Find & Apply For Financial Analyst Jobs in Santa Barbara, California

Description We are looking for an experienced Financial Analyst to support budgeting, forecasting, and finance operations for a Long-term Contract position based in California. This role focuses on bringing structure to departmental planning, improving budget-to-actual visibility, and partnering with business leaders to build a dependable monthly financial rhythm. The ideal candidate is someone who can step in quickly, work independently, and deliver practical solutions across multiple departments and cost centers.

Responsibilities:

• Lead the completion and refinement of departmental budgets, ensuring plans are accurate, organized, and ready for ongoing use.
• Develop forward-looking forecasts and budget-to-actual reporting that help leaders understand financial performance and key variances.
• Partner closely with department heads to create a repeatable monthly budgeting and forecasting process that supports informed decision-making.
• Use Sage X3 and Ramp to manage financial workflows, including expense coding, reconciliations, and coordination with general ledger activity.
• Analyze spending patterns across teams and cost centers, identifying trends, risks, and opportunities for improved financial control.
• Support payroll-to-general-ledger mapping and related reconciliations, including work involving Rippling or similar payroll platforms when needed.
• Prepare and maintain advanced Excel models to consolidate data, evaluate results, and present actionable financial insights.
• Contribute hands-on support across core accounting operations such as journal entries, month-end close activities, and balance sheet reconciliation as required. Requirements
• Demonstrated experience in FP& A, including budgeting, forecasting, and variance analysis in complex business environments.
• Hands-on proficiency with Sage X3 and practical experience using Ramp for expense and financial operations.
• Advanced Excel capabilities, with the ability to build models, perform detailed analysis, and manage large data sets.
• Strong background partnering with multiple departments and overseeing financial activity across several cost centers.
• Ability to operate as a senior individual contributor who can assess needs quickly and deliver results with minimal onboarding.
• Knowledge of payroll-to-GL mapping and familiarity with Rippling or a comparable payroll system is preferred.
• Additional experience with accounting platforms such as NetSuite, Oracle, QuickBooks, or SAP is valuable.
• Working knowledge of core accounting processes, including accounts payable, accounts receivable, bank reconciliations, general ledger activity, and month-end close.

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