Finance & Business Planning Manager in London

Responsibilities

• Reports to: Chief Administrative Officer (CAO)
• The Manager, Finance & Business Planning will lead Toyota Connected Europe’s integrated Finance & Business Planning function, working closely with the CAO.
• The role oversees three teams — Accounting & Finance, Business Planning & Analysis, and Procurement — and is responsible for financial planning, control, reporting and analysis across the business.
• The role acts as a bridge between Finance and the wider business, and between the local team and senior and group (TME/TMC) management, supporting management decision‑making and championing strong governance.

Team Leadership & Management:

• Lead, develop and mentor the Finance & Business Planning team across its three sub‑teams (Accounting & Finance, Business Planning, and Procurement) and across the London team and Poland Shared Service Centre.
• Foster professional growth, an ownership mindset, and reduce single‑person dependency to safeguard continuity.

Strategic Business Partnering & Bridge:

• Act as the connector between Finance and the wider business, translating project and business context into financial insight.
• Serve as the bridge between the local team and the wider Toyota Group, helping management make informed, strategic decisions and ensuring clear communication in both directions.

Management Reporting to SLT:

• Deliver consistent, detailed and accurate monthly financial and operational KPI reporting to the Senior Leadership Team (SLT) and management on a timely basis, driving better‑informed decision‑making across TCEU.

Financial Forecasting & Business Planning:

• Introduce clear, structured quarterly financial forecasting with detailed analysis and challenge, and prepare three‑to‑five‑year forecasts to support the Mid‑Term Business Plan (MTBP) and Annual Business Plan (ABP).
• Manage business KPI performance, including Hoshin tracking, and align and visualise the FY planning cycle.

Efficiency & Cost‑Performance:

• Improve Mieruka (Project budget and resource management system) data accuracy and resource‑utilisation visualisation while reducing operational waste.
• Drive value‑based spending and cost‑performance across TCEU, segregating value‑add work for the London team from repetitive processes suited to the Shared Service Centre.

Process Standardisation & Modernisation:

• Document, test and standardise daily operational processes so the function becomes controlled, consistent, accurate and trustworthy.
• Assess and propose appropriate tooling, automation and AI adoption to modernise operations and raise the quality of team output.

Financial Control & Closing:

• Oversee monthly, quarterly and yearly financial closing, accounts payable and receivable, monthly balance sheet reconciliations, and property (fixed asset) management, ensuring accuracy and timeliness.

Treasury & Cash Flow Management:

• Oversee cash flow, working capital, liquidity and banking relationships to maintain financial stability and optimise the company’s position.

Governance, Compliance & Audit:

• Strengthen TCEU’s corporate governance and compliance through manuals, policies and risk‑based decision‑making.
• Coordinate internal and external audits, working towards a clean financial audit, and ensure the Poland hub is fully compliant in respect of tax and accounting.

Procurement & Vendor Management:

• Oversee the procurement function, including purchase order processing, the RFP process, negotiation and spend‑versus‑PO control.
• Introduce appropriately governed vendor management through vendor due diligence and procurement risk matrices.

Tax & Compliance:

• Oversee tax preparation and compliance, including R&D tax incentive submissions, and ensure compliance with financial regulations and accounting standards.

Talent Management & Succession Planning:

• Embed individual development plans (one, three and five year) and team roadmaps to strengthen succession planning and continuity across the function.

Payroll Approval:

• Provide final approval of payroll, ensuring accurate and timely payment to employees while maintaining compliance with tax regulations.

CAO Support & Special Projects:

• Support the CAO on financial tasks and special projects, and help build a scalable, sustainable team structure for the future.

Qualifications:

• Commercial, business‑partnering mindset, with the ability to provide clear, actionable insight to support management decisions and cost‑performance.
• Proficiency in financial software and ERP systems.
• Exceptional analytical and problem‑solving abilities, comfortable balancing strategic oversight with hands‑on delivery in a lean team.
• Excellent communication and presentation skills in English (written and verbal), with the ability to engage senior, Toyota Group and non‑finance stakeholders with confidence.
• Qualified accountant (ACA, ACCA or CIMA) with a degree in Finance, Accounting or a related field; an MBA is desirable.
• Comfortable working across a multinational, matrixed organisation and with multiple locations or a shared service centre.
• Strong knowledge of financial regulations, accounting principles, FP&A, financial controls, governance and compliance.
• Substantial post‑qualification experience, including in a finance management or leadership role; experience in the technology industry is an advantage.
• A continuous‑improvement orientation, comfortable driving process standardisation and the adoption of automation and new tooling.
• Proven people leadership and team management skills, with experience of talent development and succession planning.

You might not feel like you “tick all the boxes” but we sincerely hope you’ll apply anyway because you could be exactly what we’re looking for!