Sr. Financial Analyst

The Financial Analyst will be embedded within the SWBU and will aid in the preparation of the budgeting, forecasting and reporting cycle, drive monthly accruals, and lead the reconciliation of actuals to forecast across the business unit. Key focus areas include collaboration on production, capital and expense forecasts with the planning team for submission to FP&A, leading well-level reconciliation to budget and guidance, and leading recurring management reporting. Success in this role requires strong Claude, Excel and data visualization skills and the ability to collaborate and communicate effectively with a wide range of departments and stakeholders. 

Essential Roles & Responsibilities

• Collaborate closely with engineering team on the SWBU monthly, quarterly and annual forecast process for production, capital and expense, driving coordination between the planning team, Ops team and management to maintain the quality and timeliness of submissions to the FP&A organization
• Own the monthly capital accrual for the SWBU, with accountability for accuracy
• Collaborate with the asset team to aid in the monthly non-operated (NonOp) accrual and improve tracking process
• Own the tracking of working interest changes between model and actuals, determining amounts requiring accrual and work to deliver an updated process to reduce PPA’s
• Own the volume accrual, with accountability for minimizing prior period adjustments (PPAs)
• Lead the monthly detailed reconciliation of actuals to budget, guidance and prior month estimates on a well-by-well basis, translating variance drivers into recommendations to management when appropriate
• Create and own a live dashboard enabling management to drill down on actuals versus forecast and identify where forecasts are missing, and deliver guidance based on findings each month
• Own QA/QC of data coming into the model, ensuring actuals align across teams; resolve discrepancies, drive corrective action where issues are apparent in the system, and correct known issues
• Prepare and lead the monthly SWBU scorecard review with management
• Develop financial models for the BU to help validate and QC results on forecasts will tie closely to actuals
• Aid in development of SWBU inputs to the Guidance presentation for Investor Relations
• Serve as the trusted advisor to stakeholders on SWBU financial and operational questions, resolving ad hoc requests
• Identify, recommend, and lead the implementation of process and report improvements within the SWBU
• Other duties as assigned

Role-Specific Technical Knowledge & Skills

• Actively involved or lead projects and display a high level of accountability and initiative with responsibilities
• Strong analytical, decision making and problem-solving skills

• Applies advanced knowledge of areas of responsibilities
• Ability to build and maintain models and dashboards that translate large, detailed data sets into clear and actionable insight for management
• Ability to work efficiently independently as well as effectively within a team environment
• Exceptional verbal and written communication skills, able to articulate ideas clearly and effectively in a variety of settings and with diverse audiences, including presenting to leadership
• High attention to detail, consistently ensuring accuracy and precision in all tasks and deliverables
• Strong organizational and time management skills, enabling efficient planning and execution of work to meet established deadlines
• Demonstrates high integrity and consistently upholds ethical standards while maintaining a strong work ethic to ensure the highest level of trust and accountability in all responsibilities
• Utilizes critical thinking skills to analyze complex problems, assess various perspectives, and develop innovative solutions that drive informed decision-making and enhance overall organizational efficiency
• Must be a self-starter, able to identify work that needs to be done and do it without being instructed to do so

Typical Education & Experience

• Bachelor's degree in accounting, business, or finance or related degree. MBA a plus.
• 8+ years' experience in oil and gas finance, planning or accounting required; Operations experience heavily preferred
• Proficient in Microsoft products (Outlook, Excel, Word) required with advanced skills in Excel in particular
• SAP, Hyperion experience required, WellView experience preferred
• Experience building reports and dashboards in Spotfire or Claude preferred
• Experience with reserves, planning or forecasting software preferred

SM Energy offers competitive compensation and benefits programs which include, but are not limited to, variable pay, health care coverage, retirement plan, protection coverage, time off and leave programs, training and development opportunities and a range of allowances connected to specific work situations. Details are available at Careers :: SM Energy Company (SM) (sm-energy.com).

Applications will be accepted on an ongoing basis until the position is filled.