At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead financial planning and reporting for a global biscuits and confectionery business.
- Company: Join pladis, a fast-growing company dedicated to quality and happiness.
- Benefits: Competitive salary, diverse team, and opportunities for personal growth.
- Other info: Be part of a collaborative culture that values innovation and accountability.
- Why this job: Make a real impact in a dynamic environment while working with iconic brands.
- Qualifications: Experience in FP&A, strong analytical skills, and ability to communicate insights.
The predicted salary is between 60000 - 75000 ÂŁ per year.
Want to help us bring happiness to the world? Want to join an ambitious and fast growing global biscuits and confectionery business investing heavily in iconic global brands, infrastructure and people? Then this is the place for you. As proud bakers and chocolatiers and custodians of iconic global brands, we don’t compromise on the quality of ingredients in our products or on the people we hire. We are looking for entrepreneurial spirits who share our passion for bringing happiness to our consumers and who embody our Winning Traits.
To succeed at pladis you need to be purpose-led, resilient and positive because we expect pace and agility, insist on collaboration and demand accountability. If that is your thing, then pladis offers global ambition, a clear Vision and roadmap for success, challenge, and unrivalled opportunities to learn and make an impact.
Role Purpose
The Senior FP&A Reporting & Planning Manager sits within the FP&A team and has end‑to‑end accountability for UK&I financial planning, forecasting and management reporting, ensuring high‑quality, timely and decision‑relevant outputs for senior leadership and Group. The role owns the integration of actuals, forecasts, budgets and financial strategic plans, providing a single, coherent financial view of performance and outlook across the UK & Republic of Ireland. Operating as a senior FP&A lead, the role combines strong analytical capability with robust planning governance, clear financial storytelling and effective cross‑functional business partnering.
The role is a key partner to the Head of FP&A & CFO, supporting enterprise‑level decision making through insight, scenario analysis and clear articulation of risks and opportunities. The focus of the role is on ownership, clarity, and continuous improvement, ensuring plans and reports are trusted, explainable, and consistently applied across the business.
Key Responsibilities
- Financial Planning & Budget Leadership
- Own the coordination and consolidation of the UK&I Financial Strategic Plan across a rolling 3–5 year horizon, ensuring plans are robust, well governed and clearly financialised, with explicit visibility of trade‑offs, priorities and strategic financial decisions.
- Lead the annual Budget process, ensuring a driver‑based plan, with clear ownership, appropriate challenge and stretching but achievable targets.
- Define and enforce planning standards, assumptions and timelines to ensure consistency and comparability across functions and segments.
- Ensure all plans are clearly linked to business strategy, value drivers and operational assumptions.
- Drive continuous improvement in planning processes, tools and governance.
- Forecasting, Reporting & Performance Insight
- Own and continually evolve the monthly in‑year forecast and quarterly Group forecast process and deliverables, actively challenging assumptions, risks and opportunities to ensure outputs are robust.
- Work closely with the business to build credible, driver‑based P&L and cash forecasts, including clear scenarios and explicit decision points.
- Lead insightful analysis of monthly actual performance versus key comparatives, delivering a clear “so what?” narrative that highlights implications, trade‑offs and recommended actions.
- Design, develop and deliver a relevant and insightful management reporting suite, partnering with the Head of FP&A.
- Own the financial narrative and performance story, ensuring transparent, well‑understood bridges between actuals, forecast and plan.
- Actively challenge and refresh existing reporting and forecasting approaches, avoiding “business as usual” and ensuring insight, relevance and focus on what matters most.
- Drive a continuous improvement, simplification and automation mindset.
- Proactively incorporate external benchmarks, competitor insights and market context to strengthen performance analysis.
- Governance, Integration & Financial Storytelling
- Act as owner of planning and reporting governance across UK&I, ensuring strong linkages between actuals, forecasts, budgets and strategic plans.
- Ensure P&L, Balance Sheet and Cashflow are fully integrated and consistently reflected across all planning horizons.
- Maintain clear documentation of key assumptions, judgements and sensitivities underpinning plans and forecasts.
- Ensure outputs are transparent, explainable and suitable for senior leadership and Group scrutiny.
