Brian Hopkins

Manager, Finance & Special Operations Leader
San Diego, US.

About

Highly accomplished finance professional and Special Operations leader with a Master of Business Administration from Wharton, specializing in strategic financial planning, analysis, and operational optimization. Proven ability to manage multi-million dollar budgets, drive significant cost savings, and enhance organizational readiness through data-driven insights and cross-functional leadership. Seeking to leverage a unique blend of financial acumen, strategic leadership, and high-stakes operational experience to drive value in a challenging finance or strategy role.

Work

NAVAL SPECIAL OPERATIONS, EXPLOSIVE ORDNANCE DISPOSAL (EOD) GROUP 1
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Manager, Finance

Summary

Managed financial planning and analysis for a $15M operating budget, optimizing resource allocation and enhancing financial visibility for 25 special operations teams.

Highlights

Managed the full FP&A lifecycle for a $15M annual operating budget, leading 4 analysts and reducing overspend by 12% through enhanced forecasting and budget controls.

Improved forecast accuracy by 9% and reallocated $350K to critical initiatives within a $5M sustainment operations budget, collaborating with logistics and procurement leaders.

Identified $1.2M in logistical inefficiencies, redirecting funds to critical training programs to enhance operational readiness and align spending with strategic mission priorities.

Presented monthly financial performance updates to senior leadership, guiding $2.1M in reallocations that closed critical training and capability gaps, improving team readiness by 15%.

Developed and deployed forecasting templates and expense dashboards across 25 teams, enabling real-time expense tracking and improving financial visibility and reporting accuracy by 12%.

Led scenario planning and cash flow modeling for a $10M modernization portfolio, accelerating deployment timelines by 5% through strategic investments in robotics and autonomous systems.

NAVAL SPECIAL OPERATIONS, EXPLOSIVE ORDNANCE DISPOSAL (EOD) GROUP 1
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Senior Associate, Finance

Summary

Established the foundational finance function for a $10M+ operating budget, enhancing strategic decision-making and operational oversight.

Highlights

Established the finance function from the ground up, building core forecasting and reporting processes that enabled accurate tracking of a $10M+ operating budget and informed strategic decision-making.

Created and automated financial reporting tools and KPI dashboards, reducing manual reporting time by 30% and enhancing visibility into team-level spend and performance.

Conducted detailed analysis of $5M+ in annual logistics and training spend, uncovering inefficiencies and driving $450K in cost savings through optimized resource allocation.

Implemented baseline budgeting in collaboration with operations and procurement, improving forecast accuracy by 11% and reducing year-over-year budget variance by $275K.

NAVAL SPECIAL OPERATIONS, EOD MOBILE UNIT 1
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Team Leader, Special Operations Bomb Disposal

Summary

Led specialized bomb disposal teams through high-stakes global deployments, enhancing unit readiness and ensuring mission success.

Highlights

Coordinated global deployment strategy for 25 teams, overseeing 850 missions aligned with long-term objectives and increasing unit readiness by 22%.

Directed a 10-person team through two overseas deployments, executing 150+ high-risk missions and neutralizing 150 IEDs, ensuring personnel safety and mission success.

Executed 300 missions across 4 deployments, disposing of 225 explosive threats and enabling 55 tactical operations critical to joint-force objectives.

Uncovered inefficiencies via internal audits, reallocating $1.3M to training and cutting $200K in expenses, thereby enhancing operational output across 3 regions.

Education

THE WHARTON SCHOOL, UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA

Master of Business Administration

Finance

Grade: 3.75/4.0

Courses

Financial & Managerial Accounting

Core & Advanced Corporate Finance

Valuation

Sports Business Management

Investment Management

Derivatives

Applied Probabilistic Modeling

Private Equity

EXCELSIOR COLLEGE, STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK

Bachelor of Science

Political Science

Awards

Meritorious Service Medal

Awarded By

U.S. Military

Navy & Marine Corps Commendation Medals

Awarded By

U.S. Navy & Marine Corps

Received 6 commendation medals for exceptional service and achievements.

Pat Tillman Scholar

Awarded By

Pat Tillman Foundation

Certificates

Top-Secret Security Clearance w/SCI

Issued By

U.S. Government

Financial Modeling & Valuation

Issued By

Wall Street Prep

Skills

Financial Planning & Analysis (FP&A)

Budget Management, Forecasting, Variance Analysis, Financial Reporting, Strategic Planning.

Financial Modeling & Valuation

Discounted Cash Flow (DCF), Comparable Company Analysis (Comps), Leveraged Buyout (LBO), Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A), Cash Flow Modeling, Scenario Planning.

Data Analysis & Visualization

Advanced Excel, Python, SQL, Tableau, Power BI, KPI Dashboards.

Leadership & Operations Management

Team Leadership, Cross-functional Collaboration, Operational Efficiency, Resource Allocation, Mission Planning, Risk Management.

Interests

Sports

Pro & Collegiate Sports, USMS Swimming (Competitive).

Hobbies

Travel, Yoga, Golf, French Bulldogs, Sci-Fi Novels.