Business Finance - Business Partner (12 months FTC)

Overview

Home. There’s no place like it.

And there’s no feeling like helping people create the joy of feeling truly at home. At Dunelm, that’s what we do. We’re the UK\’s number one choice for homewares because we make home life lovelier for our customers. And we’ve crafted a workplace that feels just as welcoming – where you can bring your ideas, be yourself, and feel right at home.

The Business Finance Team is a team of roughly forty finance professionals, who deliver key outcomes that support Dunelm’s operations, to:

• Produce timely and accurate weekly and monthly reports and insight to inform trading and operational control and decision making
• Set targets (in conjunction with business) and provide independent view of forecasts and trends
• Hold business to account to deliver to targets and manage risks and opportunities
• Support and challenge tactical and strategic decision making, including financial appraisal (and post investment appraisal)
• Agitate for optimising profitability and return on investment, and for best use of our resources
• Use our unique viewpoint to join things up, ‘unblock’ issues and put simple structure around priorities and actions

There are many opportunities for development in the team, both:

• Progression through Analyst, Business Partner, Finance Manager, Senior Finance Manager and Head of; and
• Partnering with the varied parts of Dunelm’s business, including Stores, Supply Chain, Digital, Marketing, Tech, Commercial and many more!

What you\’ll be doing

As Finance Business Partner for the business functions you partner, you are responsible for providing support and challenge to your business partners in line with the Business Finance purpose, whilst also ensuring that all requirements for the Dunelm Finance function are delivered.

You will directly partner business stakeholders on specific projects, initiatives and focus areas, as well as supporting in all ‘business as usual’ activities.

What the role requires

• Line management or coaching and development of Analysts, including those not directly reporting to you

Primary outcomes you are responsible for include:

• Production of weekly and monthly reporting
• Forecasting and budgeting
• Ensure the month-end is closed accurately, timely and in accordance with policies as set by Financial Reporting (P&L and balance sheet)
• Decision support, from tactical decisions up to investment appraisal
• Insight and analysis to better inform decision making
• Challenge and support to business functions and, where relevant, to third party suppliers
• Partner the Leadership teams in the functions you support – acting as ‘critical friend’
• Direct ownership and presentation of regular or ad hoc outputs and meetings. E.g. Weekly Trade

What we\’ll look for in you

• Commercially minded, with a genuine drive to make a difference and support Dunelm to achieve its growth and profitability targets
• Good verbal and written communication skills, able to condense complex information into clear messages
• A good relationship builder, building trust with key stakeholders
• Finance qualified (ACA,ACCA,CIMA)
• Strong Excel skills, able to use various sources of information to draw trends and highlight risks or areas of focus.

Behaviours we look for:

Communicating – Presenting reliable information and providing clear, simple and succinct messages that engage others

Curiosity – A desire to truly understand the business operations and to question why things are done the way they are. Exploring other areas of the business and joining the dots

Adapting – Respond and commit positively to changing needs; encourage others to have a go and be prepared to fail fast and learn from successes and mistakes

Thinking Big – Having a balance between delivering business as usual and focusing on future growth; using data and insight to help forward planning

Challenging – Being a leading voice in your area of expertise. Being bold and confident to provide constructive challenge.

Making It Happen – Controlling what can be controlled and escalating rapidly issues outside of your control. Recognising when something is ‘good enough