Senior Operations Finance Analyst

Location: Thames Refinery – East London (3 days per week, 2 days home)

Reports To: Finance Manager – Operational Finance

Company Description and Role Context:

The ASR Group® family of companies make up the world’s largest refiner and marketer of cane sugar. The companies produce a full line of grocery, industrial, foodservice and specialty sweetener products. Across North America, ASR Group® companies operate five sugar refineries, located in California, Maryland, Louisiana, Canada and Mexico. In Europe, ASR Group® companies operate sugar refineries in the United Kingdom, Portugal, and, with a joint venture partner, Italy. The companies also farm sugarcane and own sugar mills in Mexico and Belize.

The ASR Group® portfolio includes the leading brands Domino®, C&H®, Florida Crystals®, Redpath®, Tate & Lyle®, Lyle's®, Sidul® and Whitworths®. ASR Group® companies also produce and market Tellus®, a single-use, compostable tableware and foodservice product made from plant fibers, including sugarcane. ASR Group’s companies have more than 150 years of experience taking sugar cane from field to table. Our expertise in every aspect of the cane sugar process is without equal. We are the largest vertically integrated cane sugar refiner in the world.

Our industry is experiencing a profound period of change, ranging from changing customer demands (healthy living trend); volatility in global commodity markets; Brexit (new tariff structure for UK); impact of Covid on our operations and consumer behaviour; and, most critically, Sustainability (decarbonizing our business). The Operational Finance team that the successful candidate will join plays an important part in addressing these challenges/opportunities.

Role / Scope:

The successful candidate will join our Operational Finance team, focused on Inventory/Supply Chain Finance and Standard Costing/Product Master Data. The role will be a combination of:

• Traditional month-end and quarterly closing/reporting
• Business partnering on value driving project/capital investments
• Having responsibility for standard costing

People development is one of our company’s core cultural pillars. This is an ideal role for an ambitious and motivated individual looking to develop the next stage of their career. Employees in the finance department have been sponsored to complete certifications in Lean Six Sigma, Anaplan (Business Planning software) and other advanced level degrees and qualifications. In the medium-term, opportunities will arise to broaden experience in other areas of finance, for example FP&A, Commercial Finance or Financial Reporting, as interest/opportunity dictates. This role will be based at the Thames Refinery in East London with attendance at the Central London office and other UK sites as required. Flexible/remote working maximum of 2 days a week.

Detailed Roles & Responsibilities:

• Own specific month-end closing tasks within the Operational Finance team, focused on Inventory/Supply Chain
• Provide month-end, quarterly and annual commentary and analysis on Inventory/Supply Chain performance
• Attend both on and off site Inventory counts providing robust financial support and controls (with reasonable adjustments provided where required)
• Develop and maintain Standard Product Costings and Bills of Materials
• Investigate cost and other inefficiencies, working with the business to drive overall profitability
• Maintain and strengthen controls and procedures
• Maintain and develop the budget/forecast models within the company’s business planning software (Anaplan / SAC). This will involve completing applicable technical model training where required
• Support the annual budgeting process with the overall objective of delivering a robust and accurate budget which has been signed off by all relevant stakeholders
• Build strong cross‑functional relationships with relevant teams e.g. Operations, Supply Chain, Sales and Marketing
• Perform other ad‑hoc tasks, as required

Required Capabilities:

• To be intellectually curious and to have a continuous improvement mindset to own and fix issues identified
• A willingness to engage with operational teams, including time spent in manufacturing environments (with reasonable adjustments provided where required)
• To be highly analytical and have an ability to draw insight from large data sets
• To be an excellent communicator, able to engage and influence stakeholders
• To be organized and capable of managing multiple activities simultaneously
• Strong Excel / Power BI skills – beneficial
• A willingness to learn – essential
• Experience using SAP / Anaplan – beneficial
• A willingness to learn – essential

Education and Experience Requirements:

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent professional experience
• ACA/ACCA/CIMA or equivalent. Note – part qualified candidates would be considered for role (Finance Analyst)
• Relevant experience in practice (Audit / Tax / Advisory) or in industry (Commercial Finance / Operational Finance / FP&A / Business Partnering role)