Vena Technical Consultant

Summary

Join Dynavax as a Vena Technical Consultant and play a key role in enhancing our financial planning and analysis capabilities. This part-time, remote position (12-28 hours/month) requires expertise in Vena solutions, including advanced proficiency in its Excel interface, cubes, rules, workflows, and reporting functionalities. You will manage the full software development life cycle (SDLC), from requirements gathering to post-production support, focusing on building and enhancing complex allocation forecast functionalities. Responsibilities include designing and configuring Vena solutions, developing scripts and ETL processes, building data models, creating Power BI reports, and ensuring system testing and quality assurance. You will also manage Vena environments, including updates, performance monitoring, and security. This role demands strong financial planning & analysis acumen, data visualization skills, and experience with ERP systems (preferably Microsoft Dynamics 365).

Requirements

• Expertise in Vena Solutions (Mandatory): Minimum 5 years’ hands-on experience with the Vena platform, including advanced proficiency in Vena's Excel interface, Vena cubes, rules, workflows, data integration capabilities, and reporting functionalities. Experience with Vena's allocation engine and advanced forecasting modules is highly desirable
• Strong Financial Planning & Analysis Acumen: A solid understanding of core FP&A concepts, including budgeting, forecasting, financial modeling, cost allocations, profitability analysis, and management reporting. The ability to translate complex financial methodologies into Vena solutions is crucial
• Data Visualization and Business Intelligence: proficiency in Power BI for developing interactive dashboards, reports, and data models. Experience connecting Power BI to Vena and other data sources is essential
• Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) Integration: Demonstrated knowledge of ERP systems, with a strong preference for experience with Microsoft Dynamics 365 (D365). This includes understanding ERP data structures, integration points, and best practices for extracting and loading financial data into Vena
• Microsoft Office Suite Proficiency: Advanced skills in Microsoft Excel (including VBA for complex calculations and automation), Word, and PowerPoint for documentation, analysis, and presentations
• Project Management Methodologies & Tools: Experience applying project management principles and using tools like Smartsheet to manage tasks, timelines, resources, and communicate project status effectively
• Data Integration and ETL Concepts: Solid understanding of data Integration principles, data modeling (dimensional modeling), and ETL processes, even if not directly using a dedicated ETL tool outside of Vena's capabilities
• Analytical and Problem-Solving Skills: Exceptional analytical abilities to break down complex financial problems, identify root causes, and design effective Vena-based solutions. Strong troubleshooting skills are a must
• Communication and Collaboration: Excellent verbal and written communication skills to effectively interact with business users, IT personnel, and external vendors. Ability to translate technical concepts into business terms and vice-versa. Strong interpersonal skills for successful teamwork and cross-functional collaboration
• Adaptability and Continuous Learning: A keen interest in staying abreast of the latest Vena features, functionalities, and market trends in Enterprise Performance Management (EPM) tools. Proactive in learning new technologies and adapting to evolving business requirements. Occasional corporate training for compliance may be required
• Ability to sit for prolonged periods; reach with arms and hands; lift and move small objects; use hands to keyboard and perform other office related tasks including repetitive movement of the wrists, hands and/or fingers
• This is a part-time consultant position that requires 12-28 hours per month
• Normal working hours are from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Pacific Time, Monday through Friday
• $125 - $125 an hour
• The estimated pay for this position is $125 per hour
• Final pay determinations may depend on various factors, including, but not limited to experience level, education, geographical location, knowledge, skills, and abilities

Responsibilities

• Full Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC) Management
• Requirements Gathering & Documentation: Collaborate closely with FP&A stakeholders to thoroughly understand, document, and translate business requirements into technical specifications for Vena solutions, particularly focusing on intricate allocation methodologies and forecast models. This includes facilitating workshops, conducting interviews, and creating detailed functional and technical design documents
• Solution Design & Configuration: Design and configure Vena solutions to meet specified business needs, leveraging Vena's capabilities for data modeling, cube design, reporting, and workflow automation. This involves expert use of Vena's Excel interface, rules, and other configuration tools
• Scripting and ETL Development: Develop and maintain Vena scripts (e.g., using VB.NET , VBA within Vena) to automate processes, perform complex calculations, and ensure data integrity. Design and implement ETL (Extract, Transform, Load) processes to integrate data from various source systems into Vena, ensuring data quality and consistency
• Data Model Development: Design, build, and optimize robust data models within Vena to support financial planning, budgeting, forecasting, and reporting requirements, with a specific emphasis on hierarchical allocations and multi-dimensional analysis
• Power BI Report Development: Develop compelling and insightful Power BI reports and dashboards that visualize Vena data, enabling advanced financial analysis, performance monitoring, and strategic decision-making for leadership
• System Testing & Quality Assurance: Create comprehensive test plans, execute rigorous system testing, and manage user acceptance testing (UAT) cycles to ensure Vena solutions meet business requirements, are bug-free, and perform optimally. This includes validating allocation methodologies and forecast accuracy
• Deployment and Release Management: Plan and execute seamless deployments of Vena solutions and enhancements to production environments, adhering to best practices for change management and minimizing disruption to business operations
• Post-Production Support & Optimization: Provide ongoing production support for Vena applications, troubleshoot issues, resolve data discrepancies, and identify opportunities for continuous improvement and optimization of existing functionalities
• Vena Environment Management
• Environment Updates and Refreshes: Take ownership of regularly scheduled Vena environment updates and refreshes (e.g., development, UAT, production), ensuring all instances are current, stable, and ready for use. This includes coordinating with IT teams and Vena support as needed
• Performance Monitoring: Monitor Vena system performance, identify potential bottlenecks, and implement solutions to optimize response times and data processing efficiency
• Security and Access Management: Assist in managing user access and security roles within Vena, ensuring compliance with internal policies and data governance standards

Benefits

This position can be 100% remote, but must be located in the United States