Finance Business Manager - Marketing FP&A

Company Description

Our Mission

At Palo Alto Networks® everything starts and ends with our mission:

Being the cybersecurity partner of choice, protecting our digital way of life.
Our vision is a world where each day is safer and more secure than the one before. We are a company built on the foundation of challenging and disrupting the way things are done, and we’re looking for innovators who are as committed to shaping the future of cybersecurity as we are.

Who We Are

We take our mission of protecting the digital way of life seriously. We are relentless in protecting our customers and we believe that the unique ideas of every member of our team contributes to our collective success. Our values were crowdsourced by employees and are brought to life through each of us everyday - from disruptive innovation and collaboration, to execution. From showing up for each other with integrity to creating an environment where we all feel included.

As a member of our team, you will be shaping the future of cybersecurity. We work fast, value ongoing learning, and we respect each employee as a unique individual. Knowing we all have different needs, our development and personal wellbeing programs are designed to give you choice in how you are supported. This includes our FLEXBenefits wellbeing spending account with over 1,000 eligible items selected by employees, our mental and financial health resources, and our personalized learning opportunities - just to name a few!

At Palo Alto Networks, we believe in the power of collaboration and value in-person interactions. This is why our employees generally work full time from our office with flexibility offered where needed. This setup fosters casual conversations, problem-solving, and trusted relationships. Our goal is to create an environment where we all win with precision.

Job Description

Your Career

We are seeking a highly motivated and experienced Finance Business Manager (FBM) to join our Marketing finance team. The FBM will be a key strategic partner to our Marketing organization, providing financial leadership, analysis, and insights to drive informed business decisions. This role will be responsible for managing financial planning, budgeting, forecasting, and reporting for various marketing initiatives.

This is an in office role in our HQ ( Santa Clara, CA)

Your Impact

• Financial Planning & Analysis:

  • Manage monthly financial close activities; conduct variance analysis between actuals and forecast, providing actionable insights.

  • Provide oversight and approval of Marketing spending and investment requests including Marketing Development Funds (MDF).

  • Prepare detailed financial headcount and expense forecasts, identifying key trends, risks, and opportunities.

  • Partner closely with marketing teams to understand timing of spend and resource requirements to drive accurate monthly forecasts of expense and headcount.

  • Develop and maintain financial models to support strategic decision-making and scenario analysis.

  • Partner with marketing teams during the annual financial planning process, including detailed budget planning and aligning investments to assigned budget targets.

• Business Partnering:

  • Serve as a trusted financial advisor to Marketing leadership, providing proactive financial guidance and support and being the subject matter expert on legal, sourcing and procurement processes.

  • Collaborate with marketing teams to understand business strategies and translate them into financial implications.

  • Evaluate the financial impact of new marketing programs, campaigns, and investments.

  • Support business cases and ROI analysis for significant marketing initiatives.           

• Reporting & Insights:

  • Prepare and present comprehensive financial reports to Marketing leadership and other stakeholders that includes variance analysis and audit reports to track marketing spend effectiveness and efficiency.

  • Provide ad-hoc financial analysis and support for various business needs.

• Process Improvement:

  • Identify and implement opportunities for process improvements within financial planning, forecasting, and reporting by way of business transformation or leveraging AI capabilities.

  • Ensure compliance with internal financial policies and procedures.

Qualifications

Your Experience 

• Bachelor's degree in Finance, Accounting or Economics; MBA or CFA is a plus, but not required.

• 5+ years of progress