At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead the rollout of a global forecasting tool and develop robust financial models.
- Company: Join JD Group, a leading global omni-channel retailer in sports fashion.
- Benefits: Enjoy staff discounts, gym memberships, and personal development opportunities.
- Other info: Diverse and inclusive workplace with excellent career growth potential.
- Why this job: Become a multi-platform expert and make a real impact in finance transformation.
- Qualifications: Expertise in IBM Planning Analytics and strong communication skills required.
The predicted salary is between 50000 - 60000 £ per year.
Department: Finance
Location: Finance Transformation / Finance Systems Team
Reporting To: David Szabo
Contract Type: FTC
About JD Group
Founded in 1981 with a single store in the Northwest of England, JD Group has grown into a leading global omni-channel retailer in Sports Fashion, Outdoors, and Gyms. Our diverse and dedicated teams operate across a portfolio of renowned retail brands in multiple international markets. Listed on the London Stock Exchange since 1996 and a proud member of the FTSE100 since 2019, JD Group continues to expand both in the UK and globally driven by a commitment to innovation, excellence, and possibility. Our vision is to become the world’s most trusted and dynamic omni-channel retailer in the sports and outdoor industry. We welcome individuals from all backgrounds to join us in shaping this future. If you're passionate about contributing to an inclusive, people-first, and customer-centric organisation and are motivated by continuous growth and operational excellence we’d love to hear from you.
Role Overview
We are looking for a high-calibre IBM Planning Analytics (TM1) Developer to join our Global Finance Systems team during a period of significant transformation. Initially, you will be the technical lead for the global rollout of our flagship forecasting tool, ensuring a seamless deployment and providing expert long-term support and system evolution. However, this is not just a "TM1 role." As we modernize our finance architecture, you will have the unique opportunity to become a multi-platform expert. We will provide dedicated investment and cross-training to help you master the Oracle EPM Cloud suite, specifically focusing on Financial Consolidation and Close (FCC), Account Reconciliations (ARCS), and our upcoming Oracle Tax reporting module (TRCS).
This role is designed for a forward-thinking developer who wants to move beyond a single technology and become a comprehensive EPM Architect, bridging the gap between IBM’s powerful modelling capabilities and Oracle’s robust statutory reporting solutions.
Key Responsibilities
- Initially, this role will be the technical lead for the rollout of our global forecasting tool, building the financial planning forecasting tool that provides bottom-up financial modelling of all the elements that drive our primary financial statements.
- Partnering with finance and business stakeholders, you will design, build and implement a robust driver‑based forecasting model within IBM Planning Analytics (TM1), aligned to business planning and forecasting requirements.
- Develop and maintain cubes, dimensions, hierarchies and rules to support scalable and auditable forecasting.
- Support testing, validation and reconciliation of forecast outputs during the project.
- Design user‑friendly Planning Analytics Workspace (PAW) dashboards, input templates and reports to support planner adoption.
- Ensure integration of the forecasting tool with source systems where applicable and downstream reporting outputs.
- Support forecast governance, including security, control checks, auditability and documentation.
- Provide knowledge transfer, documentation and user support to ensure sustainable ownership post‑implementation.
- Identify opportunities to enhance forecasting accuracy, automation and usability through continuous improvement.
As we modernize our finance architecture, you will have the unique opportunity to become a multi-platform expert:
- Develop deep functional and technical expertise in Oracle Financial Consolidation and Close (FCC), Account Reconciliation Cloud Service (ARCS) and the Oracle Tax Reporting module (TRCS) through structured investment and cross‑training.
- Partner with Finance, Tax and Accounting stakeholders to understand business requirements and maintain applications to support period‑end close, consolidation, reconciliation and tax reporting processes, ensuring accuracy, control and compliance.
- Actively identify opportunities to improve efficiency, control and insight through process simplification and increased automation.
Skills & Experience Required
- Engine Mastery: Expert proficiency in writing and troubleshooting TurboIntegrator (TI) processes and complex Rules/Feeders.
- Modern Interface Design: Hands-on experience building user-centric dashboards in Planning Analytics Workspace (PAW) and reports in Planning Analytics for Excel (PAfE).
- MDX Proficiency: Strong ability to write MDX for dynamic subsets and PAW-based reporting.
- Architecture & Design: Ability to design "Best Practice" dimensionality and multi-cube data flows (e.g., Opex, Capex, and Revenue models).
- Performance Tuning: Proven track record of optimizing model performance.
- Great Stakeholder Management: Exceptional communication skills with the ability to bridge the gap between technical system constraints and senior Finance leadership requirements.
