OPT Financial Planning And Analysis Fp A Jobs

About Lotus Company:

At Lotus Company, we believe every person deserves more than a place to live - they deserve a place to belong.

Lotus exists to restore dignity, renew hope, and create sanctuaries where life can truly flourish. As a full-service builder, developer, owner, and operator, Lotus leads with intention at every stage - from design and development to construction, management, and community impact. Every detail reflects a belief that housing is sacred ground: a foundation upon which human potential awakens, and communities come alive. At Lotus, every team member plays a vital role in advancing our mission.

Our neighborhood communities blend thoughtful design, sustainable craftsmanship, and authentic connection. Through our Lotus Impact Foundation, we extend our mission beyond housing, offering programs that empower residents to heal, grow, and step into brighter futures. Through Lotus Hospitality, we design gathering places that cultivate belonging, beauty, and shared humanity.

With over $1 billion in projects in motion, Lotus is not merely constructing buildings, we are cultivating sanctuaries of hope across the nation. Each community is a living testament that every person is seen, safe and valued.

Job Description:

The FP&A Associate is a mid-level role focused on driving the company’s financial planning processes and performing higher-level analysis to guide decision-making. They serve as a bridge between the junior analysts and the FP&A Manager, often taking ownership of specific components of budgeting, forecasting, and performance reporting. In addition, the FP&A Associate may be involved in complex analytical projects, such as evaluating new initiatives or optimizing internal financial management practices. This role reports to the FP&A Manager (or Managing Director of Finance if the team is small) and may supervise an analyst.

Responsibilities:

• Budgeting Process Lead: Coordinate the preparation of the annual budget across all departments. This includes distributing planning templates, consolidating departmental inputs, and checking for completeness and accuracy. Analyze and challenge assumptions submitted by department heads (e.g., ensure that revenue projections are realistic and expenses are justified). Work closely with the FP&A Manager to refine the budget before presentation to executives/Board.

• Forecasting & Variance Analysis: Manage the rolling forecast updates on a quarterly or monthly basis. Update the corporate financial forecast to reflect actual results and new projections for the remainder of the year. Perform variance analysis to explain differences between budgeted and actual figures, identifying key drivers for over-performance or under-performance. Prepare narrative explanations and presentation slides for management reporting.

• Financial Reporting & KPIs: Oversee the preparation of regular internal financial reports (monthly management reports, project profitability analyses, overhead reports, etc.). Ensure reports highlight key performance indicators (KPIs) important to the company’s success – e.g., actual overhead as a percentage of development volume, operating cash burn rate, project fee realization rate, etc. Continuously improve the reporting format for clarity and insight. Present findings to the Managing Director of Finance and department heads, highlighting issues and opportunities.

• Strategic Analysis: Undertake in-depth financial analysis to support strategic decisions by leadership. For example, analyze the financial impact of hiring plans (how adding X employees affects the overhead and profitability), or evaluate different scenarios of development pace (if we take on Y projects per year, what is the 5-year profit outlook and capital requirement?). Provide clear recommendations based on analysis (e.g., “With 3 additional project starts next year, we would need to raise Z amount of corporate capital but would increase annual profit by Q by year 5”).

• Cash Flow & Capital Management: Monitor and forecast the company’s cash flow and liquidity. Work with Accounting to understand timing of cash receipts and disbursements. Recommend actions if a shortfall is projected – such as drawing on a credit line or delaying certain expenses. If the company maintains a corporate credit facility or revolving line, prepare borrowing base certificates or compliance calculations as needed and ensure adherence to covenants.

• Entity Management: Oversee and maintain all documents and databases associated with internally managed or owned entities. Scope to include asset ownership, holding company, internal investment, corporate, and operating company entities. Ensure documents are organized and maintained in a standard convention with up to date database changes maintained. Maintain key terms summaries, fees detail, and cash flow/profits/capital waterfalls per terms of the agreements.

• Investor Reporting: Lead or support aggregation of investment reports from project managers across portfolio. Ensure standards of reporting are maintained across portfolio. Hold accountability for cross departmental team members for deadlines and deliverables. Maintain and monitor templates and standards for cross departmental collaboration and data input integrity. Liaison with external investors and report recipients on information requests and investment administration related matters.

• Investment Portfolio Oversight: If the company invests its own equity in projects or has an interest in completed properties (e.g., sponsor shares or cash flows), track the performance of those investments. Create a portfolio view of all such investments, projecting distributions and returns to the company over time. This helps in long-term planning of corporate revenue streams beyond development fees. Collaborate on process implementation and ad hoc forecasting requests.

