Financial Planning & Analysis ICS Associate Director

Grant Thornton is seeking a Financial Planning & Analysis Associate Director to join the team in Chicago, IL.

Grant Thornton is building a world-class Finance & Accounting organization to power decisions, performance, and growth across an increasingly global business. As Associate Director, FP&A Lead for North America, you will own the U.S. and Americas performance view — spanning budgeting, performance management, and day-to-day decision support — and partner with the Head of FP&A on global consolidated performance, budgeting, and rolling forecasts across all countries and service lines.

A defining priority is leading the FP&A integration of newly joined platform entities — Brazil, Puerto Rico, and Cayman — onto standard processes, reporting, and performance frameworks. You will also deliver board and investor materials and continuously raise the bar on the reliability and speed of enterprise reporting.

This is a high-visibility role with direct exposure to the CFO, Head of FP&A, Board, and investors.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Decision Support

·        Act as copilot to the CFO, Head of FP&A, and senior business leaders, translating performance, industry trends, and economic indicators into clear narratives and actions for the ELT and Board.

·        Provide finance input into M&A, value creation, and strategic investments.

Planning, Forecasting & Performance Management

·        Lead U.S. and Americas budgeting and forecasting; partner with the Head of FP&A on global consolidated performance, budgeting, and rolling forecasts across all countries and service lines.

·        Drive top-down guidance, planning assumptions, and target-setting, and maintain a disciplined rolling forecast cadence.

·        Define strategic KPIs and partner with Service Line leaders, ICS functions, and regional finance teams on pricing, utilization, margin, mix, and growth drivers.

·        Lead scenario planning to surface risks and opportunities and inform proactive mitigation.

Board, Investor & Executive Reporting

·        Deliver board and investor materials and executive reporting for the CFO, ELT, and Board committees.

·        Continuously improve the reliability and delivery speed of reporting through automation, standardization, and stronger controls.

Technology, Standardization & Team Leadership

·        Partner with IT and Data to deploy emerging FP&A tools — strengthening data architecture, governance, BI, and automation — and drive standardization across a multi-jurisdiction platform.

·        Lead and mentor FP&A analysts and managers; collaborate with Controllership on monthly close analytics and enterprise reporting.

Qualifications

Required

·        7–10+ years of progressive Finance experience (FP&A, Corporate Finance, Investment Banking, Consulting, or similar), including team or workstream leadership.

·        Proven track record leading FP&A integrations, carve-outs, or multi-entity consolidations — ideally across international jurisdictions.

·        Experience preparing board- and investor-facing financial materials.

·        Strong financial modeling and analytical skills in multi-currency, multi-entity environments.

·        Advanced Excel and PowerPoint; experience with enterprise planning and BI tools.

·        Demonstrated ability to influence senior leadership and lead through ambiguity.

Preferred

·        Direct exposure to Latin America, the Caribbean, or other international jurisdictions.

·        Familiarity with ERP, BI/reporting tools, data governance, and finance transformation programs.

·        Track record of improving reporting reliability and speed through process, data, or automation initiatives.

Leadership Attributes

Strong collaborator who influences across regions, functions, and cultures. Detail-oriented with sound business judgment and executive presence. Comfortable navigating ambiguity, building structure, and developing talent. Embodies GT's CLEARR values — Collaboration, Leadership, Excellence, Agility, Respect, and Responsibility.

The base salary range for this position is between $136,000 and $204,000. Placement within the pay range is at Grant Thornton’s discretion, and it is based on multiple factors, including but not limited to, job-related knowledge/skills, experience, business needs, progression within the role, geographic location, and internal equity. At Grant Thornton, compensation decisions are dependent upon the facts and circumstances of each position and candidate.