Financial Business Analyst

One of CEI's largest Financial Services clients is seeking a Financial Business Analyst to join their growing organization! Client/Industry: Financial Services | Corporate & Institutional Banking Job Title: Financial Product Accounting Business Line Analyst Location: Hybrid - 3 Days On-Site / 2 Days Remote | Jersey City, NJ 07310 Work Schedule/Shift: Mon-Fri 8am – 5pm (EST) | Minimum 40 work hours per week. Duration/Length of Assignment: 12 Month Contract (potential for extension(s) / conversion to FTE) Pay Rate: $70.00 per hour Additional Information: Role supports a regulated financial environment with global stakeholders across the Americas, EMEA, and APAC regions • Must be able to convert to a full-time employee without sponsorship, restrictions, or an additional employer • • W2 Employment Only – No Corp to Corp / C2C arrangements. • Expected potential for contract extension(s) and/or conversion to Full-Time/Permanent Employment. • Optional benefits available during contract (Medical, Dental, Vision, and 401k) Position Overview: This position supports a large financial services organization within its Finance and Tax functions, specifically aligned to a Finance Implementation Projects business line. The role was created to support ongoing business, regulatory, and strategic initiatives that require changes to finance systems, accounting processes, and reporting structures. The team operates as a functional bridge between Finance, Tax, Business stakeholders, Project Management Offices, and Technology teams across multiple geographic regions. The group works on multiple initiatives simultaneously and is also responsible for reengineering existing applications to improve efficiency, functionality, and control environments. The role sits within a collaborative team structure, contributing as a project team member while interfacing regularly with management and cross-functional partners. From a high-level perspective, this role focuses on analyzing, designing, and deploying finance system and process changes that impact accounting, reporting, and downstream financial outputs. The individual is expected to translate business and accounting needs into functional specifications, coordinate testing and implementation activities, and support go-live and post-implementation stabilization. The role requires consistent interaction with finance stakeholders, technology partners, and project leadership to ensure solutions are delivered on time, meet regulatory and business objectives, and are fully supported operationally after implementation. Required Skills/Experience/Qualifications: • Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Accounting, or related field, or equivalent professional qualification (CFA or finance-focused university degree) • 7–10 years of experience in accounting and/or accounting systems within the financial services industry • Experience supporting accounting processes from upstream source systems through general ledger and downstream reporting • Strong background in technical accounting within corporate and investment banking, prime brokerage, hedge fund services, or investment management environments • Experience performing business analysis, including requirements gathering, documentation, and functional design • Experience with application testing, including user acceptance testing and migration testing • Ability to understand complex financial products, system architectures, and accounting business processes • Knowledge of financial and management reporting, month-end close processes, regulatory reporting, entity consolidations, and multi-currency accounting • Experience supporting accounting and reporting for complex financial products such as derivatives, foreign exchange, equities, fixed income, treasury, loans, supply chain, or trade finance • Strong written and verbal communication skills with the ability to explain complex topics to varied audiences • Proficiency with Microsoft Office tools, including Excel and PowerPoint • Business analysis and project coordination experience, with SQL knowledge preferred • Ability to work independently, apply professional judgment, and manage priorities across multiple initiatives • Experience working with geographically dispersed, cross-functional teams Preferred Skills (Not Required): • CFA designation or additional experience supporting financial products • Knowledge of IFRS and/or US GAAP accounting standards • Experience partnering with IT teams on financial system implementations • Experience supporting accounting interpreters, sub-ledgers, general ledger systems, or reporting tools • Fluency in French, Spanish, and/or Portuguese • Exposure to emerging analytical or automation tools, including robotics, Alteryx, business intelligence platforms, or AI-enabled solutions • FINRA Series 7 registration Day to Day/Responsibilities: • Work as a core project team member supporting finance system and process change initiatives across legal entities and intermediate holding company structures • Generate, analyze, and document detailed business requirements and process flows, producing and maintaining Business Requirements Documents (BRDs) • Perform data assessments and data gap analysis to identify discrepancies between source systems, accounting logic, and reporting outputs • Coordinate with Finance, Tax, Business, and IT teams to review requirements and support functional design and development activities • Plan, execute, and manage user acceptance testing and migration testing through successful delivery of solutions or remediation efforts • Support implementation activities by coordinating testing cycles, validating results, and assisting with go-live readiness • Provide post-implementation aftercare, including issue tracking, investigation, remediation coordination, and follow-up support • Act as a functional and data point of contact for project teams, ensuring accounting schemas, reporting requirements, and downstream impacts are properly understood and documented • Engage finance stakeholders to validate accounting treatments, product lifecycles, legal entity mappings, and source system integrations • Ensure accounts, products, legal entities, and source systems are accurately reflected throughout implementation and reporting processes • Track project timelines and budgets, preparing and delivering regular status updates and participating in governance forums such as operational and steering committee meetings • Identify risks, dependencies, and blocking issues early, escalating appropriately to ensure timely resolution • Facilitate working group meetings by preparing PowerPoint materials, agendas, and documentation, capturing decisions and communicating outcomes • Support enhancements to the overall control environment, including upstream processes, governance, and operational controls • Identify opportunities to improve efficiency through process enhancements or automation and support reprioritization as new finance initiatives emerge • Ensure adherence to change management controls, defined roles, and governance requirements throughout project execution • Use Excel and PowerPoint to perform analysis, summarize findings, and present information clearly to stakeholders and management