Head of Financial Reporting, Planning and Analysis in Belfast

Reports to: Executive Partner, Financial Operations

Location: Belfast (Hybrid)

Role Purpose

The Head of FP&A in PFS will lead the financial planning and analysis function across Pearson within a shared services environment. This role ensures strategic alignment between operational performance and financial objectives, driving insight-led decision-making and supporting Pearson’s global finance transformation agenda. This FP&A role will lead the business unit facing FP&A teams, whilst working closely with the Global Lead Finance Operations to reimagine services as we evolve our Finance strategy towards greater Data Science, Advanced Analytics and Agent Ops AI-enabled ambitions. This is a highly complex people management role and whilst delivering the FP&A agenda, a large amount of time and capacity within this role is spent delivering world-class people management. Furthermore, given most of this team is in Belfast – this leader will also support the delivery of a talent acquisition and development agenda in a complex labour market. The role will collaborate with the Head of PFS Financial Control as a site lead for engagement, people, and culture - not as an overall management role - working in partnership with Pearson stakeholders such as PEM, FLT Members, HR Business Partners and Workplace teams to foster a positive and inclusive environment.

Role Dimensions

• Approximately 80 roll-up employees across the PFS FP&A finance organisation.
• Approximately 10 direct reports, including senior FP&A managers and analysts.
• Accountable for Gallup Q12 engagement outcomes and driving a culture of inclusion and high performance.
• Responsible for performance management processes, ensuring clarity of objectives, regular feedback, and development planning for direct reports.

Key Responsibilities

• Strategic & Transformation Leadership: Own the FP&A strategy for PFS, aligning financial planning with operational and corporate objectives, working in collaboration with Group FP&A and Business Partner FP&A leaders to design a transformation agenda to modernise FP&A. Partner with senior leaders to influence resource allocation, investment decisions, and cost optimisation initiatives.
• Planning & Forecasting: Lead annual budgeting and quarterly forecasting cycles for PFS, ensuring accuracy and timeliness. Develop dynamic financial models for scenario planning and sensitivity analysis. Standardise and automate FP&A processes and reporting where possible to modernise FP&A.
• Performance Analysis: Deliver actionable insights through variance analysis, trend identification, and risk/opportunity assessments. Produce consolidated management reports for executive leadership adopting automation, AI and agentic ops to modernise reporting. Deliver comprehensive KPIs as a FP&A service including forecasting accuracy, cycle time reduction, automation and productivity metrics.
• Data, Governance & Compliance: Support with build of a governed data model to integrate multiple data sources to support automation and advanced analytical techniques. Ensure adherence to SOX, audit standards, and internal control frameworks. Maintain compliance across global FP&A processes in partnership with Data Privacy, Technology and Audit.
• Team Leadership: Manage and develop a high-performing FP&A team, fostering a culture of accountability and continuous improvement. Develop and build career paths and skills to support FP&A of the future and build finance talent. Act as a mentor for emerging finance leaders within PFS.
• Stakeholder Engagement: Collaborate with cross-functional teams to embed financial insight into operational decisions. Act as a site engagement lead in partnership with FRC Lead, HRBP, Workplace and Property teams to promote culture and collaboration.
• Change Management: Lead and embed finance transformation initiatives across FP&A, driving adoption of new tools, data capabilities, and AI-enabled processes while ensuring minimal disruption to planning and reporting cycles. Guide teams and stakeholders through organisational and process change, building engagement, capability, and resilience while maintaining strong operational delivery and performance outcomes.

Tier M38 Expectations – Operational Manager

This role sits within Operational Manager tier, the leader is accountable for the overall performance of the FP&A department, setting objectives in alignment with business unit goals. They oversee multiple teams or managers, ensuring operational excellence, the integrity of financial reports, and delivery of reliable forecasts and actionable analyses for senior leadership. This tier requires:

• Anticipating risks and guiding departments through change initiatives.
• Representing finance in business partnership meetings.
• Balancing resource constraints with long-term planning needs, with risk extending to department-wide impacts on financial performance and planning cycles.

Performance Deliverables:

• Timely, accurate reporting and analysis packages for the business unit, supporting operational and financial targets.
• Identification and mitigation of risks in planning/reporting processes, reducing variance from forecasts and improving responsiveness to business shifts.
• Oversight of professional development for department staff, resulting in sustained improvements in quality and speed of delivery and finance of the future talent.
• Leading successful implementations of process improvements, standardisation and use of automation, AI, Agents to deliver operational excellence, ensuring minimal disruption to reporting or planning activities.

Leadership Behaviours:

• Customer Centricity: Build strong internal partnerships to deliver tailored finance solutions.
• Raising the Performance Bar: Drive transformation across FP&A using automation and AI, to enhance the quality of insights and planning rigour.
• Exceptional Collaboration for Value: Support cross-departmental synergy and resolve issues escalated from multiple teams.
• Our Leaders Inspire: Advocate for ethical, transparent financial practices and nurture a culture of high performance and modernisation of FP&A.

Qualifications & Experience

• Essential due to regulatory reasons - this role must be occupied by a fully qualified accountant (we cannot accept applications from partially qualified accountants).
• Essential due to regulatory reasons - Professional finance qualification (ACA, ACCA, CIMA) or equivalent.
• Essential - 10+ years in FP&A or related finance leadership roles, ideally within global operations.
• Essential - Demonstrable strong people management experience, and knowledge of UK and Northern Ireland people management processes and practices.
• Essential - Demonstrable behaviours and leadership in line with the Pearson essential behaviours and professional interpersonal skills as a senior accountant and people manager.
• Essential - Proven ability to lead complex planning cycles and influence senior stakeholders.
• Essential – Proven ability to transform FP&A and modernise adopting new technologies, standardising processes, using data and statistical techniques.
• Essential - Strong analytical, modelling, and communication skills.
• Desirable – Data engineering, coding, intelligent automation, and AI.
• Desirable – Process standardisation and continuous improvement.

If you think you could be a great fit for this role, we encourage you to apply today – we look forward to hearing from you and speaking soon.