Financial Operations Manager

Overview

AARP is the nation's largest nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to empowering people 50 and older to choose how they live as they age. With a nationwide presence, AARP strengthens communities and advocates for what matters most to the more than 100 million Americans 50-plus and their families: health and financial security, and personal fulfillment. AARP also works for individuals in the marketplace by sparking new solutions and allowing carefully chosen, high-quality products and services to carry the AARP name.

As a trusted source for news and information, AARP produces the nation's largest-circulation publications, AARP The Magazine and the AARP Bulletin.

AARP’s Policy, Research and International Affairs leads the development and communication of AARP’s public policies and, research and insights on the issues that matter to people 50-plus.

The Financial Operations Manager is responsible for overseeing the financial planning, budgeting, forecasting, reporting, and operational financial management activities for AARP's Public Policy Institute. This role manages complex operating, capital, and salary budgets, monitors spending against forecasts and purchase orders, and provides timely analysis and recommendations to support business decisions.

The position serves as a key liaison across Finance, Accounting, Procurement, and business stakeholders to ensure financial accuracy, contract compliance, and effective resource management. The Financial Operations Manager maintains oversight of a large portfolio of vendor contracts, tracks deliverables and expenditures, coordinates lobbying expenditure reporting, identifies budget variances and operational risks, and develops solutions to ensure financial resources are aligned with organizational priorities.

This role also drives process improvements, strengthens financial controls, and provides proactive guidance to leadership on budget performance and financial operations.

Responsibilities

• Prepares, consolidates, and reports on annual operating, salary, and capital budgets. Serves as a liaison to management for monthly, quarterly, and year-end financial statements.
• Summarizes the financial status of the business unit or department. Identifies specific causes of significant variances between the year-to-date budget and year-to-date actuals.
• Conducts multi-year financial planning and generates financial forecasts and budgets driven by identifying key assumptions and dependencies. Analyzes variances to forecasts and budgets with insight into business changes and outlook. Collaborates with other business units/departments and organizational finance teams to manage forecasting and other financial and operations functions.
• Improves business performance by analyzing both operational and financial data. Generates forecasts and budgets. Analyzes trends in revenues, expenses, and other areas of business.
• Compiles and reviews departmental budgets, taking into consideration actual performance, previous expenditures, and estimated expenses and income. Reviews departmental expenditures to ensure compliance with budget allocations. Maintains accurate spending records and establishes measures for budgetary control.
• Provides oversight or executes processes and/or systems that support financial operations.
• Processes and prepares accounting entries. Reviews and audits financial statements and reports. Ensures all calculations and data entries are correct. Reconciles general ledger accounts for discrepancies and identifies errors.
• Responds to internal client inquiries on financial systems, policies, and procedures. Conducts financial training to address needs.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Finance, Accounting, Business Administration, or a related field.
• 5+ years of progressive experience in financial planning and analysis (FP&A), budgeting, forecasting, financial operations, or related financial management functions.
• Demonstrated experience preparing, consolidating, monitoring, and analyzing complex operating and budgets across multiple departments, programs, funding sources, or business units.
• Strong knowledge of accounting principles, financial reporting, budget controls, variance analysis, and general ledger reconciliations.
• Experience in monitoring and managing a high volume of contracts, purchase orders, expenditures, and budget commitments to ensure alignment with approved budgets and funding requirements.
• Exceptional analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to investigate financial discrepancies, identify budget and operational risks, uncover root causes, and develop effective solutions and recommendations.
• Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel and enterprise financial and procurement systems, with experience managing budgets, tracking financial activity, and supporting month-end and year-end financial processes.
• Proven ability to build effective working relationships and collaborate with stakeholders across Finance, Accounting, Procurement, and other business functions to support financial operations, budget management, and organizational objectives.
• Additional Requirements
• Regular and reliable job attendance.
• Effective verbal and written communication skills.
• Exhibit respect and understanding of others to maintain professional relationships.
• Independent judgement in evaluation options to make sound decisions.
• In office/open office environment with the ability to work effectively surrounded by moderate noise.
• AARP will not sponsor an employment visa for this position at this time.
• Hybrid Work Environment
• AARP observes Mondays and Fridays as remote workdays, except for essential functions. Remote work can only be done within the United States and its territories.

Responsibilities

• Prepares, consolidates, and reports on annual operating, salary, and capital budgets. Serves as a liaison to management for monthly, quarterly, and year-end financial statements.
• Summarizes the financial status of the business unit or department. Identifies specific causes of significant variances between the year-to-date budget and year-to-date actuals.
• Conducts multi-year financial planning and generates financial forecasts and budgets driven by identifying key assumptions and dependencies. Analyzes variances to forecasts and budgets with insight into business changes and outlook. Collaborates with other business units/departments and organizational finance teams to manage forecasting and other financial and operations functions.
• Improves business performance by analyzing both operational and financial data. Generates forecasts and budgets. Analyzes trends in revenues, expenses, and other areas of business.
• Compiles and reviews departmental budgets, taking into consideration actual performance, previous expenditures, and estimated expenses and income. Reviews departmental expenditures to ensure compliance with budget allocations. Maintains accurate spending records and establishes measures for budgetary control.
• Provides oversight or executes processes and/or systems that support financial operations.
• Processes and prepares accounting entries. Reviews and audits financial statements and reports. Ensures all calculations and data entries are correct. Reconciles general ledger accounts for discrepancies and identifies errors.
• Responds to internal client inquiries on financial systems, policies, and procedures. Conducts financial training to address needs.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Finance, Accounting, Business Administration, or a related field.
• 5+ years of progressive experience in financial planning and analysis (FP&A), budgeting, forecasting, financial operations, or related financial management functions.
• Demonstrated experience preparing, consolidating, monitoring, and analyzing complex operating and budgets across multiple departments, programs, funding sources, or business units.
• Strong knowledge of accounting principles, financial reporting, budget controls, variance analysis, and general ledger reconciliations.
• Experience in monitoring and managing a high volume of contracts, purchase orders, expenditures, and budget commitments to ensure alignment with approved budgets and funding requirements.
• Exceptional analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to investigate financial discrepancies, identify budget and operational risks, uncover root causes, and develop effective solutions and recommendations.
• Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel and enterprise financial and procurement systems, with experience managing budgets, tracking financial activity, and supporting month-end and year-end financial processes.
• Proven ability to build effective working relationships and collaborate with stakeholders across Finance, Accounting, Procurement, and other business functions to support financial operations, budget management, and organizational objectives.
• Additional Requirements
• Regular and reliable job attendance.
• Effective verbal and written communication skills.
• Exhibit respect and understanding of others to maintain professional relationships.
• Independent judgement in evaluation options to make sound decisions.
• In office/open office environment with the ability to work effectively surrounded by moderate noise.
• AARP will not sponsor an employment visa for this position at this time.
• Hybrid Work Environment
• AARP observes Mondays and Fridays as remote workdays, except for essential functions. Remote work can only be done within the United States and its territories.