Planning & Forecasting Analyst

  Salary
Competitive plus benefits
·  Role area
Finance
·  Contract type
Permanent
·  Job reference
HRGOS342707
·  Location
Milton Keynes
MK9 2NW
· 
At Sainsbury’s Argos, the great digital transformation is under way. It’s our aim to become the digital market leader in choice, value and convenience, so our Finance teams are more important to us now than ever before. They’re the people who provide support across the business and help make the crucial decisions that will allow us to develop into a leading digital retailer.

We joined Sainsbury’s in September 2016 on our journey to become a leading retail organisation and ensuring we place our customers at the heart of everything we do. Together we have a great opportunity to build a brilliant future and do a fantastic job for all our customers.

The Role:

The Reporting & Forecasting team provides a key link between the various business partnering and FP&A teams across the business to create budgets, forecasts and strategic plans as well as delivering corporate performance reporting e.g. weekly trading packs, periodic management accounts and investor relations analysis.

In this role, you will establish and drive the on-going delivery of the Sainsbury’s Argos strategic planning, budgeting and forecasting processes with support from the Planning & Forecasting Assistant Analyst, from initial planning of processes to final delivery to key stakeholders. You will be required to produce impactful channel reporting, analysis and insight in a format that the business can easily interpret and act upon. This will include consolidating and communicating business performance to various key stakeholders including board level.

As Planning & Forecasting Analyst, your main responsibilities will include:

Drive creation of the Sainsbury’s Argos strategic planning and forecasting process to provide the board with insight and analysis to understand the direction of the business. This will include short term latest views, medium term forecasts and long term strategic plans.
Help convert the Sainsbury’s Argos strategic planning, budgeting and forecasting processes from long arduous planning cycles to quick and agile processes that provide the same business understanding and insight but requiring fewer resources without the comprise on accuracy, insight and direction.
Own the creation of forecasting timetables, ensuring buy-in from key finance stakeholders to deliver achievable but challenging plans.
Own the delivery of the detailed sales and margin plans which underpin the forecasting processes.
Support the delivery of Finance improvement initiatives and implementation of internal & external best practices to enhance process efficiency and quality of outputs.
Responsible for managing relationships with relevant internal stakeholders.
Share relevant tools and lessons learnt with Finance & Non-Finance stakeholders.

Your skills & experience will include:

Ideally be a fully Qualified Accountant – CIMA / ACCA / ACA or near completion.
Possess solid planning, budgeting and forecasting understanding.
Highly analytical and numerate, with an eye for detail and the ability to think about how initiatives impact the wider business.
Strong commercial acumen with the desire to acquire new knowledge.
Ability to present complex information in a simplified manner.
Strong Excel & Access skills with high attention to detail.
Ability to work fluidly with data and across systems e.g. reporting tools.
Strong planning, organisational and prioritisation skills.
Team player with good presentation and communication skills (both verbal & written)

What you’ll get in return:

If being part of a hugely influential Finance team wasn’t enough, you’ll also receive a host of great benefits. As well as a competitive salary and bonus scheme you will receive a huge range of learning and development opportunities, 22 days’ holiday, a save-as-you-earn scheme, pension and staff discounts at Argos, Sainsbury’s and Habitat.