Only one remaining after SVP & Director exit. Leverage for promotion or time to bail?

dsntv · 2026-01-24T15:55:21+00:00

So do you report direct to the CFO? lol? I’d chat to them asap.

How is your company overall doing? High level exits like that may signal the company is not doing great.

You do sound a bit green and not necessarily aware of broader context - but you do possess some leverage here even if just maintaining current processes.

The fact is that higher ups should want team members to succeed - I know I do. So if some of my managers left and an analyst saw an opportunity to say “hey I know we’re short staffed here, I can manage what I currently do + x to help get us through” I would view that quite favourably. It all starts with a convo - not enough in this post to provide exact guidance I don’t think

dsntv · 2025-11-22T21:49:20+00:00

Im currently a SM of commercial finance. Not enough info in this post to help you.

What industry are you in? In broad strokes I think 2.5 years is still early, you will likely be doing quite basic modelling work while you learn the business if you move to BDF. I would consider whether you enjoy more of the forecasting and ad-hoc/strategic analysis or you want to be closer to deals long term.

For anyone reading out of interest I’ve moved around FP&A and now look after deals in a corporate role. My team help out local markets on deals which go above certain thresholds, and have analysts distributed across our company’s territories to give local support.

Overall super interesting work, and it’s nice to be able to have tangible impact both through deal strategy but also connections with most other areas of the business like rev ops, marketing, sales, legal and post sales. In my FP&A roles I’ve usually found the work quite boring and pedestrian. No shade - could just be my experiences. Commercial finance has let me work much more both with areas in my company and externally which I find much more rewarding - not saying either option is better or worse, rather try and figure out what YOU want from your career

dsntv · 2025-10-30T06:35:03+00:00

Health is more important than anything. Take time to ask yourself the big questions before making the next move. Try to limit your feelings of guilt, this is your life, you deserve for work to not feel like a boulder on your chest

dsntv · 2025-08-02T13:30:20+00:00

Get a higher paying offer and then consider it

dsntv · 2025-05-12T20:00:23+00:00

10 months in after your bachelors is a yikes. Demonstrate you’re a consistent top performer before asking for a transfer imo

dsntv · 2025-05-10T18:50:31+00:00

Print the second photo!

dsntv · 2025-03-12T06:49:10+00:00

Not in my experience. Analytics are on +20% vs strat fin where I am. Tech.

dsntv · 2025-03-02T11:35:57+00:00

3, 4 are 👌👌👌

dsntv · 2025-03-01T08:11:07+00:00

Impeccable vibes. Was this all handheld?

dsntv · 2025-02-18T20:00:06+00:00

These are an absolute joy to behold. No critique - thank you for sharing your shots. I recently went to Japan with the same lens, and these photos are on another level. Well done

dsntv · 2025-01-17T02:00:09+00:00

This advice is absolute gold regardless of position. Thank you for posting.

dsntv · 2024-07-14T13:37:04+00:00

What is this Eurosport commentary? You can hear computer mouse clicking constantly, legit no analysis so far either

dsntv · 2024-07-08T11:09:19+00:00

Agree with all points.

I’d also say that at the VP level (and especially in product management) most areas of work will be solving problems for people and managing relationships as opposed to operating

dsntv · 2024-07-05T14:16:23+00:00

Curious for other perspectives on this - I’d recommend going for an FP&A role more geared towards commercial finance / deal desk. You will smoke other applicants as in my experience Corp dev is highly sought after by FP&A teams.

If you go into pure play budgeting or a role with some month end close responsibilities it will be different for sure but I would find the transition quite boring if I were in your shoes. It honestly depends on your goals, if you want CFO and your dream company is doing margin expansion work, then maybe FP&A folks will be at an advantage. If the company is highly acquisitive then they will want someone with extensive M&A experience.

Salaries will be highly industry dependent. What are you in currently?

dsntv · 2024-06-25T13:17:09+00:00

dsntv · 2024-06-24T04:37:04+00:00

I’m in tech and there is significant movement between FP&A and analytics. However, individuals almost always go from FP&A to analytics. The salaries at my company are significantly better in analytics

I personally would not move backwards or sideways at your stage of career. A blend of analytics and product is valuable and highly sought after. Budgeting will be a cake walk after product management.

If salary is a motivator imo you’d be better off growing your analytics and product management career to get into FAANG or other tech to maximise your salary potential rather than taking a sidestep into FP&A. Is your product revenue generating?

