Studs is a category-defining ear piercing and earring brand named one of “the 10 most innovative companies in retail for 2023” by Fast Company. Studs connects ear piercing with aftercare and earring shopping to create an end-to-end Earscaping® experience. We offer a better retail and digital experience that prioritizes safety and expertise in a cool, fun and welcoming environment, along with a wide earring assortment—all at an accessible price point.
The Associate Director, FP&A owns financial planning and analysis at Studs, with a focus on improving studio profitability, supporting disciplined expansion, and managing cash. Reporting to the CFO, this person builds and runs the annual budget, rolling forecast, and long-term financial plan directly, translating financial and operational results into clear recommendations. This is an individual contributor role with no direct reports at the outset; as the finance team grows, the planning function may report into this role.
This role partners with Retail, Operations, Marketing, Merchandising, and Accounting to connect business decisions to revenue, EBITDA, cash flow, and investment returns. It helps leadership set studio-level performance goals, allocate capital, and identify risks and opportunities early enough to act.
This is a hands-on role for someone who has worked in four-wall retail finance, builds models directly, works through imperfect data, challenges assumptions constructively, and follows through with business partners to improve results.
Salary Range: $155,000 — $175,000 plus equity
Location: HQ (New York, NY) — Hybrid
Key Responsibilities:
Financial Planning, Forecasting & Modeling
- Own the annual budget and rolling forecast process across departments, including timelines, assumptions, and reviews with business leaders.
- Own an integrated P&L, balance sheet, and cash flow forecast; partner with Accounting to assess liquidity, inventory and other working capital needs, and funding requirements.
- Connect studio and e-commerce revenue plans, operating expenses, and capital investments to company profitability and cash targets; identify gaps and recommend adjustments.
- Build scenarios that test growth, profitability, and cash assumptions, making trade-offs and downside risks clear before decisions are made.
- Improve planning tools and processes so forecasts are accurate and assumptions are consistent; use AI, automation, and lightweight software development to streamline recurring work, strengthen reporting, and free up the finance team for higher-value analysis, with appropriate data safeguards and validation.
Performance Analysis & Business Partnership
- Run regular reviews of company, channel, and studio performance against plan and prior periods, explaining the drivers of results and surfacing risks and opportunities.
- Partner with Retail to set and track studio-level targets for revenue, EBITDA dollars and margin, labor productivity, and utilization; analyze performance by studio and cohort to identify opportunities across the fleet.
- Partner with Marketing and Retail to analyze traffic, conversion, customer acquisition and retention, and marketing returns; recommend investments that connect demand generation to studio capacity and profitable growth.
- Challenge plans constructively, agree on actions and owners with business partners, and track whether those actions improve results.
Strategic Planning & Investment Analysis
- Build the long-term financial plan and capital allocation analysis, helping leadership prioritize investment across new studios, existing studio improvements, marketing, and other growth initiatives.
- Underwrite new studio investments with Real Estate and Retail, including buildout costs, sales ramp, operating profitability, cash requirements, and payback; compare actual results with the original investment case.
- Evaluate pricing, assortment, new services, and other strategic initiatives; establish financial success measures and compare actual results with expectations.
Reporting & Executive Visibility
- Prepare monthly, quarterly, and annual management reporting, forecasts, and performance analysis for leadership and the board; partner with Accounting, which owns the close and financial statements, to ensure consistent and reliable reporting.
- Support the CFO in communicating the outlook, key risks, and recommended actions to senior stakeholders, and contribute to financing analysis, lender reporting, and fundraising or transaction diligence as needed.
Requirements:
- Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Economics, Business, or a related field.
- 6+ years of relevant experience in FP&A or strategic finance, including hands-on ownership of budgeting, forecasting, and long-term financial planning.
- Four-wall retail experience required: prior finance work in a multi-unit retail business with direct responsibility for store or studio-level P&L, labor, and unit economics.
