JOB TITLE: Commercial Finance Business Partner - SalesHybrid: Full Time- 4 days in the office , 1 day WFH
A global FMCG Brand are looking for a commercial Finance partner to be the "FD" to the On the Go Sales Channel by delivering a 3-year commercial strategy and owning the channel and customer sales P&Ls. You'll be the co-pilot and sparring partner to the respective Channel Managers, controlling and improving the long term strategic drivers of performance.
- Create partnerships that unite the business in commercial excellence, focusing on three critical areas:
- inclusively challenging and controlling channel volume, revenue, pricing, tactical + strategic investment, and enabling effective delivery of the annual business plan;
- planning and forecasting - monthly, ongoing Risks+Ops, and annual business plans.
- facilitating the seamless implementation of strategic commercial projects.
KEY responsibilities
- Driving force in the commercial controlling team who accelerates the connectivity and performance of the department.
- Guarantees full compliance with the Group Controlling guidelines and Audit requirements.
- Designs the system setup, to perfectly mirror the responsibilities in the organization.
- Timely distribution of financial information (plan and actual) to every budget holder by sending out reports, by allowing system access and by presenting the information in regular meetings.
- Builds a solid relationship with budget holders based on mutual respect and trust.
- Is driven through a service mentality: sharing insights, supporting budget spends and appraisals, highlighting R+Os, providing financial simulations and business cases proposals.
MONTH END CLOSING
- Coordinates the monthly sales investment accrual process + channel reviews.
- Leading the consolidation of month end closing management reporting packs, collating commentary, and providing analysis on financial performance and R+Os to Channel Managers + Sales Directors.
- Ensures master data quality of systems, including customer, product, internal order hierarchies.
REPORTING AND ANALYSIS
- Generate, improve, harmonise, and standardise the weekly/monthly management information reports, analysis, and insight with a desire to drive improvements ongoing both locally and with HQ.
- Develop and enhance reports, aggregated or detailed level, comparing YTD, PY vs CY vs RE vs YTG.
- Critically assess investment evaluations and performance, by sku, pack type, product range, period.
PLANNING AND FORECASTING
- Leads the monthly Channel Review Meeting to ensure a robust channel financial outlook.
- Supports a true bottom up planning process by finding a balance of long term vision and inclusive challenge with close analytical support to contribute high forecasting accuracy of business plan.
- Coordinates the Business Plan/Revised Estimate data collection and data entry with Channel team.
- Aggregates/consolidates the individual plans to a total channel plan.
- Prepares year to go monthly reforecast including identifying and tracking sales R+Os.
BUSINESS PARTNERING
- Be the Co-pilot and sparring partner for the Commercial Channel Manager and their direct reports.
- Use facts, figures and analysis to identify and prioritise performance improvement plans.
- Lead on strategic projects such as long term pricing, promotional investment optimisation, Group Controlling Guideline audits, robotics efficiencies, reporting developments.
- Build and solidify Local + HQ finance relationships and mindsets.
- Prepares scenarios and simulations with the input from the commercial teams and models the impact.
Experience Needed
- 3-4 years' experience in controlling, FP&A, finance business partner role in consumer goods.
- Sales finance experience including Price and Mix variance analysis is advantageous.
- Qualified finance professional (ACA, ACCA, CIMA or equivalent, QBE).
- Fluent written and spoken English
Handle actively welcomes applicants from under-represented backgrounds - we pride ourselves on attracting the best talent for every opportunity through a commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion.