Director of Financial Planning & Analysis

About Nava Nava is a consultancy and public benefit corporation working to make government services simple and effective. Since 2015, federal, state, and local agencies have trusted Nava to help solve highly scrutinized technology modernization challenges. As a client services company, we guide agencies constrained by legacy systems to a future with sharp user experiences built on secure, reliable, fault-tolerant cloud infrastructure. We bill for our time, offering our expertise and problem-solving approach to help our government partners enhance their digital products and services. People are at the heart of our work, from members of the public who rely on benefit programs to government agency staff. Through human-centered design and modern engineering best practices, we help our government partners understand user needs and deliver on their missions more effectively. This focus gives everyone at Nava the opportunity to do work that is meaningful, impactful, and deeply connected to public good. Position summary  The Director of Financial Planning & Analysis (“FP&A”) is responsible for leading all aspects of the company’s corporate financial planning and performance analysis function. This seasoned, values-based leader will be a critical leader within the Finance organization, driving strategic financial planning, budgeting, forecasting, and financial and operating analysis across the firm. This role is highly visible and requires a strategic thinker who can translate complex financial data into actionable business insights for the Executive Leadership Team, Program Management, and organizational leaders. The ideal candidate has deep experience in a professional services environment, understanding the critical metrics of utilization, unit economics, and resource management. This person is an integral member of the company’s management team and will report to the CFO. They will work as part of a remote-first team to deliver the highest quality internal support and solutions to employees at scale in a fast-growing company. Nava is ~650 people today, and the Director of FP&A will be integral to enabling us to approximately double over the next several years. This role will help us solidify our position as a mid-market government contracting firm with a portfolio spanning the federal, state, and local level. Critical to this role will be the ability to deliver financial planning and analysis solutions through a customer-centric approach that leverages technology and continuously develops and leverages Nava’s FP&A and broader operational teams. As a proven leader and exceptional operator, this person should build trust and confidence in all interactions, elevate their team, serve as a role model for others, radiate their intent, take pride in strong attention to detail and precision, enjoy solving challenging problems creatively alongside internal colleagues and external teammates, setup scalable technology-enabled processes, and understand our industry’s dynamics and how best to operate within them. We are seeking “T-shaped” candidates – people with vertical depth of expertise in planning, analysis, and financial management who are strong horizontal leaders and communicators across organizational boundaries. In particular, we are looking for a leader who is an exceptional operator, and will deeply understand our goals, business, delivery approach, and mission, before bringing their expertise to the table to help us get there. What you’ll do

Lead the annual budgeting, monthly forecasting, and long-range strategic planning processes, coordinating with Executive Leadership, program leaders, practice leaders, and department heads to ensure alignment with the firm's strategic objectives

Develop and manage comprehensive financial models for forecasting revenues, expenses, resource capacity, cash, investments, and profitability, particularly focusing on driver-based models relevant to professional services (e.g., headcount, contracts, projects, utilization, bill rates)

Provide insightful financial due diligence and analysis for potential strategic investments, capital expenditures, and major initiatives

Oversee the preparation of detailed, timely, and insightful monthly and periodic financial reports for the Leadership Team and Program Management

Monitor performance against the annual budget, forecasts and key operational metrics, identifying trends, opportunities, and risks

Analyze key professional services metrics, including utilization, unit economics, margins by program/project/client/practice area, and backlog, providing strategic recommendations for margin improvement and efficiency

Act as a trusted financial advisor to program and practice leaders, helping them manage their P&Ls, understand their cost drivers, and make data-driven decisions on pricing, staffing, and investments

Oversee the end-to-end monthly contract invoicing process, ensuring accuracy, compliance with client contracts, timely submission of invoices to clients, and close collaboration with Program and Operations

Work with the Accounting team to ensure billing practices align with GAAP regarding revenue recognition for fixed-fee, time-and-materials, and other types of contracts

Analyze invoicing trends, monitor the aging of receivables, and provide timely financial information to support collections efforts and minimize Days Sales Outstanding

Lead the company pricing function in partnership with Business Development, Delivery, and company leadership, ensuring competitive pricing approaches, reliable models, and flexible tools are in place to drive growth while maintaining strict adherence to firm-wide financial goals

Collaborate with Growth and Delivery Teams to ensure that resource estimates, price targets, and supporting models are grounded in operational reality and historical performance

Establish feedback loops and regular communication with Growth, Delivery, and other leaders are in place to provide data-driven insights that continuously improve pricing strategies and tools 

Partner with the CFO, other C-level executives, and key leaders on firm-wide strategic and operational initiatives

Lead, mentor, and develop the FP&A team, fostering a culture of high performance, accuracy, and continuous improvement

Streamline and improve existing reporting and planning processes so all leaders can easily access the financial information they need to perform their roles, leveraging financial systems and business intelligence tools for efficiency and enhanced analytics

Required skills

10+ years of progressive experience in FP&A, Corporate Finance, or a related field

Minimum of 3-5 years of direct experience within a Professional Services firm (e.g., Consulting, IT Services, Legal, or Accounting firm)

Bachelor's degree in Finance, Accounting, Economics, or a related field

Proven expertise in financial modeling, budgeting, and forecasting

Exceptional ability to synthesize complex data into clear, concise, and actionable insights for non-financial executives

Strong leadership and people management skills, with experience developing an FP&A function

Advanced proficiency in financial planning systems (e.g., Adaptive Planning, Anaplan, Hyperion), business intelligence tools (e.g., Tableau, Power BI), and contract-based ERPs (Unanet, Deltek, Netsuite).Strong leadership and communication skills, with the ability to influence and collaborate effectively across all levels of the organization

Excellent analytical and problem-solving abilities, with a keen attention to detail and accuracy

Strong computer skills and an ability to leverage technology in a contract administration context

Excellent time management skills with keen attention to detail

Problem solving and conflict resolution skills

High level of personal integrity, ethics, motivation, and ability to foster mutual respect and inclusion

Capacity and resilience to develop, build, and grow strong working relationships at all levels of leadership, management, and external stakeholders and clients

Ability to implement strategies and services in a fast-paced, dynamic, and growing environment while maintaining alignment across organizational boundaries

Desired skills

MBA or CPA/CFA certification

Experience with a global or multi-entity professional services organization

Deep understanding of professional services automation (PSA) software and how it integrates with financial systems

Proficiency in GSuite, Slack, Zoom, Excel, Apple computers, and other tools used to support a remote-work environment