Commercial Finance Analyst in City of Westminster

The purpose of the Commercial Finance Analyst is to identify, design, and implement reporting and data simplification across the field sales channel, whilst automating manual processes and standardising outputs to enable faster, more reliable decision-making for stakeholders. Design and implement channel-specific reporting cycles aligned to business rhythms to improve long-term visibility and control. You will also be supporting the wider commercial finance team to ensure the team is future fit in all areas, this includes the following:

• Build repeatable communications processes that connect reporting outputs to stakeholder actions.
• Enable timely, clear, and decision-ready information flow across teams.
• Support the ongoing delivery and maintenance of existing daily reports and monthly system requirements, ensuring accuracy, timeliness, and consistency.
• Ad hoc support in the Grocery channel to help analyse current gaps to plan and provide actionable insights to business partners.
• Ensure actions are taken and implemented where required.

Responsibilities

• Ownership of all month-end system processes for the sales controlling team.
• Ensure sample stock reconciliation is completed in full and variances are explained.
• Work closely with outside services agency to ensure monthly actuals are in line with budgets and provide commentary on variances.
• Post monthly Field accruals in line with expectations.
• Support the monthly sales investment accrual process + channel reviews.
• Ensure master data quality of systems, including customer, product, internal order hierarchies.
• Build and manage standardised sample stock reporting across on/off premise to clearly show drivers of variances vs plan and identify opportunities for efficiencies based aligned ROI metrics.
• Design monthly loyalty scheme reporting to promote visibility of the scheme and support accounting with monthly accrual postings.
• Support with the creation and maintenance of Field sales dashboards, aimed to display and manage channel performance versus aligned KPIs.
• Generate, improve, and distribute existing weekly/monthly reports on an ongoing basis.
• Support controlling team with ad hoc reporting asks.
• Support in the assessment of investment evaluations and performance, by SKU, pack type, product range, period.
• Guarantees full compliance with the Group Controlling guidelines and Audit requirements.
• Designs the system setup, to perfectly mirror the responsibilities in the organization.
• Supports the monthly Channel Review Meeting to ensure a robust channel financial outlook.
• Supports a true bottom-up planning process by finding a balance of long-term vision and inclusive challenge with close analytical support to contribute high forecasting accuracy of the business plan.
• Creates and maintains tools to help coordinate the Business Plan/Revised Estimate data collection.
• Supports with the preparation of year-to-go monthly reforecast including identifying and tracking relevant R+Os.
• Proactively partners with the sales team to improve visibility and control across channels.
• Use facts, figures, and analysis to support the identification of areas for improvement.
• Support on strategic projects such as long-term pricing, promotional investment optimisation, Group Controlling Guideline audits, robotics efficiencies, reporting developments.
• Build and solidify Local + HQ finance relationships and mindsets.

Some experience in a finance-specific role. Experience in consumer goods is advantageous. Sales finance experience including Price and Mix variance analysis is advantageous. Degree Qualified, interested in working towards finance qualification - Study support available (ACA, ACCA, CIMA or equivalent). Fluent written and spoken English. Travel 10-20%.