PALAK CHADHA
Seattle
Summary
Capacity Planner with strong background in strategic planning and analysis. Demonstrated ability to optimize processes and support key decision-making initiatives. Proven skill in data analysis and project management, effectively collaborating with cross-functional teams.
Overview
8
8
years of professional experience
Work History
Financial Analyst
Amazon
04.2025 - Current
- Engineered VBA-based automation solution using QCLI agent to update monthly cost center mapping file for 135 cost centers across multiple data sources, reducing manual processing from 4 hours to minutes and ensuring data integrity for all SPS Finance reporting.
- Partnered with BIE team to develop Cost Per Head dashboard driving strategic hiring and expense decisions across SPS Finance, enabling leadership to optimize workforce planning and identify cost efficiency opportunities.
- Transformed month-end close process by developing AI tool that analyzes variances across SPS verticals, intelligently prioritizes commentary requests, and auto-generates bridging story insights, reducing close cycle time by 2 hours.
- Designed standardized month-end close reporting templates for FP&A stakeholders, optimizing data presentation for variance analysis and streamlining commentary submission workflow across SPS Finance.
- Led cross-vertical initiative to improve roster assignment rate accuracy through stakeholder education and measurement frameworks, strengthening finance controllership.
- Redesigned finance reporting infrastructure using FRI templates, creating scalable framework that reduced monthly refresh cycles by 20% and enabled on-demand metric additions without manual reformatting.
- Led complete FRI/PAX adoption for all SPS headcount and OpEx reporting across month-end close processes, standardizing reporting framework and delivering 60 hours in annual time savings (5 hours monthly).
- Spearheaded end-to-end Cost Pool Audit across SPS Finance, creating standardized templates and reporting infrastructure, facilitating office hours for process guidance, and achieving 100% on-time completion across all verticals.
Capacity Planning Analyst
Amazon
07.2024 - 04.2025
- Worked with business vertical teams to identify network simplification opportunities while meeting capacity needs.
- Designed and implemented a python tool to standardize productivity bridge reporting for CS network
Capacity Planning Analyst
Amazon
04.2022 - 06.2024
- Automated Asia Pacific weekly metrics performance review dashboard for CS Operations saving 2 hours/FTE
- Formulated forecasting for IN Dart with 6.0% WAPE using trend analysis resulting in Cost Per Hour gain of 9.0% in 2023
- Created adoption strategy for cross skill flex planning tool implementation across all APAC OUs translating to ~$50,000 weekly cost reduction
- Collaborated with cross-functional teams to enable phased dial-up strategy for 100% IN AC3 migration from legacy Customer Service Central system
- Conducted 50+ simulation testing of Schedule Generation tool to identify feature gaps and assess staff scheduling requirements
- Best Innovator & Change Agent Award in Q3 2023
- Designed python-based simulation tool to aid business contingency planning by deploying flex levers
- Automated extraction of data from Amazon database and reduced lead time in modelling by 88%
Engineer-Electronics
Mahindra & Mahindra
08.2017 - 06.2020
- Led the team in designing and implementing new business ideas pertaining to customer safety
- Reduced operational time by 10% by building an In-house CAN signal interpretation tool
- Established, enhanced and maintained long term relationships with critical service vendors
- Improved performance of deep learning-based object detector application to 95% accuracy
- Analysed Indian road accidents data using Python language to identify customer driving pattern
Education
MBA - Operations & Data Analytics
School of Business Management, NMIMS
Mumbai, India01.2022
Bachelor of Science - Computer Science
IGDTUW
Delhi, India01.2017
Skills
- Analytical thinking
- Multitasking
- Excellent communication
- Financial and operational reporting
- Time management
- Excel proficiency
- Logistics optimization
- Cost analysis
- Workforce planning
- Capacity planning
- Financial analysis
- Business intelligence
- Economic analysis
- Six sigma methodology
Certifications / Publications
- KPMG certified Lean Six Sigma Green Belt 2020
- Published Research Paper on Information Retrieval Approaches in Legal Document 2017
Awards
- Secured 1st position in BTech Project Research Showcase competition, IGDTUW
- Received Scholarship for excellent academic performance in Class X, AFFWA
Timeline
Financial Analyst
Amazon
04.2025 - Current
Capacity Planning Analyst
Amazon
07.2024 - 04.2025
Capacity Planning Analyst
Amazon
04.2022 - 06.2024
Engineer-Electronics
Mahindra & Mahindra
08.2017 - 06.2020
MBA - Operations & Data Analytics
School of Business Management, NMIMS
Bachelor of Science - Computer Science
IGDTUW