Business Finance - Senior Associate

Job description

Your Team Responsibilities The Analytics FP&A team is the financial nerve centre for MSCI's Analytics business — spanning risk management, portfolio analytics, performance attribution, fixed income, wealth management, and AI-driven products. This Senior Associate role is a high-visibility position where you will partner directly with the Analytics Finance Director, regional leaders, product teams, to shape the planning, forecasting, and performance narrative that drives strategic decisions. The role demands someone equally comfortable building a granular P&L forecast and presenting a crisp, stakeholder-ready story to the executive committee. Your Key Responsibilities Financial Planning, Forecasting & Close • Own the end-to-end quarterly forecast cycle (operating metrics, P&L, headcount, allocations)— serving as the primary finance point of contact for business heads, Corporate FP&A, and regional stakeholders to align on numbers. • Support in Annual Operating Plan cycle (AOP) for operating metrics, P&L, headcount and investment. Business Reviews & Executive Reporting • - Lead financial content preparation for QBRs and MBRs — tables, commentary, and mini-business operating metrics — consumed by the Executive Committee, Management Committee, and Head of Analytics Finance. • Act as the trusted finance partner to regional product managers and coverage leads, delivering timely segment-by-product data packs and ensuring stakeholders have the analytical foundation for their quarterly reviews. Commercial Analytics & Revenue Intelligence • Partner with regional and business-head stakeholders on weekly commercial calls, providing forecast-vs-target analysis, thermometer views, and pipeline intelligence drawn from Salesforce to enable real-time course corrections. • Own quarterly cancellations analysis (by reason, region, segment, product) with a competitive-loss lens and track effective price increases and multi-year deal conversions — surfacing insights directly to coverage and executive audiences. Investment Tracking & Strategic Initiatives • Own the Quarterly Investment Review for the Executive and Management Committees — reporting on investment spend, benefits realisation, and actual-vs-plan performance • Track sales and run-rate performance for strategic initiatives across the Analytics portfolio, maintaining the M&A tracker and partnering with the business head to keep the strategic lens current. Dashboards, BI & Investor Support • Maintain and enhance Power BI dashboards as the single source of truth for Analytics finance and commercial metrics, partnering with regional and product stakeholders to ensure the views meet their decision-making needs. • Leverage AI tools (Claude, ChatGPT) to build automated dashboards, streamline data workflows, and accelerate the team's reporting output — championing a culture of continuous improvement. Your skills and experience that will help you excel Experience • Minimum 8 years of progressive experience in FP&A, commercial finance, or business analytics — preferably within financial services, data/analytics, or technology companies. • Demonstrable track record of working in a similar FP&A or commercial finance role, with direct exposure to P&L management, forecasting, and executive-level reporting. • Proven experience managing and presenting to senior business stakeholders (VP-level and above), including C-suite executives. Must have operated as a finance business partner, not just a reporting resource. • Hands-on experience with AI-powered productivity tools such as ChatGPT, Claude, or similar platforms — including building dashboards, automating workflows, and generating analytical outputs using these tools. Technical Skills • Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel (financial modelling, complex formulas, pivot tables, scenario analysis). • Working knowledge of Power BI or equivalent BI/visualisation tools — ability to build, maintain, and troubleshoot dashboards. • Experience working with Salesforce reporting and CRM data for commercial analytics. Competencies & Soft Skills • Exceptional communication skills — ability to distil complex financial data into clear, concise narratives for executive audiences. Comfort presenting in high-stakes forums is essential. • Strong stakeholder management — demonstrated ability to build trusted relationships with business heads, regional leaders, product teams, and corporate finance partners. Must be seen as a partner, not a back-office function. • High commercial acumen — ability to connect financial metrics to business strategy, understand revenue drivers, and think beyond the numbers. • Detail-oriented with a strong ownership mindset — able to operate as a 'Maker' who takes end-to-end accountability for output quality and timeliness. • Thrives in a fast-paced environment with competing priorities and tight deadlines across weekly, monthly, and quarterly reporting cycles. • Intellectually curious with a bias toward continuous improvement and process automation. About MSCI What we offer you • Transparent compensation schemes and comprehensive employee benefits, tailored to your location, ensuring your financial security, health, and overall wellbeing. • Flexible working arrangements, advanced technology, and collaborative workspaces. • A culture of high performance and innovation where we experiment with new ideas and take responsibility for achieving results. • A global network of talented colleagues, who inspire, support, and share their expertise to innovate and deliver for our clients. • Global Orientation program to kickstart your journey, followed by access to our Learning@MSCI platform, AI Learning Center , LinkedIn Learning Pro and tailored learning opportunities for ongoing skills development. • Multi-directional career paths that offer professional growth and development through new challenges, internal mobility and ex