Head of Commercial Finance UKI (3686)

With over 60 years of history, Pizza Hut has become the world's largest pizza company, with 18,000+ stores across 100 countries. At Pizza Hut, our vision is to be the younger & more everyday leaders in global pizza culture, and our purpose is to connect people together through the joy of pizza. We are proud to be an International Operating Market of nearly 1,300 Pizza Huts across the UK, Ireland, France and Canada.

Job Purpose

The Head of Commercial Finance, UKI plays a pivotal leadership role within the UK & Ireland (UKI) market team and within the International Operating Markets (IOM) Finance team, directly reporting to the CFO of IOM and directly partnering with the UKI leadership team. This position is integral in driving the commercial strategy of Pizza Hut UKI. This individual will shape the brand strategy, act as a commercial thought partner to the leadership team and cross-functional teams, and drive the financial success of the business model. The successful candidate will need to have a strong sense of accountability, urgency and ownership. They must maintain a continuous growth mindset and be able to apply both a commercial and strategic lens to deliver successful outcomes.

Key Responsibilities

• Strategic Commercial Planning and Forecasting: Lead the long-term strategic vision, ensuring alignment to Pizza Hut's strategic goals, and define the annual 'big swings' for the UKI market to deliver its financial & strategic KPIs. Track progress against the vision and take action to course correct where necessary. In partnership with the UKI GM, lead the development and execution of the IOM strategic annual operating plans. Own the sales forecasts for the 3 Year Market Growth Plan, annual & quarterly plans, collaborating with cross-functional teams to integrate all business initiatives into plan. Provide comprehensive ad hoc financial analysis and insights to support strategic initiatives and the decision-making processes.
• Sales Analysis and Unit Economics: Own the analysis of the sales data and market trends to provide actionable insights and recommendations to drive the business forward. Analyse and evaluate unit economics to identify opportunities for cost reduction and revenue enhancement. Lead the Commercial Finance team to provide detailed financial analysis, including business case analysis, to support decision-making processes across the business, identifying key drivers of revenue, cost, and profitability. Present detailed financial performance reports to the Leadership team and franchisees, providing recommendations and commentary based on highlighted trends, opportunities, and potential risks.
• Franchisee Support and Profitability: Work closely with Franchise Partners to enhance franchisee profitability and operational efficiency, utilising tools including the EBITDA and transactions roadmap. Lead the P&L Committee for the UK, playing a key role in thoughtfully navigating franchisee asks. Lead the Commercial Finance team in conducting regular business reviews with franchisees on their latest performance and provide guidance on improving unit economics.
• Commercial Support and Business Partnering: Act as a key business partner to the UKI leadership team, including but not limited to Marketing, Development and Operational teams, offering financial guidance, support and strategic thought partnership. Lead financial modeling and scenario analysis to aid in commercial negotiations, pricing strategies, and investment decisions.
• Process Improvement and Innovation: Lead the Commercial Finance team to identify and implement process optimisation opportunities to enhance financial planning and analysis capabilities. Drive continuous improvement initiatives to streamline financial reporting and forecasting processes.

Requirements

• Strong analytical skills with the ability to interpret complex data and generate actionable insights.
• Excellent verbal and written communication and presentation skills.
• Excellent leadership and team management skills.
• Experience of managing multiple stakeholders.
• Excellent relationship building skills.
• Strong adaptability to a fast-moving environment.

Preferred Qualifications

• A minimum of 8 years' experience in commercial planning, forecasting, and sales analysis within the food and beverage or retail sectors.
• Proven Franchise experience either in a Finance function or another relevant role is preferred.
• Strong commercial acumen and knowledge of Franchise business operations and unit economics.
• Comfortable building and running complex financial models.
• Ideally a level of higher education or diploma in a Finance and/or Commerce/Business-related field.
• Highly computer literate with excellent command of Excel and Powerpoint.

Work Environment

This role is based out of our Restaurant Support Centre in Central London, a minimum of 2 days per week in the RSC is required. As Pizza Hut is a franchise business, you may be required to attend franchisee offices, and other locations from time to time.