- Drive standardisation and simplification, reducing complexity and key person dependency.
- Leadership & Business Partnering
- Lead and develop our FP&A Data Manager with a focus on nurturing their development.
- Partner closely with Sales, Marketing, Supply Chain, R&D and Group Finance / Group FP&A to deliver integrated financial plans.
- Act as a trusted advisor to the Head of FP&A and CFO, providing ad‑hoc analysis, scenario modelling and decision support.
- Contribute to finance transformation and strategic projects as a senior FP&A.
Skills & Experience
- Advanced capability in Excel, PowerPoint and Power BI.
- Good experience in FP&A, planning, forecasting and management reporting.
- Ability to simplify complex financial information and communicate clear insights to senior, non‑finance stakeholders.
- Proven ability to set standards, apply judgement and deliver to tight deadlines across multiple workstreams.
Desirable
- Qualified or part‑qualified accountant (ACA / ACCA / CIMA or equivalent).
- Experience operating in FMCG.
- Exposure to SAP/OneStream.
What Success Looks Like
- Plans, forecasts and reports are trusted, coherent and decision‑relevant.
- Senior leadership has a clear line of sight from strategy to financial outcomes.
- Performance movements, risks and opportunities are clearly understood with no surprises.
- Planning and reporting processes are efficient, well governed and continuously improving.
- FP&A operates as a single, aligned team with strong ownership and accountability.
Senior FP&A Reporting & Planning Manager in London employer: pladis Foods Limited
Contact Detail:
pladis Foods Limited Recruiting Team
StudySmarter Expert Advice 🤫
We think this is how you could land Senior FP&A Reporting & Planning Manager in London
✨Tip Number 1
Network like a pro! Reach out to people in the industry, attend events, and connect 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 culture. Understand their values and how they align with your own. This will help you show that you're not just a fit for the role, but for the team too!
✨Tip Number 3
Practice your financial storytelling skills. Be ready to explain complex financial concepts in simple terms. This is key for roles like Senior FP&A Reporting & Planning Manager where clear communication is crucial.
✨Tip Number 4
Don’t forget to 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 ambitious team at pladis.
We think you need these skills to ace Senior FP&A Reporting & Planning Manager in London
Some tips for your application 🫡
Tailor Your CV: Make sure your CV is tailored to the Senior FP&A Reporting & Planning Manager role. Highlight your relevant experience in financial planning, forecasting, and reporting. Use keywords from the job description to show that you understand what we're looking for.
Craft a Compelling Cover Letter: Your cover letter is your chance to shine! Share your passion for bringing happiness through finance and how your skills align with our values at pladis. Be sure to mention specific examples of how you've driven improvements in previous roles.
Showcase Your Analytical Skills: In your application, emphasise your analytical capabilities. We want to see how you've used data to inform decision-making and drive business outcomes. Include any tools or methodologies you've used that relate to financial storytelling and performance insights.
Apply Through Our Website: Don't forget to apply 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 you're keen on joining our ambitious team at pladis!
How to prepare for a job interview at pladis Foods Limited
✨Know Your Numbers
As a Senior FP&A Reporting & Planning Manager, you'll need to demonstrate your analytical skills. Brush up on key financial metrics and be ready to discuss how you've used data to drive decision-making in previous roles. Show them you can turn complex numbers into clear insights!
✨Master the Art of Storytelling
Financial storytelling is crucial for this role. Prepare to explain how you've communicated financial insights to non-financial stakeholders. Use examples that highlight your ability to simplify complex information and make it relatable. This will show your potential employer that you can bridge the gap between finance and business strategy.
✨Showcase Your Collaborative Spirit
Collaboration is key at pladis. Be ready to share experiences where you've partnered with different teams, like Sales or Marketing, to achieve financial goals. Highlight your ability to work cross-functionally and how you’ve contributed to a high-performance culture.
✨Embrace Continuous Improvement
The role demands a mindset focused on continuous improvement. Prepare to discuss how you've driven efficiency in planning processes or reporting tools in the past. Share specific examples of how you've simplified workflows or automated tasks to enhance productivity. This will resonate well with their ambition for innovation.