Finance Business Partner - Commercial

At McLaren, our mission is to set the standard for high performance in sport. Everyone, in every part of the team, has a role to play. So if you want to test your ideas with the world watching and measure your progress in milliseconds, you belong here. High performance starts with you.

Purpose of the Role: To build accurate and reliable financial plans, communicating and reporting performance, thereby providing management with effective decision support.

Role Dimensions: The Finance Partner is responsible for building strong relationships with the business to develop, report and ensure adherence to financial plans. This role requires flexibility, working in a fast-paced multi-tasking environment and comfortable dealing with high volume of workload. You will be the first point of contact for Director / Head of level colleagues in our Commercial Business Unit, and all those with budget ownership responsibilities. You will play a key role in developing and understanding the in-year performance and pipeline potential for our key revenue generating areas.

Principal Accountabilities:

• Business Partnering: Providing clear and concise and insightful reporting and business partnering for our Commercial Business unit, specifically supporting the development functions that are key to our success. Analyse financial results and proposals against budgets and potential ROI to ensure we support key projects and investments. To understand the strategic direction of departments supported and how to support the achievement of long term objectives. Preparation of budgets, forecasts and ad hoc requests through the year, maintaining a long term forecast to focus on the success of core objectives. Working closely with other stakeholders across licensing, business development, and marketing to make agile decisions in a fast paced business, that both protect budgets and enhance ROI. To contribute and collaborate across the wider finance team to assess and understand opportunities for process improvement, and plan the delivery of these, ensuring stakeholders impacted have clear expectations. The role will be required to review the month end close process, for the commercial business unit, and apply their knowledge to the completion and accuracy of this, through their transactional knowledge. This is in collaboration with the wider finance teams.
• Strategic Thinking: Ability to build trusted internal and external relationships with multiple stakeholders, delivering towards their objectives. Ability to provide insight that guides colleagues in recommendations and decision making in the short term that ensure long term success of projects. Recognise change in the organisation and adapt approach to ensure success. Ability to make recommendations in the short term that ensure long term success of projects. Collaboratively challenge agreements and current approaches to maximise value to the business.
• Process: Maintaining forecasting and budgeting templates to ensure consistent expectations. Owning the delivery of commercial finance monthly, quarterly and annual planning cycles. Developing internal Workday & Power BI reporting. Developing robust budgetary controls. Formalising process in an efficient and effective manner.

Career Development: This role would ideally suit someone with an accountancy qualification and confident delivering insight to senior stakeholders. The role will require an individual willing to be involved in reviewing and analysing a manageable amount of data, pivoting this into useful information and carrying this through to insightful information. The role will benefit from the advice and support of a team of peers but will be an individual who works with stakeholders to provide insightful analysis. This will provide someone with a platform to grow their partnering skills, whilst becoming an expert in interpretation of data. Ability to work well under pressure and demonstrate emotional resilience and intelligence in the face of competing demands. Ability to nurture and develop junior team members, supporting their broader development and progression. An organised individual that considers themselves to have good planning ability and confidence in the identification of risk and opportunity. Creative problem solver able to use technical skills and relationships to implement solutions. The drive, determination and commitment to get things done and get results. Displays a professional curiosity to seek opportunities for continual improvement.

Knowledge, Skills and Experience: ACA / ACCA / CIMA qualified. Excellent Excel & IT skills, Workday & Power BI desirable. Good analytical skills and attention to detail. Ability to prioritise and organise to work effectively to deadlines. Excellent interpersonal and communication skills. Eager to learn and enthusiastic. Proficient in the detail and application of regulations.

What can McLaren offer? We constantly strive to be better tomorrow than we are today. Our ambition is to be the most pioneering and exhilarating racing team in the world, and our collective task is to set the standards for high performance in sport. We show up every day with energy and enthusiasm, ready to play our part. We encourage and support diversity, equity and inclusion. We will actively promote a culture that values difference and eliminates discrimination in our workplace. McLaren Racing is based at the iconic McLaren Technology Centre (MTC) near Woking. Here at McLaren, we offer hybrid working with 3 days a week based in the MTC. Our state of the art, sustainable campus offers many facilities including a gym, restaurant and indoor and outdoor break-out areas, as well as direct access to park and common land. The MTC is connected to Woking mainline station via regular shuttle buses, from which London Waterloo is a 30 minute train ride. We offer a comprehensive package of benefits including private healthcare, car schemes, life insurance and generous pension contributions.