Lead Financial Analyst - Engineering Research & Development

The North America ER&D Lead Financial Analyst is a key business partner to the global engineering organization, supporting related party transactions, financial reporting, and inter-regional funding activities across North America and global affiliates.

This role supports North America coordination of intercompany (related party) transactions, working closely with Engineering, Finance, Tax, and Legal teams to help ensure alignment with IFRS, tax, and governmental requirements.

The position contributes to Statement of Work (SOW) controlling and SOW Library processes (global system) while supporting accurate forecasting, actuals analysis, contract execution, and funding alignment across regions. The role partners with Engineering Operations, Program Teams, and Global Controlling to enable efficient financial processes and continuous improvement.

Key Responsibilities:

Support related party transaction activities across global regions (South America, Enlarged Europe, Asia Pacific), ensuring accuracy and compliance

Contribute to SOW controlling and SOW Library processes, including contract tracking and consistency across regions

Support financial reporting processes, including actuals, forecasts, budget tracking, and variance analysis

Collaborate cross-functionally with Engineering, Finance, Tax, Legal, Purchasing, and Treasury to maintain alignment on intercompany activities

Assist with intercompany funding processes, including project tracking, purchase requisition coordination, and gap identification

Support SOW and Service Agreement (SA) requisitions, including validation of invoices, and commitments

Partner with program teams on inter-regional product development activities, including tracking milestones, deliverables, and associated costs

Perform variance and gap analysis between planned and actual costs to support financial decision-making

Utilize SAP reporting and queries to analyze program spending and support reporting deliverables

Support preparation of monthly North America forecast reporting, including actuals, FX impacts, and spend drivers

Assist with accrual reconciliation activities in coordination with global controlling teams

Participate in process improvement initiatives to enhance efficiency and standardization of intercompany workflows

Support timely contract execution, invoice validation, and intercompany settlement activities

Contribute to ER&D special projects and global finance initiatives as needed

Performance Expectations & Deliverables:

Deliver accurate and timely financial reporting, forecasting, and intercompany support

Maintain consistency in SOW processes and documentation across regions

Provide clear analysis and insights for operational and finance stakeholders

Support cross-functional coordination to enable efficient contract execution and funding alignment

Identify and escalate issues related to funding, contracts, or financial discrepancies

Requirements:

Basic Qualifications:

Bachelor's degree in Finance or Accounting

Minimum 8 years of Finance or Accounting experience

Minimum 2 years of budgeting and forecasting experience

Advanced Excel skills (pivot tables, lookups)

Strong organizational and project management skills

Strong communication and collaboration skills

Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite

Preferred Qualifications:

MBA and/or CPA

Experience with SAP or similar financial systems

Experience supporting intercompany or related party processes

Automotive industry experience preferred