- Analytical Mindset: The ability to translate complex business logic into lean, high-performance technical code.
- Financial Literacy: A solid grasp of financial planning and analysis (FP&A) processes, including budgeting, forecasting, and actuals reconciliation.
- EPM Evolution: A strong desire and aptitude to cross-train into the Oracle EPM Suite (specifically FCC, ARCS, and Tax).
- Global Rollout Experience: Experience supporting or leading global software deployments, including managing UAT, user training, and post-go-live stabilization.
- Retail Insight (Preferred): Prior experience in a Retail environment is highly advantageous—specifically understanding store-level drivers, inventory cycles, and margin analysis.
What We Offer
We are proud to be an equal opportunity employer, committed to creating a workplace where every colleague is valued, respected, and empowered. We celebrate the diversity of our teams and strive to ensure that all colleagues regardless of background, identity, or lived experience can thrive and contribute meaningfully. As a part of our successful and continually evolving company, you’ll be encouraged to embrace and uphold our strategic priorities: putting people first, at the forefront of digital innovation, staying deeply attuned to our customers, and pursuing operational excellence. We are always exploring new avenues for growth, and we welcome individuals who are passionate about making a positive impact every day. We know our employees work tirelessly to make JD Sports the success it is today and in turn, we offer them some amazing benefits:
- Staff Discount on qualifying purchases across Group retail stores and online
- Exclusive Colleague Bike Discount scheme
- Discounted Gym membership
- Personal development opportunities to learn and develop at work
- Access to Apprenticeships and accredited qualifications
IBM Planning Analytics (TM1) Developer - 12 - Month FTC in Bury employer: JD Sports
JD Group is an exceptional employer that prioritises a people-first culture, fostering an inclusive environment where every employee is valued and empowered. With a commitment to continuous growth and operational excellence, employees have access to extensive personal development opportunities, including cross-training in cutting-edge technologies like Oracle EPM Suite. Located in a dynamic retail sector, JD Group offers unique benefits such as staff discounts, gym memberships, and a supportive atmosphere that encourages innovation and collaboration.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land IBM Planning Analytics (TM1) Developer - 12 - Month FTC in Bury
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We think you need these skills to ace IBM Planning Analytics (TM1) Developer - 12 - Month FTC in Bury
Some tips for your application 🫡
Highlight Your Data Projects:When applying for a temporary data science role at JD Sports, make sure to showcase any relevant projects you've worked on. Whether it's a personal project, an academic undertaking, or contributions to an open-source initiative, detailing these experiences can really set you apart and demonstrate your practical skills.
Emphasise Your Analytical Skills:In your CV and cover letter, focus on the specific analytical skills that are key to data science. Mention any experience with statistical tools, programming languages like Python or R, and data visualisation software. Don't forget to include any certifications that may bolster your expertise!
Show Your Flexibility:Since this is a temporary role, it's important to convey your adaptability and willingness to learn. In your cover letter to JD Sports, emphasise how quickly you can get up to speed with new tools or projects. Highlight any previous experiences where you've had to adjust to new environments or challenges.
Craft a Unique Data-Driven Cover Letter:Instead of the usual generic cover letter, spice it up with some data! Maybe you’ve improved a process by 20% in a past role or cleaned a dataset with over a million entries. Use these stats to your advantage to grab JD Sports’s attention and show the tangible impact of your work.
How to prepare for a job interview at JD Sports
✨Showcase Your Analytical Skills
For a data science gig, it's crucial to demonstrate your analytical abilities. Be ready to discuss previous projects and the methodologies you used. Think about how you can quantify your impact—did your analysis improve efficiency or save costs? These are the stories that will stick with interviewers at JD Sports.
✨Brush Up on Technical Skills
You might face technical questions on tools relevant to data science, like Python, R, or SQL. Prepare to solve a problem live—perhaps they'll ask you to write a simple query or code snippet. It’s cool to talk about them, but we need to show we can do it in practice, especially in a temporary role where quick results matter.
✨Highlight Your Adaptability
Since this is a temporary position, emphasise your ability to learn quickly and adapt to new tools or workflows. Share examples of how you've thrived in fast-paced environments before, and how you can hit the ground running at JD Sports.
✨Prepare a Portfolio of Your Work
Bring your portfolio to the table—showcase projects where you've leveraged data science techniques to solve problems. Whether it’s a GitHub repository or a set of case studies, having tangible examples of your work will help you stand out and show what you bring to the team at JD Sports.
