At a Glance
- Tasks: Support financial modelling and analysis for competitive bids in a fast-paced environment.
- Company: Impact Food Group, dedicated to creating a positive food culture for students.
- Benefits: Join a mission-driven team with opportunities for growth and impact.
- Why this job: Make a real difference in students' lives while developing your finance skills.
- Qualifications: Strong finance background with experience in bidding or pricing analysis.
- Other info: Collaborative culture focused on community and continuous improvement.
The predicted salary is between 36000 - 60000 £ per year.
At Impact Food Group, we re more than just a school caterer. We re on a mission to create a positive food culture and help more students enjoy healthier, better-quality food. Making a positive social impact is at the heart of everything we do. We re constantly learning, evolving, and improving every way, every day.
Through our industry-leading brands Innovate, Hutchison, Cucina, and Chapter One we cater for over 800,000 students and operate in more than 900 schools nationwide, growing every year. We re now looking for a talented and highly organised Commercial Finance Bid Analyst to join our Shared Services Team and play a vital role in supporting our people operations and employee experience.
Guided by our values, integrity, bold, impactful, humble, and community; you will help us shape a workplace and culture we can all be proud of.
What you ll be doing
We are looking for a sharp, commercially minded Finance professional to join our growing team. In this pivotal role, you will be the bridge between our Sales and Operations departments, ensuring that every new contract we win is both competitive and profitable. This is not a traditional accounting role; it is a strategic position for someone who enjoys the fast-paced nature of sales, possesses a strong analytical toolkit, and wants to see the direct financial impact of their work through the entire contract lifecycle.
Key Responsibilities
- Financial Modelling: Support the building and refining of bespoke budgets for new business bids, ensuring labour costs, food margins, and overheads are accurately projected.
- Tender Analysis: Carefully review Invitation to Tender (ITT) documents to identify financial risks, mandatory requirements, and commercial opportunities.
- Post-Win Commercial Analysis: Reviewing how newly won contracts perform against the original budget. You will conduct Actual vs. Bid reviews to spot variances, highlight risks, and help make our future pricing even sharper.
- Strategic Collaboration: Attend and contribute to approval calls with the Sales Team and Directors to provide financial validation for bid submissions.
- Performance Benchmarking: Develop and maintain commercial benchmarks (e.g., GP percentages, labour ratios, uptakes) to guide the Sales team in creating realistic proposals.
- Retention & Extensions: Partner with the Operations Team to re-model financials for existing clients looking to extend their contracts, ensuring terms remain viable.
- Stakeholder Liaison: Act as the primary point of contact for financial advice for the Sales team, providing clear explanations of complex data to non-finance colleagues.
More about you
- Solid Finance Background: You must have a deep understanding of P&L mechanics, margin analysis, and cost allocation. Ideally, you will have equivalent, hands-on Commercial Finance/FP&A experience.
- Prior Bidding/Pricing Experience: We need someone who can hit the ground running. You should have experience in a similar commercial pricing or bid analysis role. Experience in contract catering is a massive bonus.
- Advanced Excel: You ll be building complex, multi-tab models that need to be both accurate and easy for others to navigate.
- High Attention to Detail: Missing a single clause in a tender or a formula error in a budget can be the difference between a winning bid and a loss-making contract.
- Strong People Skills: You need the diplomacy to tell a Sales Manager "No" when a deal doesn t make sense, while maintaining a collaborative partnership.
- Commercial Acumen: The ability to see beyond the spreadsheet and understand the operational reality of running a school kitchen.
If you re a collaborative, solution-focused Finance professional who thrives in a busy and purposeful environment, we d love to hear from you. Join us and be part of a team transforming lives through the power of food, making a genuine difference for students across the UK.
Commercial Finance Bid Analyst employer: Impact Food Group
Contact Detail:
Impact Food Group Recruiting Team
StudySmarter Expert Advice 🤫
We think this is how you could land Commercial Finance Bid Analyst
✨Tip Number 1
Network like a pro! Reach out to people in the industry, attend events, and connect with potential colleagues on LinkedIn. You never know who might have the inside scoop on job openings or can put in a good word for you.
✨Tip Number 2
Prepare for interviews by researching the company and its values. At Impact Food Group, they care about making a positive social impact, so think about how your skills align with their mission and be ready to share examples.
✨Tip Number 3
Practice your pitch! Be clear about what you bring to the table as a Commercial Finance Bid Analyst. Highlight your analytical skills and experience in bidding, and don’t forget to show your enthusiasm for the role.
✨Tip Number 4
Apply through our website! It’s the best way to ensure your application gets seen. Plus, it shows you’re genuinely interested in joining our team at Impact Food Group and contributing to our mission.
We think you need these skills to ace Commercial Finance Bid Analyst
Some tips for your application 🫡
Tailor Your CV: Make sure your CV reflects the skills and experiences that align with the Commercial Finance Bid Analyst role. Highlight your finance background, bidding experience, and any relevant achievements that showcase your analytical prowess.
Craft a Compelling Cover Letter: Use your cover letter to tell us why you're passionate about making a positive impact in the food industry. Share specific examples of how your previous roles have prepared you for this position and how you can contribute to our mission.
Showcase Your Analytical Skills: Since this role involves financial modelling and tender analysis, be sure to mention any tools or methodologies you’ve used in the past. We want to see your ability to dissect complex data and make it understandable for others.
Apply Through Our Website: We encourage you to apply directly through our website. It’s the best way for us to receive your application and ensures you’re considered for the role. Plus, it shows us you’re keen on joining our team!
How to prepare for a job interview at Impact Food Group
✨Know Your Numbers
As a Commercial Finance Bid Analyst, you'll need to demonstrate your financial acumen. Brush up on P&L mechanics, margin analysis, and cost allocation. Be ready to discuss how you've applied these concepts in previous roles, especially in bidding or pricing scenarios.
✨Master the Tender Process
Familiarise yourself with the Invitation to Tender (ITT) process. Prepare examples of how you've successfully navigated this in the past, highlighting any financial risks you identified and how you turned them into opportunities. This will show your strategic thinking and attention to detail.
✨Showcase Your Excel Skills
Since advanced Excel skills are crucial for this role, be prepared to discuss specific functions and models you've built. If possible, bring along a sample of your work that demonstrates your ability to create complex, multi-tab models that are user-friendly.
✨Communicate Effectively
Strong people skills are essential for this position. Think about times when you've had to explain complex financial data to non-finance colleagues. Practice articulating your thoughts clearly and diplomatically, especially when discussing challenging topics like budget constraints.