• Portfolio Forecasting: Oversee aggregation of portfolio and asset level forecasts.

• Process Improvement: Identify opportunities to improve FP&A processes. For instance, streamline data collection by implementing or enhancing a budgeting software tool, or develop a standardized template for project post-mortems (comparing initial underwrite to actual outcomes to refine future assumptions). Work with IT or Accounting to automate reports and reduce manual work.

• Mentorship: Supervise junior analyst(s) if applicable. Review their work for accuracy, provide feedback, and help prioritize their tasks. Act as a go-to resource for questions and training, building their capabilities in financial analysis and modeling.

Qualifications

• Financial Expertise: Strong grasp of corporate finance and accounting principles. Able to build and understand complex financial models that integrate P&L, balance sheet, and cash flow. Familiarity with revenue recognition (important for development fees over project timelines) and cost allocation principles.

• Analytical Insight: Goes beyond reporting numbers – can interpret what the numbers mean and advise on decisions. For example, not just knowing that overhead is over budget, but analyzing which areas and suggesting how to control them, or identifying trends (like revenues consistently lagging in Q1) and proposing solutions.

• Communication: Excellent ability to communicate financial information to non-financial managers. Should be able to distill a detailed analysis into clear takeaways and action items. Experience creating management presentations or dashboard reports is important. Comfortable speaking up in meetings to explain financial results or projections.

• Attention to Detail and Accuracy: Responsible for the integrity of financial plans and reports that executives rely on. Must ensure all figures are accurate and assumptions are documented. Able to perform quality control on complex spreadsheets and catch errors.

• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Able to work diplomatically and effectively with various department heads during budgeting and reporting. The FP&A Associate often plays a role of “challenger” to others’ plans – doing so with tact and rationale is key to maintaining good relationships.

• Problem-Solving: Proactive in identifying financial issues and investigating them. For instance, if there’s an unexpected variance, will dig into accounting records or consult with project managers to understand why. Creative in finding ways to present data more effectively or to solve planning challenges (like how to cut costs if needed, or how to fund a new initiative).

• Technical Skills: Advanced Excel skills (including scenario analysis, possibly some VBA for automation if needed). Experience with any enterprise planning software or ERP systems is a plus. Ability to quickly learn the company’s internal systems (accounting software, project management systems) to extract data.

Education & Experience:

• Bachelor’s degree in finance, accounting, or related field required. Advanced degree or certification (MBA, CPA, or CFA) is advantageous and sometimes preferred for deeper knowledge.

• 3–5 years of experience in financial planning & analysis, corporate finance, or a similar function. Experience in the real estate sector or development company FP&A is highly valued because of the industry-specific revenue and cost nuances.

• Demonstrable experience with leading or significantly contributing to a budgeting cycle and producing management reports. References or examples of past work should reflect clarity of analysis and influence on management decisions.

• Ideally, some experience supervising or mentoring junior staff, or at least leading cross-functional projects, to show readiness for a step up in responsibility.

• Knowledge of affordable housing finance or LIHTC not mandatory for an FP&A role, but some familiarity helps. At minimum, must be willing to learn about how development fee income, tax credit equity, and other specific items work in this business to incorporate them into planning.

Work Environment & Schedule:

This is a full-time, in-office position based on the 13th floor of our downtown Salt Lake City headquarters, with core hours Monday through Friday. Our office at Second + State offers expansive views of the city and surrounding mountains, access to a private balcony, and close proximity to a wide range of restaurants, cafés, and amenities within walking distance. The building also provides an on-site fitness facility and covered, year-round parking. Daily office essentials like coffee, snacks, and beverages are available to support a comfortable and engaging workday.

Benefits:

Lotus Company offers a comprehensive benefits package designed to support the health, financial security, and overall well-being of our employees. Benefits include:

• Medical, dental, and vision insurance coverage, with eligibility beginning 30 days after employment

• Employer contribution of up to $1,430 per month toward insurance premiums

• Health Savings Account (HSA) option for eligible plans

• Access to telehealth and virtual care services

• Mental health and wellness support, including access to therapy and counseling resources

• Company-paid basic life insurance, with the option to purchase additional coverage

• Company-paid short-term disability insurance

• Paid time off (PTO), accruing at 15 days per year

• Ten (10) paid company holidays per year

• 401(k) retirement plan with employer matching contributions

• Performance-based bonus opportunities based on individual and company performance

• Employee recognition and milestone celebrations

• Access to an on-site fitness facility

• Covered, year-round parking in an attached garage

• Daily office amenities, including coffee, snacks, and beverages