Financial Planning Fp A

Ebru Karapinar, MBA, MS

Director, Finance

312-***-**** ****.*.*********@*****.*** Chicago, IL 60605 PROFESSIONAL SUMMARY

Strategic Financial Planning & Analysis (FP&A) leader with over a decade of experience driving financial strategy, budget optimization, and profitability across public and academic institutions. Expert in financial modeling, fintech, forecasting, and data-driven strategic decision-making. Proven record of achieving cost savings over 30%, modernizing financial operations, and supporting cross-functional teams and C-level leadership with insights. SKILLS

Financial Planning & Analysis (FP&A), Strategic Planning & Business Partnership, Financial Modeling, Forecasting, Contract Negotiation, Vendor Management, Process Improvement & Cost Reduction, Budgeting & Operational Efficiency

MS Office Access, Excel, PowerPoint, Project, Azure); Project Management; Programming Language: SQL, Python, Visual Basic; IDEs: R Studio, SaaS, PyCharm, Visual Studio; Tableau, Lawson, Cognos, PeopleSoft, WorkBright, WorkForce Strategy Planning, BI, Power BI, PeopleAdmin, Salesforce; Language Skills: German (Native), Turkish

(Native), Spanish (Fluent), English (third learned language- Fluent to Native) French (Moderate to Fluent), Russian

(Spoken: Classroom Study, Written: Fluent, Reading: Fluent) EXPERIENCE

BUSINESS MANAGER III - BUREAU OF FINANCE, Chicago, Illinois Cook County Government, July 2023-Present

• Successfully manage multiple projects simultaneously within budget constraints and within given deadlines. Proud Founder and Creator of Business Manager Operations Forum to lead and engage all Cook County Business Managers and update on trends and best business practices.

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• Successful contract negotiation with vendors to achieve cost savings of 30% while maintaining quality standards. Effectively develop and implement financial management strategies to optimize cash flow, reduce costs by 23% and to accurately forecast budgeting.

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Optimize candidate interview processes in the role of interviewer and during onboarding process, successfully exceeding department's hiring goal for FY23, FY24 and FY25.

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Successfully leverage leadership skills and industry knowledge in the development of policies, procedures, processes, systems and controls.

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• Continuously provide expert opinion and make recommendations for department hiring plans

• Establish impactful smart budgeting and hiring target dates for FY23 and FY24, and FY25. BUSINESS MANAGER- FINANCE & BUSINESS OPERATIONS, Chicago, Illinois Loyola University Chicago, December 2021-June 2023

• Managed FY budget of more than $9 Million Dollars for the School of Communication. Collaborated with key budget officers at the University on the allocation of the annual budget and, which included personnel, operating, grant, endowment, gift and capital funding; managed fiscal operations to ensure adherence to all University policies and procedures.

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As Project Manager, successfully delivered multiple projects within budget constraints while reducing cumulative costs by 30%.

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Achieved 100% record keeping accuracy by trained appropriate staff in monitoring budgets and properly record and account for all business transactions; implement and maintain internal controls centered on sustainability and sound checks and balances.

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Reviewed all contracts and agreements with outside vendors and negotiate any necessary terms to abide by University policies.

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Chaired the scholarship committee which included updating scholarship award availability in Academic Works, scheduling meetings with entire committee, setting scholarship application guidelines, reviewing applications, setting up rubrics for scoring and evaluating applications, compiling all scholarship funds available for current fiscal year and following all scholarship restrictions accordingly.

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• Member of AFOT (Academic Financial And Operations Committee). FINANCIAL ANALYST, Chicago, Illinois

Loyola University Chicago, October 2016-December 2021 Responsible for providing financial information and reporting that enables management to make informed long- term and short-term financial decisions.

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Worked with the Director of Campus Management to support budgetary reporting and fiscal operations within Loyola's Facilities Management Division Chicago-land campuses.

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• Provided expertise on running and understanding statements and financial reporting tools.

• Served as financial reporting liaison between Facilities Division and Financial Planning department.

• Assisted with cyclical budget process, including budget preparation, submission, reporting • and analysis.

• Assisted department heads with managing their operating budget spend.

• Tracked divisions' operating budgets against, contractual obligations, actuals, forecast, and historical.

• Assisted division with federal, state, and local financial reporting. ELECTRONIC PAYMENTS SYSTEM ADMINISTRATOR, Chicago, Illinois Loyola University Chicago, June 2014-October 2016

Effectively collected data to analyze merchant services/credit card accounts (more than 80 accounts, including Loyola University Medical Center, and campuses in Italy, Vietnam, and China).

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Generated reports for the CFO and Treasurer that included recommendations. Successfully created and implemented software for online web-based PCI DSS Security Training Program Platform to train University Staff, Faculty, Student Body and Medical Staff.

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Successfully performed contract negotiations for Cash Management with vendors and merchant companies to acquire the best deal and value to meet University's objectives.

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• Negotiated pricing and contractual terms to close deals as required. ACCOUNT ADVISOR, Chicago, Illinois

Loyola University Chicago, May 2013-June 2014

• Identified areas where process improvements could be implemented for greater efficiency. Worked closely with other departments within the organization to ensure timely completion of tasks related to student accounts.

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• Processed payments from students in a timely manner according to established guidelines.

• Created detailed reports summarizing student account activity for management review. AVP- ASSISTANT BRANCH MANAGER, Chicago, IL

JP Morgan Chase, October 2011-May 2013

Managed branch and team of 12 and oversaw compliance with industry standards through regular internal audits of internal systems.

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• Continuously achieved 100% audit pass rate for bank branch.

• Utilized data analytics tools to identify trends in customer behavior patterns.

• Analyzed data from financial reports to identify areas of improvement in business operations.

• Grew branch revenue P&L performance by 17%.

SALES & SERVICE SPECIALIST, Chicago, IL

Bank of America, January 2007-October 2011

• 3x time Award of Excellence Winner across Midwest market.

• Supervisory authority to make sound decisions regarding cash transactions.

• 100% audit pass rates.

EDUCATION

MASTER OF SCIENCE (M.S.) IN INFORMATION SYSTEMS & ANALYTICS, Chicago, IL Loyola University Chicago, May 2022

MASTER OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION (M.B.A.) IN FINANCE, Chicago, IL Loyola University Chicago, May 2018

BACHELOR OF ARTS (B.A.) IN SOCIOLOGY, Chicago, IL

DePaul University, November 2010

REFERENCES

References available upon request

GUEST LECTURER COMM 215 ETHICS COURSE SPRING 2023

Loyola University Chicago- Spring 2023

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Successful Completion of Project Management Certificate Training at Loyola University of Chicago- March 2025 LINKEDIN

www.linkedin.com/in/ebrukarapinar

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