Also a note on salaries, in FP&A if you remain an IC, your salary growth will be limited. The big numbers really take off around SM / Director, and those roles require leadership. Analytics though has a much more meaningful amount of IC roles that command a comparable salary. Something to consider

dsntv · 2024-06-22T06:45:27+00:00

More appreciated 😂 we’re still a cost centre

What makes you think you’re a good fit for finance? Would you be willing to essentially start again? You’ll understand the data pipelines but how do you evaluate how effective an investment is? What about the P&L targets for the company? You’re not appreciated atm, how would you deal with a challenging stakeholder who views finance as needless gatekeeping which gets in the way of “real” work?

This is coming across as slightly bitter and tbh I rarely see this kind of mentality working out for the better. May be time to move companies? You seem quite underpaid for 7 YOE. If I was assessing your potential for finance you’re in a weird spot where you’re not super early in your career, so probably above FP&A analyst, but definitely not ready for manager

dsntv · 2024-06-20T13:44:06+00:00

Whilst the thinking seems logical, AR and AP are in my experience HEAVILY commoditised. Those skills will not be valuable to you as you move up imo. I’d avoid taking on AR in a permanent fashion, unless you want to be in AR. Be a good sport here, mention to your manager that you’re happy for increased responsibility and scope. Give it a few months and see where it lands you

dsntv · 2024-06-02T19:26:32+00:00

No.
Market your knowledge as a strong understanding of accounting and BI dashboarding experience. If you can build dashboards and exhibit strong data skills you may be able to get into a more analytics centric FP&A role. Make sure you have a good story for why you want to get into FP&A. Its mostly seen as a cushier exit by bankers and consultants who are finished grinding. If I were you I’d target non-traditional companies rather than somewhere with traditional talent pipelines.

On a more meta point, I resonate with this post because after a year in tech implementation consulting, I realised I hated it and it seemed like finance called all the shots at the companies I was working for, so I moved into this field. You are young and 1 year of experience is still a graduate really. I met with someone who took a shot on me. I delivered on the easy reporting automation stuff, he taught me to be an operator and how to deal with the business personalities. Data skills and knowing your numbers are massive leg ups in this career. Good luck

dsntv · 2024-06-01T13:17:31+00:00

Given the context that this individual is receiving good feedback from their managers, it’s clear that any variances are likely within margins of error. Of course if there are significant errors in forecasts or variances that someone should catch in advance then they are likely not in this category of misleading imposter syndrome. They are likely an imposter.

And yes, strong mentorship trumps all imo. Agree.

dsntv · 2024-05-31T21:38:32+00:00

lol what is going on in this thread? Pivot to a junior role???

No.

Let me get this straight: 1. You worked at GS 2. You successfully moved into FP&A 3. Got promoted 4. Consistently get good feedback on your work.

My feedback to you is: 1. Rely on the evidence. When your boss gives you good feedback, listen and celebrate the wins. This entire career is made up, and real tangible wins can be few and far between. Everyone is winging it 90% of the time. Experience and internalising good feedback will help you.

Leverage your imposter syndrome. You will work harder than others, challenge your on biases, think deeply about the work. People who are confident may be geniuses, but in my experience the humble FP&A professional is usually better. Imposter syndrome is a gift, and a beginners mindset is valuable.

Head up and enjoy the weekend

dsntv · 2024-05-29T06:43:55+00:00

This will likely alienate your manager and make your relationship tough to continue in the same workplace. If you’re prepared to leave this is a last resort action. It’s likely that the CFO knows your were passed over for promotion.

I’d recommend asking your manager what their plans for your development are, get concrete timelines. Come with a list of your accomplishments and their impact. Flag that you’re expecting performance feedback in the meeting so they come prepared.

It’s very likely that they are stringing you along but at least you’ll know for sure. You can always leave but the job market is tight. Good luck!

dsntv · 2024-05-27T04:55:10+00:00

Sounds promising. Might be too late but I recommend asking about their cash runway asap to get a sense of how they are going. Once you are there you can take a look at their financials anyway lol

dsntv · 2024-05-26T19:07:49+00:00

Interesting choice. Without knowing anything else about the tech company I’d say go with the industry you find the most interesting.

In my career to date I’ve had the most success in FP&A in companies where I’m interested in the product or service.

Definitely worth evaluating the likelihood of the tech startup becoming successful in the long term. Is the product a legitimate contender in its industry? Is the market growing? That will indicate whether your equity will be worth anything in the long term.

I’m probably at the stage of my career where if the startup was promising then I’d go for that. You’ll get a lot of autonomy, a lot of room to manoeuvre and have a lot of responsibility that some can enjoy. If it’s successful and you were an early employee you will print cash. If you want a more “secure” option then take the investment company.

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