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For Companies At a Glance
- Tasks: Join our team to drive profitability and provide insights in a fast-paced retail environment.
- Company: Be part of M&S, a dynamic and inclusive business focused on quality and exceptional service.
- Benefits: Enjoy a 20% discount, competitive holidays, bonuses, and wellbeing support.
- Why this job: Make an impact with strategic analysis and collaboration while shaping key business decisions.
- Qualifications: Qualified Accountant with commercial finance experience and strong analytical skills required.
- Other info: We value diversity and support each other to create a positive workplace culture.
The predicted salary is between 43200 - 72000 £ per year.
Are you a strategic finance professional looking to make an impact in a dynamic and fast-paced retail environment? We are seeking a dedicated individual to join our Commercial Food Finance team focusing on Impulse & Events (Ambient), where you'll play a crucial role in shaping key business decisions, driving profitability, and providing data-driven insights that influence commercial success.
You will be responsible for delivering value-added analysis, financial governance, and performance insights to support business leaders in making informed decisions. You will work across various commercial functions, ensuring that budgets, forecasts, and critical initiatives are well-executed.
To stay close to customers, our support teams are in the office three days a week as we believe that skills are developed through collaboration, and that spending time together makes us more creative and connected.
What’s in it for you
Being a part of M&S is exactly that – playing your part to bring the magic of M&S to our customers every day. We’re an inclusive, dynamic, exciting, and ever-evolving business built on doing the right thing and bringing exceptional quality, value, service to every customer, whenever, wherever and however they want to shop with us.
- After completing your probationary period, you’ll receive 20% colleague discount across all M&S products and many of our third-party brands for you and a member of your household.
- Competitive holiday entitlement with the potential to buy extra holiday days!
- Discretionary bonus schemes awarded based on how you achieve your personal objectives and our performance as a business.
- A generous Defined Contribution Pension Scheme and Life Assurance.
- A dedicated welcome to our teams with a tailored induction and a wide range of training programmes to develop your skills.
- Amazing perks and discounts via our M&S Choices portal to maximise your financial and personal wellbeing.
- Industry-leading parental, adoption and neonatal policies, providing support and flexibility for your family.
- Access to a fantastic range of wellbeing support for all colleagues including access to our 24/7 Virtual GP and PAM Assist to support you and your family.
- A charity volunteer day to support a charity or cause you’re passionate about through a dedicated day away from work.
What you’ll do
Your key accountabilities will include:
- Financial Business Partnering: Collaborate with trading and commercial teams to provide insights into financial performance, budget planning, and forecasting.
- Strategic Analysis: Review sales trends and cost structures to identify risks, opportunities, and cost-saving initiatives.
- Supplier Income Management: Track and influence supplier agreements, ensuring maximum value for M&S.
- Pricing & Promotions: Support commercial decisions around product pricing, space usage, and promotional effectiveness.
- Performance Tracking: Provide commercial analysis on revenue, profit, and investment decisions to senior stakeholders.
Who you are
Your skills and experience will include:
- Qualified Accountant (CIMA/ACCA/ACA/CA) with strong analytical and strategic skills.
- Commercial finance experience in Retail or FMCG, with a solid understanding of sales to gross profit.
- Ability to challenge, support, and influence commercial decisions with data-driven insights.
- Strong stakeholder engagement skills, with experience working cross-functionally.
- A proactive mindset, eager to drive improvements and strategic initiatives.
Everyone’s welcome. We are ambitious about the future of retail. We’re disrupting, innovating and leading the industry into a more conscientious, inspiring digital era. We’re transforming how we work together and offering our most exciting opportunities yet. Marks & Spencer strives to be an inclusive organisation, trusted and admired by our colleagues, customers and suppliers. Join us and make change happen. We are committed to building diverse and representative teams, where everyone can bring their whole selves to work and be at their best. We support each other and work together to win together. If you feel you’d benefit from any support or reasonable adjustments during any stage of the recruitment process, please don’t hesitate to let us know when completing your application. This information will be picked up by our team, so we can try and put steps in place to help you be at your best through this process.
Contact Detail:
Marks and Spencer Recruiting Team
StudySmarter Expert Advice 🤫
We think this is how you could land Commercial Finance Manager - Food - Impulse & Events
✨Tip Number 1
Familiarise yourself with the latest trends in the food retail sector, especially around impulse buying and events. This knowledge will help you engage in meaningful conversations during interviews and demonstrate your understanding of the market.
✨Tip Number 2
Network with professionals in the commercial finance and retail sectors. Attend industry events or join relevant online forums to connect with others who can provide insights or even refer you to opportunities at M&S.
✨Tip Number 3
Prepare to discuss specific examples of how you've used data-driven insights to influence business decisions in your previous roles. This will showcase your analytical skills and ability to add value to the team.
✨Tip Number 4
Research M&S's values and recent initiatives, particularly those related to sustainability and customer experience. Being able to align your personal values with theirs will make a strong impression during the interview process.
We think you need these skills to ace Commercial Finance Manager - Food - Impulse & Events
Some tips for your application 🫡
Tailor Your CV: Make sure your CV highlights relevant experience in commercial finance, particularly in retail or FMCG. Emphasise your analytical skills and any specific achievements that demonstrate your ability to drive profitability and provide data-driven insights.
Craft a Compelling Cover Letter: In your cover letter, express your enthusiasm for the role and the company. Discuss how your background aligns with the key accountabilities listed in the job description, such as financial business partnering and strategic analysis.
Highlight Relevant Qualifications: Clearly state your qualifications, such as being a qualified accountant (CIMA/ACCA/ACA/CA). Mention any additional training or certifications that enhance your suitability for the role, especially those related to financial governance and performance tracking.
Showcase Stakeholder Engagement Skills: Provide examples of how you've successfully engaged with stakeholders in previous roles. This could include instances where you influenced commercial decisions or collaborated with cross-functional teams to achieve business objectives.
How to prepare for a job interview at Marks and Spencer
✨Understand the Role
Make sure you thoroughly understand the responsibilities of a Commercial Finance Manager, especially in the context of food and retail. Familiarise yourself with financial business partnering, strategic analysis, and supplier income management to demonstrate your knowledge during the interview.
✨Showcase Your Analytical Skills
Prepare examples that highlight your analytical and strategic skills. Be ready to discuss how you've used data-driven insights to influence commercial decisions in previous roles, particularly in retail or FMCG environments.
✨Engage with Stakeholders
Since strong stakeholder engagement is crucial for this role, think of instances where you've successfully collaborated with cross-functional teams. Be prepared to share how you’ve built relationships and influenced decisions through effective communication.
✨Demonstrate a Proactive Mindset
Employers are looking for candidates who are eager to drive improvements. Prepare to discuss initiatives you've led or contributed to that resulted in positive changes, showcasing your proactive approach to challenges.
