Lead Analyst

Role overview

Lead Analyst at Lowes India

Education Qualification.

This role requires strong FP&A judgment, the ability to understand and challenge key business, vendor and actuarial assumptions, and the independence to drive complex workstreams across Lowe's India and U.S. teams.

Responsibilities

• Develop and continuously improve driver-based forecasting approaches, incorporating key cost drivers, historical trends, business changes and relevant vendor or actuarial assumptions.
• Build, enhance and maintain robust financial models and forecasting tools with clear assumptions, validation checks and documentation.
• Prepare executive-ready reporting, commentary and insights that clearly communicate performance, drivers, risks, opportunities and recommended actions.
• Lead process improvement, standardization and automation initiatives to improve forecast accuracy, efficiency, scalability and controls.

Required qualifications

• Minimum 5 years of experience in Finance, FP&A or financial decision support, with demonstrated ownership of complex planning and forecasting processes.

Required skills

• Secondary Skills.

Preferred qualifications and skills

• Significant experience in planning, forecasting and analyzing expense lines; experience with healthcare, employee benefits or other complex driver-based expenses is preferred.
• Experience partnering with cross-functional business and Finance stakeholders; experience in a GCC, shared services or global operating model is preferred.

Employment details

• Location: Bengaluru [Karnātaka] [India]

Benefits

• The Lead Analyst will own end-to-end planning, forecasting and analysis for complex enterprise and non-departmental expense lines supporting HR, Finance and Legal, with a significant focus on healthcare and related employee benefit costs.
• Does forecasting, forecast healthcare expenses for entire organization, Statistical forecasting skills.

Additional role details

• The role will develop and strengthen driver-based forecasts, evaluate scenarios and sensitivities, identify risks and opportunities, and translate financial and operational inputs into clear insights and recommendations for senior leaders.
• The Lead Analyst will also mentor team members and lead process, automation and forecasting improvements that strengthen accuracy, efficiency and decision support.
• Own end-to-end planning, forecasting and analysis for complex expense lines across HR, Finance and Legal, including healthcare, risk & casualty and other non-departmental expenses.
• Lead variance, scenario and sensitivity analysis; quantify risks and opportunities, explain underlying drivers and recommend forecast or business actions.
• Partner with business and Finance stakeholders across Lowe's India and U.S. teams to challenge assumptions, reconcile inputs and align on forecast changes and key business updates.
• Mentor and review the work of team members, providing guidance on forecasting logic, model structure, assumptions and analytical quality.
• Independently manage multiple workstreams and deliver high-quality outputs with strong attention to detail, ownership and follow-through.
• Experience Range.
• Qualified finance professional i.e. CA, CMA, CIMA, CFA or equivalent.
• MBA with Finance specialization.
• Strong Finance and FP&A acumen, including driver-based forecasting, variance analysis, scenario and sensitivity analysis, and risk & opportunity assessment.
• Ability to understand complex expense drivers and translate business, operational, vendor and actuarial inputs into reliable forecasts and insights.
• Advanced Excel and financial modeling skills, with strong attention to model structure, data validation and accuracy.
• Strong analytical and structured problem-solving skills, with the ability to work through ambiguity and reach sound conclusions.
• Strong stakeholder management and business partnering capabilities, including the ability to challenge assumptions and influence without authority.
• Ability to synthesize complex information into clear executive-level commentary, insights and recommendations.
• Proven ability to prioritize multiple workstreams, work independently and maintain high standards of quality and follow-through.
• Ability to mentor and review others' work, strengthening analytical rigor and team capability.
• SQL – basic/ intermediate knowledge.
• Experience in Financial Planning tools e.g. IBM Planning Analytics (TM1).