- Strong financial modeling skills, including building integrated financial forecasts and studio-level investment models from scratch and translating results into business recommendations.
- Sound financial judgment, strong analytical and problem-solving skills, and close attention to detail.
- Experience partnering with senior leaders, challenging assumptions constructively, and influencing decisions across teams.
- Clear, direct communicator in writing and in person; comfortable explaining financial performance and recommendations to executive and board audiences.
- Advanced Excel skills and proficiency with financial planning and reporting tools; experience working with ERP, point-of-sale, and operational data to build consistent performance reporting.
- Comfortable building analyses directly, working through imperfect data, and holding business partners accountable for agreed actions; acts with integrity and responds openly to feedback.
- Ability to set priorities in a fast-paced, high-growth environment while staying hands-on and keeping the big picture in view. AI fluency preferred: comfortable using AI tools in daily work and building practical automations, scripts, or internal applications that improve the finance team’s speed and effectiveness.
- Based in New York, NY and able to work in the office three days per week.
Benefits & Perks
- Flexible Work Environment (3 days in office, 2 days work from home)
- Comprehensive Medical, Dental, and Vision Insurance (including a plan option with $0 in-network mental health visits)
- Access to Mental Health and Work/Life Resources including Online Therapy, Gender Affirmation Support Services, and Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
- Voluntary Life Insurance
- Health and Commuter Tax-Advantaged Accounts
- Stock Options in connection with the Company’s Equity Incentive Plan
- 401(k) Retirement Savings Plan
- Paid Time Off, Paid Safe & Sick Leave, and Paid Parental Leave
- Paid Sabbatical After 4 Years of Service
- Exclusive Employee Discounts on Piercings and Jewelry (we’ve got your friends and family covered too!)
- Access to PerkSpot and additional benefits such as pet insurance, discounted tickets, personal finance coaching, healthy rewards, and more!
Studs is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to providing a work environment that fosters diversity, inclusion, and equal opportunity without regard to race, color, gender, age, creed, sex, religion, national origin, disability (physical or mental), marital status, citizenship, ancestry, sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression, or any other legally protected status. Studs considers qualified applicants with criminal histories. We comply with applicable state and local laws prohibiting discrimination in employment in every jurisdiction in which we operate. If you require an accommodation for the application process, please fill out this form.
Massachusetts Applicants: It is unlawful in Massachusetts to require or administer a lie detector test as a condition of employment or continued employment. An employer who violates this law shall be subject to criminal penalties and civil liability.
Click here for the Studs Privacy Notice for California Applicants.
Skills Required
- Bachelor's degree in Finance, Economics, Business, or a related field
- 6+ years of relevant FP&A or strategic finance experience
- Hands-on ownership of budgeting, forecasting, and long-term financial planning
- Four-wall retail finance experience in a multi-unit retail business
- Direct responsibility for store or studio-level P&L, labor, and unit economics
- Strong financial modeling skills, including integrated forecasts and studio-level investment models
- Strong financial judgment, analytical and problem-solving skills, and attention to detail
- Experience partnering with senior leaders, challenging assumptions, and influencing cross-functional decisions
- Clear written and verbal communication skills, including executive and board presentations
- Advanced Excel skills
- Proficiency with financial planning and reporting tools
- Experience working with ERP, point-of-sale, and operational data
- Ability to work through imperfect data and hold business partners accountable
- Ability to prioritize in a fast-paced, high-growth environment while remaining hands-on
- AI fluency and comfort building practical automations, scripts, or internal applications
- Based in New York, NY and able to work in the office three days per week
What We Do
MEET STUDS: A next-gen ear piercing experience and jewelry brand. Studs’ mission is to empower bold self-expression and inclusive community through earscaping with safe and healthy ear piercings and the best curated destination of earrings. Our company vision is to create a global earscaping phenomenon and build a business that’s here to last. To do that, we need to have truly strong fundamentals and invest in great people.
