. Primary functions require sufficient physical ability and mobility to work in an office setting; to read, sit, and type for sustained periods of time; to walk, stand, reach, and bend; and to verbally communicate to exchange information.
• This position requires a normal audio range, with or without correction. It also requires the normal visual range, with or without correction. Specific vision abilities required include close vision, distance vision, color vision, depth perception, and the ability to adjust focus.