Trainee Financial Analyst Graduate Jobs in Florida

Make a difference at one of Florida's premier institutions for education in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). Florida Polytechnic University, ranked the No. 1 public college in the region by U.S. News and World Report, offers a unique working environment that encourages faculty and staff to be part of a culture that prizes collaboration, innovation, and the willingness to go above and beyond to ensure our students and University succeed. Florida Poly offers a small campus academic environment where students form connections with their faculty and peers as they pursue high-value degrees in engineering and applied sciences.

The University is equipped with cutting-edge facilities and equipment and two award-winning, architecturally distinct academic buildings. Its evolving curriculum, designed to meet the needs of industry and provide a life-long educational foundation for students, has helped the institution grow in prominence since its opening in 2014. Florida Poly's deliberately small classes, affordability, and outstanding graduate outcomes have helped it earn recognitions such as being named a top value school, in the top 25 nationally for affordability, and in the top five best universities in the South for tech students. Accredited by ABET and SACSCOC, Florida Poly is educating some of the brightest minds in Florida and attracting standout talent from across the nation.

JOB TITLE Workday Financial Planning Analyst JOB DESCRIPTION SUMMARY The Workday Financial Planning Analyst serves as the University's primary technical and functional subject matter expert for Workday Adaptive Planning. This position is responsible for architecting, building, and maintaining the financial planning infrastructure that drives institutional budgeting, forecasting, and decision-making. The analyst designs and owns interactive dashboards, driver-based financial models, and automated reporting pipelines within Workday Adaptive Planning transforming complex financial data into clear, actionable intelligence for leadership and stakeholders across the University. The role bridges deep technical Workday expertise with strong financial acumen, stakeholder communication, and a commitment to staying at the forefront of agentic AI and emerging FP&A technology. This position reports to the University Controller. JOB DESCRIPTION

Responsibilities:

• Workday Adaptive Planning Architecture & Dashboard Development: Build and maintain financial models, reports, driver-based budget templates, and interactive dashboards. Configure dimensions, levels, accounts, assumptions, and versions. Use Elastic Hypercube Technology (Workday/Adaptive) for multi-scenario modeling across departments, divisions, and cost centers. Deliver self-service dashboards and Office Connect reports covering KPIs, budget vs. actuals, and rolling forecasts. 25%
• Financial Modeling & Forecasting: Own the annual operating budget process compiling direction from the University's leadership team on revenue and expense projections as well as strategic need. Build what-if scenarios using external drivers such as inflation, enrollment, interest rates, and labor costs. Manage the full forecast cycle from data intake through model refresh to leadership presentation, using real-time integrations and automated recalculation to improve accuracy and speed decisions. 20%
• Data Analysis & Reporting: Publish monthly and ad hoc budget-to-actual variance reports with plain-language narratives. Build matrix and tabular reports, dashboards, and board-ready financial packages. Translate complex results into clear takeaways for non-financial audiences. Maintain data integrity across Workday reporting structures, including GL integrations and chart-of-accounts alignment. 15%
• Stakeholder Communication & Partnership: Serve as primary liaison to divisional leaders, budget managers, HR, and IT on all Adaptive Planning matters. Turn model outputs into business narratives that support decision-making. Manage budget cycle communications - timelines, submission deadlines, variance reviews. Present results and scenarios to the Controller, CFO, and senior administrators. 15%
• Stakeholder Training & Change Management: Deliver Adaptive Planning training for budget managers and departmental users university-wide. Create role-specific guides, video walkthroughs, and quick reference cards; run hands-on workshops and one-on-one coaching. Keep the training library current with platform updates and drive adoption of data-driven planning. 10%
• Agentic AI & Emerging Technology Innovation: Evaluate emerging Adaptive Planning capabilities, including the Workday Planning Agent, Illuminate AI, Intelligent Variance Analysis, and conversational analytics. Pilot AI tools that automate variance commentary, predictive forecasting, and self-service data access. Track the broader agentic AI landscape and bring recommendations to the Controller. Advance responsible AI adoption with governance, auditability, and human oversight. 10%
• System Integration & Data Governance: Manage integrations between Adaptive Planning and source systems, including Workday HCM and Financials. Ensure reliable data flows for headcount planning, GL trial balance consolidation, and actuals loading. Maintain version control, audit trails, and governance standards across all planning models. Coordinate with IT and the Workday system administrator on upgrades, feature releases, and integration health. 5%

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in Finance, Accounting, Business Administration, Information Systems, or a related field

• Minimum 4 years of experience in financial planning, budgeting

• Demonstrated hands-on experience with Workday Adaptive Planning or a comparable ERP/CPM platform (Anaplan, Vena, Planful, OneStream)

• Experience building financial models, dashboards, and reports for leadership audiences
• Experience delivering end-user training or change management programs
• In lieu of a degree, any appropriate combination of relevant education, experience, and/or certifications may be considered.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Workday Adaptive Planning certification (Pro or Specialist level)

• Experience in a higher education or public sector finance environment

• Familiarity with Workday Financials and/or Workday HCM

• Experience with agentic AI tools, LLM-based analytics, or AI-powered FP&A platforms

• CPA, CMA, or FP&A certification (AFP)
• Experience with data visualization tools such as Tableau, Power BI, or equivalet
  

Knowledge, Skills, & Abilities:

