Financial Analyst FP&A

About Reliant Transportation Group

Reliant Transportation Group is a respected school bus and motorcoach transportation provider that safely connects over 40,000 coach passengers and students each day to learning and lifelong memories. Founded in 1959, the company and its affiliates have grown to nearly 1,500 teammates, operating over 1,000 school buses and other vehicles from over 20 locations across the Midwest. The principles of safety, community, integrity, and service guide all levels of the organization, enabling the company to be a dependable, responsible partner that communities trust to unlock the educational opportunities and experiences that enrich lives. 

Our Purpose and Vision

We exist to unlock education and experiences.

We aspire to be the most trusted passenger transportation provider, safely opening doors to learning and lifelong memories

Our culture is guided by four core principles:

•        Safety – Safety leads the way; guiding every decision to protect our team and those who depend on us.

•        Community – Our teammates support each other and the communities we serve.

•        Integrity – We choose to do the right thing, the right way, for the right reason, every time.

•        Service – Excellent service is our standard; together we bring our best to every customer, every teammate, and every outcome.

Position Summary

The Financial Analyst, Financial Planning & Analysis is responsible for assigned planning, forecasting, reporting, modeling and business-partnering workstreams. The role works directly with Service Center and functional leaders to understand performance, identify risks and opportunities and translate financial information into practical recommendations.

The Financial Analyst is expected to work independently within assigned areas, build and improve financial models, and to work on assigned analytical projects. The role reports to the Finance Manager, FP&A, who retains overall responsibility for the function, team prioritization, people leadership and enterprise-wide conclusions.

Salary range: $75,000 - $100,000 / year, based on experience

Primary Responsibilities

Planning, Forecasting & Performance Analysis

•        Own budgeting and forecasting for assigned Service Centers, departments or financial workstreams, including assumptions, model updates, stakeholder review and variance follow-up.

•        Build, maintain and improve driver-based planning models and assigned components of cash flow, capital and liquidity analysis.

•        Develop variance, trend, scenario and sensitivity analysis and identify risks, opportunities and forecast changes supported by operating facts.

Business Partnership & Reporting

•        Serve as the day-to-day finance partner for assigned leaders and lead, or co-lead, performance discussions focused on operating drivers, actions and forecast implications.

•        Own recurring reporting and analysis for assigned areas, including KPI reporting, forecast bridges and supporting schedules for executive, Board or lender reporting.

•        Partner with Accounting, Billing, BI, HR and Operations to resolve data and performance issues and bring forward clear recommendations when broader decisions are required.

M&A, Strategic Analysis & Projects

•        Build and populate acquisition models and complete defined analytical workstreams such as historical normalization, forecast development, synergy analysis and scenario testing.

•        Support financial diligence and post-close integration of acquired entities into Reliant's planning, reporting and KPI framework.

•        Perform analysis supporting pricing, staffing, contract economics, capital investment, fleet decisions and cost improvement opportunities.

Systems & Technical Leadership

•        Develop skills to be a power user of Workday Adaptive Planning and related reporting tools; help maintain consistency between planning models, financial reporting and BI outputs.

Planning, Forecasting & Business Partnership

•        Support the annual operating plan, rolling forecast and long-range planning process across Service Centers and corporate departments.

•        Maintain an integrated view of revenue, EBITDA, capital expenditures, working capital, cash flow, liquidity and covenant implications.

•        Serve as a FP&A partner to Service Center and functional leaders; lead performance discussions, challenge assumptions and drive follow-through on actions.

•        Partner with Controllership, Billing, Operations, HR and BI to ensure actual results, operating data and planning assumptions are aligned and decision useful.

 Reporting, Analysis & Decision Support

•        Support monthly and quarterly management reporting, including variance analysis, KPI reporting, forecast updates and materials for the CFO, executive team, Board, sponsor and lenders.

•        Work on scenario, sensitivity, pricing, capital, fleet, staffing and investment analysis and translate the output into practical recommendations.

•        Ensure analysis clearly identifies what happened, why it happened, the financial impact and the action or decision required.

M&A & Strategic Analysis

•        Support acquisition modeling, valuation analysis, financial diligence, synergy analysis and transaction-related scenario work.

•        Support post-close integration by bringing acquired businesses into Reliant's planning, reporting, cash flow and KPI framework.

•        Provide analytical support for financing activity, strategic initiatives and other executive priorities.

Leadership, Process & Systems

•        Improve FP&A models, processes, documentation and controls so the function scales with Company growth and acquisitions.

•        Support FP&A business requirements within Workday Adaptive Planning and partner with Finance Systems and BI on automation, data quality and reporting improvements.

Qualifications

Education

•        Bachelor's degree in finance, accounting, economics, business or related field; MBA, CPA or CMA is a plus.

Experience

•        3+ years of progressive FP&A, corporate finance or comparable analytical experience, including meaningful ownership of budgeting, forecasting and management reporting.

•        Strong financial modeling and Excel capability, including operating, cash flow, scenario or transaction models.

•        Demonstrated experience partnering with operating leaders and translating analysis into business decisions and actions.

•        Experience in a private equity-backed, multi-site, asset-intensive or acquisition-oriented business is preferred; Workday Adaptive, Power BI or similar tools are a plus.

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities

•        Strong financial and business acumen with the ability to understand financial statements, operating metrics and performance drivers.

•        Strong ownership, judgment and ability to prioritize multiple workstreams in a fast-paced environment.

•        Clear, concise communication with the ability to work effectively with operating leaders.

•        High standards for analytical accuracy, practical problem-solving and continuous improvement.

Success in This Role

•        Planning and forecasting are timely, credible and connected to the operating drivers of the business.

•        Service Center and functional leaders understand performance, risks and opportunities and use FP&A as a partner in decision making.

•        Management, Board, sponsor and lender reporting is accurate, concise and decision useful.

•        The FP&A team operates with clear ownership, strong analytical standards and increasing independence.

•        M&A and strategic initiatives receive timely, practical financial support from evaluation through integration.

Average Pay Rate

Benefits and Total Rewards

We believe in rewarding great people with meaningful benefits that support your health, growth, and long term success.

Part Time Team Members

• Dental insurance

• Vision insurance

• Paid training

• Annual bonus opportunity

• Career development opportunities

This job description outlines the general nature and level of responsibilities associated with this position. It is not intended to be an exhaustive list of all duties, responsibilities, qualifications, or working conditions. Employees may be required to perform additional job-related duties consistent with business needs. The Company reserves the right to revise, modify, interpret, or apply this job description at its discretion and in accordance with applicable law.  This job description does not create a contract of employment with the Company.  Employment is at will and may be terminated by either the employee or the Company at any time, subject to applicable law.

Minnesota Coaches LLC and its affiliated companies are Equal Opportunity Employers and prohibit discrimination and harassment of any kind.  All employment decisions are made without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, age, disability, genetic information, veteran status, or any other protected characteristic under federal, state, or local law.