Role overview

About the role

The Director of Financial Planning & Analysis plays a pivotal role in supporting Barnes & Noble's strategic goals through financial planning and analysis. Reporting directly to the VP of FP&A and Commercial Finance, this individual will collaborate closely with the executive team and cross-functional leaders to ensure that financial insights drive informed decision-making.

Responsibilities

• Own the enterprise-wide planning process, setting standards for forecasting, budgeting, and reporting.
• Lead the monthly financial performance review, providing strategic insights and actionable guidance.
• Translate financial performance into actionable recommendations, connecting P&L results, capital deployment, and business initiatives to the company’s growth objectives.
• Partner with business and functional leaders to embed financial rigor into operational strategies and organizational initiatives.
• Drive cross-functional financial partnership, collaborating with business and functional leaders to embed financial rigor into operational strategies and organizational initiatives.
• Manage the capital planning and approval process, ensuring a rigorous investment evaluation framework, including ROI modeling, is in place.
• Spearhead the evaluation and implementation of a new financial planning and reporting platform, leading adoption across the finance team to streamline, modernize, and elevate the Company’s planning and management reporting capabilities.
• Lead, mentor, and develop a team of finance professionals, fostering a culture of accountability, continuous improvement, and excellence.
• Set clear performance expectations, provide ongoing coaching, and create meaningful development opportunities for all direct and indirect reports.
• Champion a data-driven, ownership-oriented culture.

Requirements

• Proven track record as a finance leader with a successful history leading a high-performing FP&A function.
• Experience operating in a multi-site retail environment is strongly preferred.
• Strategic mindset with the ability to balance long-term vision with day-to-day execution and operational detail.
• Exceptional influencing skills — able to drive alignment, shape decisions, and lead change at the executive level and across the broader organization.
• Past experience creating, implementing, and maintaining best-in-class processes, systems, and structures.
• Strong change management capabilities with a history of transforming functions and building organizations from tactical to strategic.
• Advanced proficiency in financial modeling, analytical, and problem-solving skills; advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel and PowerPoint; experience with financial planning systems or data visualization tools (e.g., Hyperion, Essbase, IBM Planning Analytics, Power BI, or similar).
• A clear, articulate communication style; someone that can make complex things simple and is able to synthesize information quickly.
• Ability to thrive under pressure in a fast-paced, dynamic environment while maintaining accuracy and attention to detail.
• Demonstrates a growth mindset — actively seeks feedback, adapts to change, and fosters the same in others.
• A strong team leader who acts as a player/manager. Possesses the ability to recruit, retain, and motivate a high-performance team, and hold them to account.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Accounting, Economics, or other quantitative discipline.
• Minimum of 10+ years of progressive experience in financial planning & analysis, with at least 5 years in a leadership role.
• MBA strongly preferred.

Compensation and Benefits

The starting rate for this position is $175,000 - $225,000 per year, depending on experience, seniority, geographic locations, and other factors permitted by law. Benefits include Employee Discount, EAP, Sick Pay, and various forms of Paid Time Off, including paid Maternity and Parental Leave, Company Paid Holidays, Transit, and 401(k) with Company Match. For more information, please contact the recruiter or Human Resources.

About The Company

Barnes & Noble is the leading book retailer in the United States, founded in 1886. The company operates approximately 700 bookstores nationwide, serves over 700 communities across all 50 states, and maintains a robust digital presence through BN.com, NOOK eBooks and audiobooks, and educational resources such as SparkNotes. The company also includes complementary retail brands such as Paper Source, Books Inc., Tattered Cover, and B. Dalton, further strengthening its market reach. Following a period of revitalization, Barnes & Noble is experiencing strong momentum, with plans to open approximately 60 new stores in 2026, underscoring renewed confidence in physical retail and local bookselling. Combining expansive store networks, curated selections, enhanced in-store experiences, and growing omnichannel capabilities, Barnes & Noble remains the #1 bookseller in the U.S. and a trusted, evolving partner within the publishing and retail ecosystem.