• Workday Technical Expertise
  • Hands-on proficiency with Workday Adaptive Planning including model building, dimension configuration, sheet design, and dashboard development
  • Ability to build driver-based models, rolling forecasts, and multi-version budget structures within Adaptive Planning
  • Experience creating Workday reports, and visual dashboards for executive audiences
  • Understanding of Workday Adaptive Planning's Elastic Hypercube Technology (EHT) and in-memory calculation architecture
  • Familiarity with Workday Financials and/or Workday HCM for integration and data sourcing purposes
• Financial Modeling & Analytical Skills
  • Deep expertise in financial planning, budgeting, forecasting, and variance analysis
  • Ability to build complex, multi-scenario models incorporating both internal drivers and external macroeconomic variables
  • Proficiency in root cause analysis, trend identification, and translating quantitative findings into plain-language narratives
  • Strong working knowledge of GAAP, fund accounting principles, and higher education budget structures (preferred)
• Communication & Stakeholder Management
  • Proven ability to communicate complex financial data clearly and concisely to audiences ranging from budget managers to senior executives
  • Experience facilitating cross-functional budget reviews, planning workshops, and training sessions
  • Skilled in creating professional presentations, data visualizations, and board-ready financial packages
• Agentic AI & Technology Literacy
  • Demonstrated curiosity and commitment to staying current with AI developments relevant to finance and FP&A, including agentic AI systems, large language models (LLMs), and AI-powered planning tools
  • Understanding of Workday's AI roadmap including Planning Agent, Workday Illuminate, and Ask Workday capabilities
  • Ability to critically evaluate AI tools for accuracy, auditability, and governance before institutional adoption
  • Comfort with piloting and iterating on emerging technology in a live production environment

REQUIRED LICENSES, CERTIFICATIONS, AND/OR OTHER SPECIFIC REQUIREMENTS OF LAW:

• Must possess a valid driver's license.
• This position requires a criminal background check, which may include a Level II screening as required by Florida Statute *435.04.
• This position is subject to federal and state privacy regulations.

NORMAL WORK SCHEDULE: This position is exempt/salary exempt. The normal work schedule is Monday - Friday, 8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. However, occasional overtime (weekends and evenings) may be required.

TARGET HIRING SALARY: $80,000 - $85,000, commensurate with experience.

LOCATION/WORK MODEL: Full-time/On-siteNote: Employment-based visa sponsorship will NOT be considered for this position.

Application Deadline Date: The position may be open for 14 days with a minimum of 7 days; however, application review will begin immediately.

Application Process:

In addition to completing the online application, all applicants are required to upload the following as attachments to the application (preferably in PDF format):

• • • Cover Letter
    • Resume
    • Three (3) Professional References

If any of these three items are missing, you will not be considered for the position. References will not be contacted unless you are selected as a finalist for the position.

DIVERSITY STATEMENT:

Florida Polytechnic University is an equal opportunity/equal access institution. It is the policy of the Board of Trustees to provide equal opportunity for employment and educational opportunities to all (including applicants for employment, employees, applicants for admission, students, and others affiliated with the University) without regard to race, color, national origin, ethnicity, sex, religion, age, disability, sexual orientation, marital status, veteran status or genetic information.

Employment is contingent upon eligibility to work in the US. An appointment is not final until proof is provided.

FLORIDA POLY BENEFITS INFORMATION

Florida Poly qualified employees have the opportunity to take advantage of a variety of health benefits (through the State of Florida) to help meet their specific needs, as well as the needs of their family. This comprehensive coverage includes flexible spending accounts, medical and life insurance, and worker's compensation.

Health benefits are administered through People First, on behalf of the State of Florida, as pre-tax insurance plans. People First handles all new hire enrollments, coverage changes, premium administration, and dependent eligibility. Their Service Center is staffed Monday through Friday, from 8 a.m.-6 p.m. EST, at 1-866-663-4735.

RETIREMENT

Florida Poly offers great options for retirement. From the required selection of a state plan to additional voluntary retirement plans, our employees have many opportunities to save and prepare for their future.Click Here for more information.

OTHER BENEFITS

• Discounts & Perks

• Annual Leave

• • To help promote work-life balance, Florida Poly provides a generous leave program, which includes paid time off and paid holidays. Qualified employees may accrue 22 days of annual leave. In addition, the University observes the holidays listed in our University Holidays policy FPU-1.008.

• Sick Leave

• • Qualified employees may also accrue 12 days of annual sick leave and participate in our Sick Pool Program.

• Employee Assistant Program (EAP)

EXPLORE LAKELAND FLORIDA

Conveniently located along I-4 between Tampa and Orlando, Lakeland is home to Florida Polytechnic University and many other businesses and attractions. Click here to explore Lakeland, Florida.

SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS REGARDING ATTACHMENTS:

Required attachments are listed on each posting. Please be sure to attach all required documents in the Resume/CV field before continuing through the application. Once your application has been submitted, no changes may be made and additional attachments will not be considered.

An unofficial copy of the degree/transcript is acceptable during the application process. For positions requiring a degree, the official transcripts are required upon hire.

Foreign Transcript: Transcripts issued outside of the United States require a equivalency statement from a certified transcript evaluation service verifying the degree equivalency to that of an accredited institution within the USA. This report must be attached with the application and submitted by the application deadline.

All document(s) must be received on or before the closing date of the job announcements.

This position requires a background check, which may include a level II screening as required by the Florida Statute*435.04.