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- Tasks: Join us as a Commercial Category Analyst, providing financial insights and support to our commercial team.
- Company: B&Q is committed to diversity and inclusion, creating a workplace where everyone belongs.
- Benefits: Enjoy a competitive salary, hybrid working, 6.6 weeks holiday, and wellness perks.
- Why this job: Be part of a dynamic team, influencing key commercial decisions and driving performance.
- Qualifications: Professional accountancy qualification with 2+ years experience; strong analytical and communication skills required.
- Other info: Flexible working options available; we support your wellbeing and career growth.
The predicted salary is between 39000 - 46000 £ per year.
About the role
This role provides financial business partnering to the B&Q commercial team, providing support, advice and challenge on key commercial activity.
Key responsibilities
- Lead the financial support for the commercial category - acting as the go-to finance partner for the category team and ensuring strong alignment between commercial priorities and financial objectives.
- Proactively manage the category's financial agenda - delivering accurate and insightful reporting on trading, margin, planning, and strategic investments.
- Take ownership of your workload and projects, effectively prioritising and managing time to meet key deadlines.
- Maintain a forward-looking approach to managing category performance, identifying and managing potential risks & opportunities on a short- and long-term basis.
- Lead the financial management of key commercial investments, including robust business case development and appropriate performance tracking to inform category decisions.
- Develop scenario modelling and what-if analysis to validate, challenge and influence ad-hoc category strategic and tactical proposals.
- Support categories on the financial management of vendors, providing net profitability and cashflow modelling and recommendations.
- Take ownership of commercial related costs and support the accounting team in ensuring they are correctly accounted for.
- Be an active participant in the wider finance agenda - ensuring category activity is considered across other areas such as channels, operations, and supply.
- Present clear, concise messages to non-finance stakeholders - simplifying complex data into actionable insight.
- Collaborate across the commercial finance team to share best practices and improve analytical approaches.
- Deputise for the Senior Commercial Finance Manager as required.
Required skills & experience
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
- Ability to analyse, interpret and distil complex information using judgement & offering recommendations.
- Self-starter with ability to critically prioritise in fast paced environment.
- High resilience with an ability to produce high quality work under pressure.
- Competent user of Microsoft Excel and PowerPoint.
- Professional accountancy qualification with 2+ yrs post qual experience (i.e. CIMA / ACCA / ACA etc).
- Drives Improvements & looks for opportunities across processes / performance / themselves.
- Commercial experience preferable.
What's in it for me?
As part of a great team, you will be valued for who you are. We are committed to making B&Q more diverse and representative of the communities we serve, where everyone can feel they belong and have equal opportunities. You will have access to a range of networks that represent our colleagues and allies and help us to continue to put diversity and inclusion at the heart of our business. We also recognise that wellness means different things to different people, and we want to help colleagues be at their best and feel well by offering a range of benefits to help you. As well as a competitive salary, our benefits package includes an award-winning pension scheme, bonus, ShareSave options, 6.6 weeks holiday, payroll giving, an Employee Assistance Programme, shopping discounts, colleague wellbeing benefits and lots more!
So we can support you during the application or interview process, please contact ssorecruitment@b-and-q.co.uk for any recruitment adjustments.
Commercial Category Analyst employer: B&q
Contact Detail:
B&q Recruiting Team
ssorecruitment@b-and-q.co.uk
StudySmarter Expert Advice 🤫
We think this is how you could land Commercial Category Analyst
✨Tip Number 1
Familiarise yourself with the key responsibilities of the role. Understand how financial business partnering works and be ready to discuss your experience in managing financial agendas and delivering insightful reporting during the interview.
✨Tip Number 2
Brush up on your scenario modelling and what-if analysis skills. Be prepared to share examples of how you've used these techniques in previous roles to influence strategic decisions, as this is a crucial part of the job.
✨Tip Number 3
Showcase your communication skills by preparing to explain complex financial data in simple terms. Think of instances where you've successfully communicated insights to non-finance stakeholders, as this will demonstrate your ability to present clear messages.
✨Tip Number 4
Research B&Q's commercial strategies and recent developments. Being knowledgeable about the company’s direction will help you align your answers with their goals and show that you're genuinely interested in contributing to their success.
We think you need these skills to ace Commercial Category Analyst
Some tips for your application 🫡
Tailor Your CV: Make sure your CV highlights relevant experience and skills that align with the responsibilities of a Commercial Category Analyst. Emphasise your financial analysis capabilities, communication skills, and any commercial experience you have.
Craft a Compelling Cover Letter: Write a cover letter that showcases your understanding of the role and the company. Mention specific examples of how you've successfully managed financial agendas or provided insights in previous roles, demonstrating your ability to support commercial teams.
Highlight Relevant Qualifications: Clearly state your professional accountancy qualifications (CIMA, ACCA, ACA, etc.) and ensure you mention your post-qualification experience. This will help establish your credibility as a candidate for the position.
Showcase Analytical Skills: In your application, provide examples of how you've used scenario modelling or what-if analysis in past roles. This will demonstrate your analytical prowess and ability to influence strategic decisions, which is crucial for this role.
How to prepare for a job interview at B&q
✨Understand the Role
Make sure you thoroughly understand the responsibilities of a Commercial Category Analyst. Familiarise yourself with financial business partnering, reporting on trading and margin, and managing commercial investments. This will help you answer questions confidently and demonstrate your knowledge.
✨Showcase Your Analytical Skills
Prepare to discuss your experience with scenario modelling and what-if analysis. Be ready to provide examples of how you've used these skills in previous roles to influence strategic decisions. This is crucial for demonstrating your ability to distil complex information into actionable insights.
✨Communicate Clearly
Since the role involves presenting to non-finance stakeholders, practice simplifying complex data into clear messages. You might be asked to explain financial concepts during the interview, so ensure you can articulate your thoughts in an understandable way.
✨Demonstrate Resilience and Time Management
Be prepared to discuss how you manage your workload and prioritise tasks in a fast-paced environment. Share specific examples of how you've handled pressure and met deadlines while maintaining high-quality work, as this is a key requirement for the role.
