At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead financial planning and analysis to support strategic decision-making for a global business.
- Company: Join ASSA ABLOY Group, a leader in innovative security solutions.
- Benefits: Enjoy 25 days leave, performance bonuses, and a supportive work environment.
- Other info: Diverse and inclusive team culture with opportunities for professional growth.
- Why this job: Make a real impact by transforming FP&A into a decision-enabling function.
- Qualifications: Qualified accountant with senior FP&A experience and strong leadership skills.
The predicted salary is between 80000 - 100000 £ per year.
Join the ASSA ABLOY Group in Olney, UK, and play a critical role in building a forward‑looking FP&A function that enables senior leaders to make better, faster decisions. This is a senior, high impact role within the Global Solutions division, acting as the primary finance business partner to the Key and Asset Management (KAM) executive leadership team. The role owns financial planning, forecasting, performance management, and decision support for a complex, international, product‑led business. The focus goes well beyond traditional FP&A execution. You will be expected to drive insight, accountability, and value creation, transforming FP&A into a true decision‑enabling function for the executive team.
You would be responsible for:
- Strategic planning and business partnering: acting as the lead finance partner to KAM leadership, supporting strategy development, evaluating the financial impact of commercial initiatives, pricing decisions, investments, and go‑to‑market changes, and translating strategy into clear financial plans, KPIs, and targets.
- Budgeting, forecasting, and performance management: owning the annual budget, rolling forecasts, and long‑range plans, driving forecast accuracy and ownership, leading monthly performance reviews with clear variance analysis and forward‑looking insight, and ensuring executive‑ready dashboards and reporting packs.
- Financial analysis and decision insight: delivering deep analysis across revenue, margin, cost, working capital, and cash, building financial models for scenario planning and investment cases, and proactively identifying risks, value leakage, and improvement opportunities with actionable recommendations.
- Cost, value, and margin management: partnering with commercial, operational, and functional leaders to improve cost visibility and control, support productivity and margin improvement initiatives, and ensure clear financial ownership of cost drivers and robust business cases.
- Leadership, systems, and FP&A development: leading and developing the FP&A team, mentoring the direct report, promoting strong business partnering capability, while driving continuous improvement of FP&A systems, processes, data integrity, automation, and alignment with Group Finance standards.
The skills and experience you need:
- We are looking for someone who brings senior FP&A capability combined with strong leadership presence and a change‑driven mindset.
- Is a qualified accountant (ACA, ACCA, CIMA or equivalent) and has senior FP&A experience, ideally within complex, international, product‑led or technology‑enabled organisations.
- Has strong systems, data, and analytical capability, with proven experience working with enterprise finance systems such as SAP, HFM, SmartView, OneStream (or similar), strong financial modelling skills, advanced Excel capability, and confidence handling, manipulating, and improving large and complex datasets in imperfect system environments.
- Proven business partnering and decision support impact, including experience influencing senior leadership, shaping commercial and strategic decisions, and transforming FP&A outputs into actionable insight rather than purely reporting focused deliverables.
- Change leadership and transformation experience, with a track record of improving FP&A processes, forecasting quality, analytics capability, or automation, and confidence driving change, structure, and accountability in fast‑paced, high‑expectation environments.
- Strong leadership and communication skills, being commercially minded, intellectually curious, organised, and outcome focused, able to coach and develop teams, challenge assumptions constructively, communicate complex financial messages clearly, and operate effectively at both strategic and detailed levels.
What we offer:
- 25 days annual leave plus bank holidays
- Ex‑gratia day for Christmas Eve
- Day off for your Birthday
- Pension; 5% employee & 5% employer
- Discretionary performance‑based bonus scheme
- Life assurance - 3 x basic salary
- Access to Employee Care Scheme and Benefits Portal
- Cycle2work & EV Salary Sacrifice Schemes
We are building diverse, inclusive teams and encourage applications from everyone who can see themselves working with us.
Head of Financial Planning & Analysis in Olney employer: ASSA ABLOY Global Solutions
At ASSA ABLOY in Olney, UK, we pride ourselves on being an exceptional employer that fosters a culture of innovation and collaboration. As the Head of Financial Planning & Analysis, you will not only lead a dynamic team but also have access to extensive employee growth opportunities, competitive benefits including generous annual leave and a performance-based bonus scheme, and a commitment to diversity and inclusion. Join us to make a meaningful impact in a forward-thinking environment where your insights drive strategic decisions and value creation.
Contact Details:
ASSA ABLOY Global Solutions Recruitment Team
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Head of Financial Planning & Analysis in Olney
✨Tip Number 1
Network like a pro! Reach out to your connections in the finance world, especially those who work in FP&A. A friendly chat can lead to insider info about job openings or even a referral.
✨Tip Number 2
Prepare for interviews by diving deep into the company’s financials and recent news. Show us you’re not just another candidate; demonstrate how your insights can drive value creation for the team.
✨Tip Number 3
Practice your storytelling skills! When discussing your past experiences, frame them in a way that highlights your impact on financial planning and decision-making. We love hearing about real results!
✨Tip Number 4
Don’t forget to apply through our website! It’s the best way to ensure your application gets noticed. Plus, it shows us you’re genuinely interested in joining our team at ASSA ABLOY.
We think you need these skills to ace Head of Financial Planning & Analysis in Olney
Some tips for your application 🫡
Tailor Your CV:Make sure your CV speaks directly to the role of Head of FP&A. Highlight your senior FP&A experience and any leadership roles you've had. We want to see how your skills align with our needs, so don’t hold back!
Craft a Compelling Cover Letter:Your cover letter is your chance to shine! Use it to explain why you’re the perfect fit for this role. Share specific examples of how you've driven change and improved FP&A processes in previous positions. We love a good story!
Showcase Your Analytical Skills:Since this role involves deep financial analysis, make sure to highlight your analytical capabilities. Mention any experience with financial modelling or working with enterprise finance systems like SAP or HFM. We’re keen to see how you can bring insight to our team!
Apply Through Our Website:We encourage you to apply through our website for a smoother application process. It’s the best way for us to receive your application and ensures you don’t miss out on any important updates. Let’s get started on this journey together!
How to prepare for a job interview at ASSA ABLOY Global Solutions
✨Know Your Numbers
As the Head of FP&A, you'll need to demonstrate a strong grasp of financial metrics and analysis. Brush up on key performance indicators relevant to the role, such as revenue growth, margin analysis, and forecasting accuracy. Be ready to discuss how you've used these metrics to drive decision-making in previous roles.
✨Showcase Your Leadership Skills
This role requires strong leadership presence, so be prepared to share examples of how you've led teams or influenced senior leadership. Think about specific instances where your leadership made a tangible impact on FP&A processes or business outcomes, and be ready to articulate your approach to mentoring and developing talent.
✨Prepare for Scenario Planning
Given the focus on financial modelling and scenario planning, come equipped with examples of how you've built financial models in the past. Discuss the methodologies you used and how they helped in evaluating investment cases or commercial initiatives. This will show your analytical capability and strategic mindset.
✨Communicate Clearly and Confidently
Strong communication skills are essential for this role. Practice explaining complex financial concepts in simple terms, as you’ll need to convey insights to non-financial stakeholders. Prepare to discuss how you've transformed FP&A outputs into actionable insights, ensuring that your communication style is both clear and impactful.
