Head of Financial Planning and Analysis- FTC (Maternity Cover) in Lichfield

In this critical leadership role, you’ll be responsible for leading financial planning, forecasting, analysis and performance insight across OurCoop. You’ll be playing a pivotal role in shaping the future of financial planning, performance and decision-making across a complex, multi-business and multi-site organisation. As a trusted partner to the Senior Head of Commercial Finance, Finance Leadership Team and operational leaders, you’ll provide high-quality financial leadership, commercial insight and performance transparency that enables confident, data-driven strategic decisions.

You’ll play a key role in building a culture of accountability, forecasting excellence and commercial focus, helping to strengthen and evolve our finance capability as we continue our integration journey. Working at the heart of the organisation, you’ll lead our budgeting, forecasting and long-range planning processes, ensuring robust financial visibility and a "no surprises" approach to performance management. You’ll deliver insightful analysis and externally benchmarked reporting that provides clear understanding of business performance, risks and opportunities.

Your expertise will support senior stakeholders in making informed decisions across areas including revenue growth, profitability, operational efficiency, cost control, working capital, property returns and investment performance. This role offers significant scope to influence strategic direction and drive value creation. You’ll lead scenario planning and financial modelling across key commercial and economic drivers, supporting major investment decisions and transformation programmes.

From technology and AI initiatives to property optimisation, sustainability projects and cost transformation programmes, your insight will help ensure resources are invested effectively and deliver measurable long-term value. A key focus of the role will be driving consistency, simplification and integration across the Society. You will help standardise FP&A processes, systems, reporting and ways of working, improving forecasting accuracy, analytics capability and decision support across the organisation.

By championing continuous improvement, automation and data visualisation, you’ll enhance the quality and accessibility of financial insight, enabling faster and more effective decision-making at every level. As a leader, you’ll inspire and develop a high-performing FP&A team while building broader commercial finance capability across the business. You’ll foster expertise in financial planning, forecasting, commercial analysis, business partnering, performance management and data analytics, creating an insight-led finance function that is recognised as a valued strategic partner.

Through strong stakeholder engagement and constructive challenge, you’ll influence performance improvement across Finance, Commercial, Technology and operational teams. Beyond financial performance, this role provides the opportunity to contribute to our wider purpose and long-term success. You’ll help ensure financial planning supports sustainable growth, community investment and responsible stewardship, while championing collaboration, integrity and member-focused decision-making.

How will I know if I am right for this role?

We’re looking for a qualified accountant (ACA, ACCA, CIMA or equivalent) with a strong track record in FP&A, financial planning, commercial finance or business partnering leadership roles. Having operated within retail, consumer, hospitality or other multi-site environments, you’ll understand the drivers that shape commercial performance and know how to turn financial insight into meaningful business outcomes. You’ll bring exceptional analytical capability, with extensive experience in financial modelling, forecasting and decision support.

Whether leading annual budgets, rolling forecasts or long-range planning processes, you’ll be confident using data to identify opportunities, improve performance and support strategic decision-making across a complex and evolving business. A credible and influential finance leader, you’ll build strong relationships across all levels and be comfortable challenging constructively to achieve the best outcomes. You’ll be confident in your ability to communicate complex financial information with clarity and be able to tailor your approach to different audiences and help stakeholders make confident, informed decisions.

You’ll thrive in fast-paced environments and be flexible to changing priorities as the need arises. Commercially astute and strategically minded, you’ll be equally comfortable rolling up your sleeves and delivering practical solutions that create measurable impact. As a leader, you’ll have a proven ability to develop and inspire high-performing teams, creating a culture of accountability, collaboration and continuous improvement. You’ll demonstrate a leadership style which is values-led and inclusive, underpinned by high levels of integrity, credibility and emotional intelligence. Above all, you’ll bring energy, resilience and a genuine passion for driving performance. Data-led but action-focused, you’ll be naturally collaborative and confident influencing senior stakeholders.

Everyone is welcome here. We’re happy to make reasonable adjustments so that all our candidates can show us how they’ll perform their role. There is a section in the application form where you can provide any additional information. Please use this section to include any reasonable adjustments you need, and we’ll do our best to support you through our recruitment process.

What benefits are available to you?

In addition to our competitive salaries, our colleagues also benefit from:

• Fantastic colleague discount - Reward ££’s and discounts across our Retail and Funeral businesses.
• Retail discounts- our hub offers colleagues access to hundreds of exclusive retail discounts, savings on days out and holiday discounts.
• Colleague Dividend- We pay a share of our profits to eligible colleagues as a thank you for their contribution to our success.
• Colleague recognition- we celebrate our colleague’s achievements both personally and professionally.
• Personalised learning and development- with easy access to a wide range of training programmes.
• Paid time for volunteering- we encourage our colleagues to spend three days per year taking part in volunteering, fully paid for by us.
• Enhanced family friendly policies- to help you feel fully supported during any significant life events.

Wellbeing

• Annual health check kit and virtual GP – Finger prick blood test kit, that is sent to Square Healthcare for your personal healthcare report, and access to a virtual GP 7 days a week 8am to 8pm for you and your family.
• Colleague assistance programme – to support you and your family when you need it the most.
• Healthcare Cashplan- your wellbeing is important, so you’ve got the opportunity to contribute into a voluntary plan that helps pay towards a range of healthcare expenses.
• Company sick pay – We offer company sick pay to colleagues so that you can focus on getting better and returning to work in full health.
• Life Assurance- after an initial qualifying period, you’ll get free life assurance cover, that pays your nominated beneficiary if you die while you’re working for us.
• We’ve got you – our colleague wellbeing campaign, making wellbeing benefits and resources accessible and relevant to the role that you do.
• Give as you earn- helping you support charities which mean something to you.

Financial Wellbeing

• iTrent Financial Wellbeing (Wagestream)- offers something for all our colleagues, whether you want to track your finances, save some money, or access up to 50% of your earned pay flexibly in a way that suits you.
• The Money Co-op – Free access to support all aspects of your financial wellbeing, such as savings and loans at competitive rates.
• Salary Sacrifice schemes:
• Electric Vehicle scheme – Option to purchase your EV through salary sacrifice.
• Share Incentive Plan (SIP) – option to buy shares within the Society, where they will attract interest and £10 worth of matching shares.
• Cycle to Work scheme – Option to purchase your bicycle and accessories through salary sacrifice.
• Holiday buy- colleagues can buy up to a week extra of annual leave each year.
• Company Pension- you can access a company pension scheme with us as well as access to Pension wellbeing information.
• Nous – smart assistant that can save you money and time on managing your household bills.

To find out more about all of these plus many more reasons to join us, please visit Rewards and benefits - Central Coop.

Who are we?

OurCoop is the UK’s largest independent co-operative Society, with more than one million Members and 13,000 colleagues operating in communities nationwide. It was formed by bringing together Central Co-op, The Midcounties Co-operative and Chelmsford Star Co-op to create a stronger, member-owned organisation rooted in shared co-operative values.

The Society trades nationally through its family of businesses while remaining deeply rooted in local communities. Its footprint spans Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire, Wiltshire and Bedfordshire in the South and West; the Midlands including Derbyshire, Staffordshire and Northamptonshire; the North including Cheshire, Greater Manchester, Lancashire and Yorkshire; and the East of England, including Essex, Norfolk and Suffolk.

OurCoop and its family of businesses are trading names of Central England Co-operative Limited.