Senior Sales Finance Manager in London

Location: Wimbledon, SW London (2 days)

Reports to: CFO UK&I Wella

Direct Reports: (dotted line) Rebates analyst (based in Poland)

Scope / Brands: Professional Beauty Hair and Nail

About the Wella Company: Together, WE enable individuals to look, feel, and be their true selves. Wella Company is one of the world’s leading beauty companies, comprised of a family of iconic brands such as Wella Professionals, Clairol, OPI, Nioxin and ghd. With 6,000 employees globally, presence in over 100 countries, Wella Company and its brands enable consumers to look, feel, and be their true selves.

We are looking for a Senior Sales Finance Manager Professional Beauty to join our Commercial finance team based in Wimbledon. This role will support Professional Hair and Nail Sales team and other stakeholders including Leadership team. Reporting to CFO UK&I Wella, you will get to lead predominantly externally focused sales finance processes – including facilitating the design and execution of the customer Gain and Retain strategies; you will oversee Customer Financing and Trade terms design and execution – to drive growth and profitability.

Key Responsibilities:

• Act as single point of contact for the GM, the CFO and the business teams on PB Sales finance related topics, key partner to Senior Sales and Education director.
• Understand business goals and strategies as well as company’s financial policies and provide recommendations to help Sales team achieve annual target.
• Trade terms framework guardian – in charge of monitoring compliant execution, proposing and/or contributing to Trade terms optimisation and modification and lead of following implementation.
• Financing (listing fees and loans) policies guardian and simplification/best practices implementation champion.
• Oversight of end-to-end financing process – from application stage to tracking and contractual review and execution (via Sales Coordinator).
• Annual Rebates set-up, regular settlement and financing amortisation process (via Rebates analyst).
• Financial assessment of gain/retain financing applications and scenario planning for complex cases maximising win-win for the company and the customer.
• Month-end lead for financing and trade related provisions (collecting actuals, analysing differences vs forecast, preparing MEC journals and reporting, leading pre/MEC meetings with FP&A, analysing and assessing risks and opps and making recommendations for forecast adjustment; validation of correct accounting entries and ensuring proper back‑up documentation is in place for audit purposes; responsibility for related balances on balance sheet).
• Support and challenge budget holders (including leadership team) around cost control, budget and overall spend – within trade investment remit.
• Lead projects such as Cost To Serve modelling; sales incentive modelling; Territory profitability analysis; Rebate system capability upgrade.
• Responsible for implementing and enhancing SOPs and SOX controls in their area.

Qualifications:

• Qualified accountant.
• Bachelor’s or master’s degree in finance & accounting.
• 5+ years’ experience in Financial Analysis and Forecasting, with Sales finance expertise.
• 2+ years’ experience in People management and talent development.
• Ability to effectively influence multifunctional stakeholders, in particular Sales team which is highly skilled in negotiations.
• Proven track record of challenging stakeholders and ability to make judgment on the accuracy/reliability of the inputs provided.
• High level of mental agility – being able to “connect the dots” and craft a “story” behind numbers.
• Proven ability to work under tight deadlines/stress/multiple demands and demonstration of resilience.
• Profound understanding of P&L and Balance Sheet under U.S. GAAP, particularly in trade investment area and experience in month‑end close process of both P&L and B/S; knowledge of Statutory accounting principles.
• Reliable, proactive, highly driven and self‑motivated/independent working style.
• Highest standards of accuracy and precision; outstanding operational discipline.
• Proven ability to identify problems and propose creative solutions.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills with the ability to communicate effectively at all levels of hierarchy including external stakeholders.
• Proven ability to learn quickly and further develop competencies at fast pace.
• Advanced Excel skills and proficient SAP user.
• Experience in working with contracts/Legal firms on contractual matters.

What We Offer:

• 3 days working from home.
• 25 days holiday + additional day off for your birthday.