Financial Planning and Analysis Manager

A European manufacturing giant is looking for a Financial Planning and Analysis to join their offices in Manchester. The main purpose of the role is to uphold strong financial controls and processes within the UK Commercial Finance area in order to maximise cash profit and safeguard assets.

Financial Planning and Analysis Manager Responsibilities

• To lead the monthly Finance Review process. To act as a governance committee with the Business Unit Director and Head of Finance. To challenge and drive the right action
• To sit on the UK Finance Leadership Team along with other commercial and supply chain finance leads, with a shared accountability for overall UK contribution to net profit
• To lead the annual UK Commercial budget process and quarterly financial forecast processes, liaising with Group Finance to understand requirements, coordinating sales margin and commercial overhead submissions and challenging numbers from individual customer accounts and cost centres
• To work with the Demand Planners to valuate the monthly APO snapshot and use as a tool to drive commercial decision making. To oversee the missing prices process, to interrogate the IP output, to attend the S&OP meetings, to bridge performance against target and provide high level waterfall charts for the Cluster Review
• To lead the weekly sales outlook process. To attend the weekly commercial team meeting, to input into setting a weekly high level sales outlook and to submit numbers to Group Finance
• To control and report on commercial overhead spend against targets. To own commercial overhead accruals and prepayments balances and work with Group Finance to ensure adequate provisions are held
• To uphold strong debtor controls to meet Group debtor day targets. To minimise aged debt and to ensure outstanding customer deductions are resolved quickly
• To uphold controls around inputting pricing, promotions and over-rider accruals to minimise non value adding work and to adhere to internal and external audit requirements. To resolve audit actions to a satisfactory standard in a timely manner
• Continually strive to make improvements in finance and wider business processes through automation, simplification, better insight or improved financial control

Requirements

• A qualified accountant (CIMA, ACCA, or ACA or overseas equivalent) with 3 years post qualified experience
• Commercial finance experience
• Proven leadership capabilities within a change management / project management context
• Capable of shaping outcomes to positive effect
• A proactive and positive change agent
• A confident and competent presenter, able to challenge others and be challenged
• A team player who is able to work with stakeholders in other functions to achieve objectives
• Ability to understand and deliver technical information compellingly and with gravitas to colleagues across the business
• Ability to provide evidence based recommendations and influence decision making using insight available
• Organised, disciplined and able to work under intense pressure to hit deadlines
• Analytical skills with the ability to present concise complex information
• Strong knowledge of the regional commercial environment
• Knowledge of manufacturing environments
• A proficient user of Microsoft Excel and ideally with a detailed working knowledge of SAP

This is a superb opportunity for a commercially-minded finance professional to join a one of the North West's highest profile businesses.