Head of Network Finance

This is an influential position within our Operations Finance team and is a member of the Finance Wider Leadership Team. The role leads a team of 8 finance professionals.

This role requires an influential individual who is comfortable in technical / operational environments, able to deal with ambiguity and drive both business and finance change. The role offers a broad experience across operational finance, transformation, projects and programmes, investment appraisal, contracts and commercial management, financial control, governance, stakeholder management and financial planning and analysis.

Key responsibilities include:

• Acting as Business Partner to the UK CTO and Networks Leadership Team
• Providing financial leadership to our network sharing joint venture with Vodafone
• Influencing and driving investment decision making
• Maintaining an effective control environment and approving investment requests
• Driving the Networks business plan and hitting financial targets
• Maintaining strong stakeholder relationships with Telefonica Group
• Driving awareness of network economics across the business

Detailed Responsibilities

1.Manage the Financials

• Own the financial performance for Networks, both in terms of Opex and Capex
• Work closely with the Network Planning Team to align financials to the Network Strategy and plans
• Own the financial planning cycle for Networks, producing the annual budget and 3 Year Plan and regular financial forecasts and outlooks
• Work with operational stakeholders to manage risk and deliver targets
• Drive forecast accuracy by increasing levels of business ownership and improving financial planning and analysis
• Influence, challenge and drive options to reduce Networks operating costs
• Work closely with UK Procurement to leverage savings opportunities

2.Optimise Investment Decision Making

• Build strong stakeholder relationships within Operations (including our CTO, CIO and Director of Service Management), the Finance function and the wider business
• Work closely with the CTO and Networks Leadership Team to prioritise Network spend
• Play an influential role at regular Business Case Forums
• Produce options and manage risks and opportunities to proactively influence the investment portfolio
• Prepare for and present at the Quarterly Investment Committee (chaired by the CFO)
• Take an active role on Steering Boards for the key Networks programmes
• Analyse the `Network Yield` across our segments and brand portfolio, using this to drive bottom line value for the business via commercial strategies
• Increase the awareness of Network Economics across O2 UK
• Drive improvements in the forecasting of Network Demand from each of our segments
• Work closely with the UK Strategy Team and Networks Planning Team to improve management information aimed at optimising usage of our network

3.Provide financial leadership to CTIL (50:50 Network Share JV with Vodafone)

• Act as the key financial liaison point with CTIL
• Build effective working relationships with CTIL`s FD, FC and peers at Vodafone
• Influence and drive financial and operational decision making
• Provide commercial support to contract changes and ongoing issue resolution
• Protect O2`s financial interests and optimise operational and financial returns
• Critically appraise budgets, forecasts and ongoing performance, provide insightful analysis and maintain focus on the key issues
• Attend the quarterly Board Meeting and ensure full preparation for this meeting, including briefing the COO and Finance Director for Operations and Transformation on all matters

4.Maintain an Effective Control Environment

• Provide governance and approvals for a high volume of Business Cases, Purchase Orders and Contracts
• Develop strong and trusted relationships with Telefonica Group Finance and Group CTO functions, providing explanations of trends, justification of spending, updates on projects and programmes and approval of large spend items
• Own and maintain a number of SoX and Financial Audit controls
• Ensure completion of the annual asset verification controls for our substantial property and asset portfolio

5.Drive the Effectiveness of the Networks Finance Team

• Provide strong and engaging leadership to the team
• Evolve the finance business partnering approach within a highly technical and operational environment
• Identify and implement `best practice` changes to our governance approach to streamline the approvals process and increase the efficiency of decision-making
• Support systems implementations and process change projects to improve workflows
• Contribute to initiatives designed to strengthen (i) management of third party contracts (ii) project governance and (iii) forecast accuracy
• Support the O2 transformation agenda as a member of the Finance Wider Leadership Team

Skills/Attributes​

• Qualified Accountant
• Ideally from a telecoms or technology background
• Experience of programme management and/or transformation is desirable
• Broad financial experience covering commercial, operational, financial control and FP&A
• Experience of investment appraisal / business cases
• Excellent communication and influencing skills
• Willing to roll sleeves up to drive change in the business and the finance function
• Self-motivated, tenacious and resilient
• Comfortable switching between a strategic / commercial agenda and one concerned with governance / control and able to apply pragmatism in joining these up
• A team player who contributes to the engagement and motivation of the wider finance community