Finance & Strategy Associate

About the Role

Lola Blankets is a fast-growing comfort and lifestyle brand on a mission to make the world a cozier place. We are seeking a Finance & Strategy Associate to apply strong financial modeling and analytical skills to drive business growth and profitability. This person will assist with financial analysis, forecasting, and business case development, with a particular focus on our Commercial (Wholesale, Retail) side of the business. They will also collaborate cross-functionally with the Accounting, BizOps, Product, Inventory Planning and Marketing teams to support accurate reporting and forecasting of financial metrics and results.

Core Responsibilities

Financial Modeling and Reporting (Commercial & International Focus)

Own the financial model for Lola's Commercial (wholesale, retail) and International businesses, partnering with the Commercial team, Growth team, and BizOps Associate to keep forecasts current and grounded in the latest account-level data

Lead the monthly actuals process for Commercial & International: update the model for actuals, perform variance analysis against budget and forecast, and partner with Accounting to investigate and resolve issues

Build and maintain channel and account-level profitability reporting, including gross margin, trade spend, chargebacks and deductions, and contribution margin by partner

Partner cross-functionally to set, track, and manage budgets, flagging overages and reallocation opportunities

Support additional company models as needed, including the core company model and Long Range Plan

Translate analysis into clear, polished presentations for the Finance team, Leadership Team, and credit facility partners

New Opportunity Analysis

Build business cases to evaluate and prioritize new channel, retail partner, geographic, and product opportunities, including market sizing, margin analysis, and breakeven modeling

Evaluate the economics of new and renewing partner agreements to inform negotiations

Track post-launch performance of new channels and partners against their original business cases and recommend whether to scale, adjust, or exit

Proactively identify topline growth and cost-saving opportunities across the Commercial & International businesses and bring recommendations to the team

Cash Flow and Inventory Management

Support cash flow and working capital forecasting to ensure the company has the resources to fund operations and growth

Improve the 13-week cash flow forecast, with a focus on forecast accuracy and incorporating new Commercial channels and their payment terms

Monitor Commercial receivables, customer payment terms, and deductions, partnering with Accounting on collections and disputes

Partner with the Inventory Planning team on Commercial inventory projections and their impact on purchasing, margin, and cash flow

This role will report to the Finance Manager. Applicants must be in Los Angeles or San Francisco area (or remote PST) or willing to be hybrid based out of our NYC office 3 days per week.

Qualifications

2+ years of experience in investment banking, private equity, or consulting, and/or corporate finance at an eCommerce, CPG, retail, or direct-to-consumer brand

Bachelor's degree in Finance, Economics, Accounting, or a related field

Advanced Excel and PowerPoint skills, including building driver-based models from scratch and turning analysis into clear, executive-ready slides

Hands-on experience with financial modeling, budgeting and forecasting, and FP&A processes

Solid understanding of accounting fundamentals and how the three financial statements connect

Ability to communicate insights clearly and turn analysis into concrete recommendations for business stakeholders

Experience partnering with cross-functional teams and using financial analysis to influence decisions

Strong problem-solving skills, with the ability to break down ambiguous business questions into a structured approach

High attention to detail and ownership of accuracy, with comfort managing multiple priorities in a fast-paced, high-growth environment

Preferred Qualifications

Financial modeling experience on the wholesale and retail side of a business

Exposure to inventory planning and its impact on cash flow and working capital

Experience with SQL or BI tools (e.g., Snowflake, Looker, Lightdash)

Comfort using AI tools to automate reporting and speed up analysis

What We Offer

Competitive base salary and annual bonus based on company and individual performance

21 days paid vacation + all federal holidays

Full health benefits (health, dental, vision, mental)

16 weeks paid birth parent leave; 8 weeks non-birth parent leave

55% off Lola Blankets for friends and family

Opportunities for career growth within Lola Blankets