About this role
About GU Energy Labs
We are a family-owned, purpose-led sports nutrition manufacturer born and based in Berkeley since 1993, and still the leader in sports nutrition gels. We believe movement is everything - it makes us feel alive, and we serve a global community of athletes, beginners, and world record setters who are discovering and pushing their human potential.
We’re a member of 1% for the Planet, and we strive to be the most impactful sports nutrition brand. Through our products, our partnerships, and programs like GU Gives, we work to support peak athletic performance, expand access to an active life, and protect the environments we live and play in.
About the Role
The FP&A (Financial Planning & Analysis) Manager is GU's financial advisor for growth and profitability, providing the analysis, modeling, and recommendations that guide strategic decisions.
You'll partner with GU leadership to evaluate investments and opportunities, model scenarios, and track business performance. You'll own the numbers behind how GU plans and grows, including the annual budget, rolling forecasts, margin and profitability analysis, and the scenarios that shape where we invest next. You'll also help continue build our FP&A function, including leading the rollout of Adaptive Planning as we scale.
This role is a hybrid-position and will be required to work from our Berkeley HQ Tuesdays-Thursdays.
What You’ll Do
• Business Partnering & Strategic Analysis
• Serve as a trusted financial thought partner to department heads and senior leadership - not just a source of numbers, but a source of recommendations
• Own gross margin and profitability analysis by product, channel, and customer, including co-manufactured vs. in-house cost trade-offs
• Partner with Sales and Marketing on ROI analysis
• Model new product launch economics, pricing scenarios, and innovation pipeline investment trade-offs
• Support inventory and working capital planning across GU’s manufacturing and co-man footprint
• Financial Planning, Forecasting & Scenario Modeling
• Lead the annual budgeting and planning process in collaboration with department heads and senior management
• Build rolling forecasts grounded in historical performance, market trends, and real-time business signals
• Develop scenario and sensitivity models to stress-test strategic decisions and quantify risk and upside
• Identify opportunities for cost optimization, revenue enhancement, and efficiency gains through detailed modeling and analysis.
• Monitor performance against plan, and go beyond variance reporting to explain the “so what” and recommend action
• Reporting & Storytelling
• Build and own the reporting and dashboards that senior leadership actually use to make decisions
• Translate complex financial data into clear, compelling narratives for non-financial stakeholders
• Continuously simplify and sharpen how GU tells its financial story, internally and to the Board
• Systems & Process Ownership
• Own and evolve GU’s FP&A tech stack - launch Adaptive Planning, and leverage Domo and other related tools as we scale
• Identify and implement process improvements in modeling, forecasting, and reporting to increase speed and accuracy
• Ensure our models and reporting stay grounded in sound financial policy and accounting standards
What You Bring
• 5+ years of progressive experience in FP&A, financial modeling, budgeting, and forecasting; CPG/manufacturing experience strongly preferred
• BS in Finance, Economics, or related field; MBA or advanced degree a plus
• Ability to turn complex analysis or modeling into a compelling story for a varied audience
• Advanced Excel skills; understanding of Adaptive Planning preferred, experience with Domo or similar BI tools (Power BI, Tableau) preferred; familiarity with ERP systems (D365BC, NAV, or similar) a plus
• Track record of leading cross-functional initiatives and influencing decisions without direct authority
• A strategic, curious approach to the numbers - you dig into what’s driving performance and recommend where to go from there
• Comfortable operating in ambiguity
• Excited by the idea of building and improving systems and processes, not just operating within existing ones
About Benefits
• Medical, dental, and vision insurance
• 401(k) with company match
• Paid time off, mental health & company holidays
• Annual wellness benefit, athletic event entries, product & other perks
• Opportunities to give back to the planet we play on
$152-165K