This financial analyst job description is a free template for corporate finance roles, often called FP&A (financial planning and analysis). Copy it, fill in the brackets and post it. Below it you'll find the real work behind the title, U.S. pay data from O*NET, a few first-round interview questions and tips that help you reach the right applicants.
Financial analyst job description template
What a financial analyst does
In most companies, a financial analyst helps leaders understand where the money is going and where it's likely to go next. The month has a rhythm: right after the books close, the analyst explains how results compared with plan. Mid-month, they update the forecast and answer one-off questions, like what happens to margin if a supplier raises prices. Before quarter-end and during budget season, the work shifts to planning and presentations.
Financial analysts work closely with accounting, which records what happened, and with department heads, who own the spending. A good analyst becomes a trusted partner to those managers, not just the person who sends reports. O*NET's task list for this occupation includes building financial models, drawing charts and graphs to illustrate reports, and analyzing financial or operational performance.
At a startup, one analyst may cover everything from cash forecasts to investor reporting, working straight from the accounting system and a spreadsheet. At a large company, analysts usually support one business unit or cost center inside a mature planning tool, with a more formal calendar and review chain. The title also has a different meaning in investment firms, where analysts research companies and securities; this template is built for the corporate version.
Skills and qualifications
O*NET places this occupation in its "considerable preparation" zone, where most jobs require a four-year bachelor's degree but some do not. Finance, accounting and economics are common majors. For corporate FP&A roles, a strong modeling exercise tells you more than whether someone holds a particular credential.
Salary
The closest O*NET occupation is Financial and Investment Analysts (13-2051.00). It's broader than a corporate FP&A role: its reported titles include financial analyst and planning analyst, but also equity research analyst, portfolio manager and securities analyst. Based on 2025 Bureau of Labor Statistics wage data, the U.S. median for the group is $102,740 a year ($49.40 an hour). The 10th percentile is $63,720 and the 90th percentile is $180,860.
Investment roles likely pull the top of that range up, so corporate analyst offers may sit closer to the middle. Check your state on O*NET's local wage page (California's median is $109,110). Then put the range in the listing. A growing number of states and cities require pay ranges in job posts, and finance candidates are used to seeing them.
Interview questions for financial analyst candidates
- "Marketing spent 15% over budget this month. How would you investigate and report it?" Strong candidates check timing and accruals with accounting first, then find which lines drove the gap, then explain whether it's a one-time event or a trend.
- "If depreciation goes up by $10, what happens to the three statements?" A good answer: operating income falls by $10, net income falls by $10 less taxes, cash rises by the tax savings because depreciation is non-cash, and net PP&E falls by $10.
- "How would you build a forecast for a new product with no history?" Listen for driver-based thinking (market size, conversion, price), clear assumptions, and a range of scenarios rather than one number.
- "Tell me about a time your numbers changed a decision." The best answers use STAR, show the analysis and explain how they convinced a non-finance audience.
Our full financial analyst interview questions page includes 20+ questions with model answers and a scoring rubric. For related finance roles, see the accountant template.
Writing tips for this role
- Say FP&A or investment upfront. "Financial analyst" means corporate planning to some people and stock research to others. One line in the opening fixes that.
- Drop the CFA or CPA requirement for FP&A roles. Most corporate analyst work doesn't need either, and requiring them shrinks the pool. List them as nice to have.
- Name the planning calendar. Mention month-end close, the forecast cadence and budget season so candidates know when the busy weeks are.
- Be specific about the business partners. "Supports sales and marketing leaders" tells applicants who they'll work with every week.
- Don't confuse analysis with reporting. If the job is mostly building dashboards from a data warehouse, a data analyst may be the better hire.
Screening financial analyst candidates with AI
A first round for financial analysts usually checks the same things: core finance knowledge, how candidates explain numbers, and how they think through a variance. NTRVSTA runs that round as a live AI interview, on video or audio, that candidates can take 24/7. It adapts difficulty to each answer, and the hint system shows whether a candidate can recover when they get stuck, which says a lot about how they'll handle a hard question from a CFO. You can customize questions per role to add your own finance scenarios.
AI resume scoring ranks the pool against your job description before anyone is interviewed. Afterward, the hiring manager sees a score breakdown and video snippets before choosing who gets the modeling exercise. For how other platforms compare, see the best AI interview software guide.
Questions
What's the difference between a financial analyst and an accountant?
An accountant records and reports what already happened, following accounting rules, and closes the books each month. A financial analyst uses those results to plan and forecast what will happen next and to guide decisions. The two work closely, especially around month-end close.
Should a financial analyst job description require a CFA?
Only for investment research or portfolio roles where clients or the firm expect it. For corporate FP&A roles, a CFA is a nice-to-have at most. Test modeling and communication skills directly instead.
Is an Excel test a fair part of the process?
Yes, if it reflects the real job and is short. Use a small made-up dataset, keep it under two hours, and tell candidates what you'll score. Avoid trick questions about rarely used functions, and focus on building a clear, checkable model.
Ready to see how an adaptive AI interview screens finance candidates? Book a 20-minute demo, or take a sample interview for yourself. You'll find more templates on our job descriptions page and step-by-step help in how to write a job description.
