Commercial Finance Analyst

A market leading FMCG based in the Esher area with free parking provided and east access via public transport.

Client Details

A well known, household brand name, with offices based in the Esher area with free parking provided and easy access via public transport.

Description

The Commercial Finance Analyst role involves:

Nature & Scope of the Job

• Business partnering the commercial team to deliver continuous improvements, insights into the data and delivering targeted profitability

• Supporting the team on budgets, forecasts and management information packs. Ensuring variances are understood and clearly articulated

• Ownership of monthly net turnover reports to a range of customers

• Responsible for Customer Account Profitability reports to the sales team

• Ensuring terms changes for respective customers are fully understood and agreed

• Provide ad hoc financial analysis and commercial decision support across the business

• Challenge and develop current process and methodologies and push for improvement

• Interaction with non-financial staff: sales, marketing, demand planning and operations

Principal Accountabilities

• Provide analysis and decision support for the Commercial team. For example, business plans, customer incentive schemes and assessing the pricing structure of on-going business

• Provide financial direction and support on all business plans including financial sign-off of all promotional activity

• To propose and challenge changes to the annual terms offered to customers, which will encourage growth and increased profitability in the account.

• Ensure that all variances to the forecasted commercial margin for selected customers are fully understood, explained and reconciled

• Thoroughly investigate reasons behind volume and margin variances (e.g. changes in business terms, promotional rephrasing, increased/declined run rates) and provide value-added commentary

• Check that discounts, volume uplifts and prices / turnover are captured correctly during promotions and correct if required

• Specifically responsible for analysis of changes and completion of causals relating to the different product groups.

• Attend monthly IBP Surgeries to challenge forecast volumes and margins

• Produce the monthly customer turnover and profitability reports for a range of customers

• Retrieve relevant information from the core data dependant on customer requirements (specific time-frame, products and layout)

• Ensure the terms of business quoted are up to date and calculated accurately

• Support the finance team in presenting timely and accurate information to other areas of the business. Preparing presentations and presenting at monthly reviews.

• To ensure that promotional activity is justified either financially or commercially via the system and that relevant controls and procedures are adhered to.

• Responsible for analysing and challenging originator's assumptions before submitting event for approval, having made amendments where agreed.

• To deliver a variety of ad-hoc analysis supporting the decision processes entered into by the business

Profile

The ideal candidate for the Commercial Finance Analyst role will;

• Have a keen desire to question and challenge information to ensure high reliability

• Possess well-developed analytical skills combined with the ability to present detailed information clearly and succinctly to Senior Management

• Preferably from an FMCG background (but not necessarily) with strong commercial experience

• Studying towards a CIMA/ACCA accountancy qualification

• Possess strong numerical skills and a have a high level of attention to detail

• Good working knowledge of Excel - including Lookup tables, 'if' statements, graph manipulation

• Ability to work on own initiative, as well as in a team with people from a variety of disciplines

• Capable of working and deliver under time pressure

• Excellent interpersonal and influencing skills

• Proactive and forward looking, with a desire to progress

Job Offer

The Commercial Finance Analyst role can pay between £26-30,000 + study support, excellent benefits, and a progressive and fun environment.