FP&A Analyst - Foods

Job description

Job Description:

M&S Food is forging ahead on the exciting business transformation and Finance is playing a key role fully embedded into the business. As we partner with the business on this journey, we are also embarking on our own journey of creating and living the finance team of the future.

Joining Food Finance at this time provides an unrivalled opportunity to gain expose to major change programmes, whilst driving day to day trade, for a respected brand.

Our Finance team are currently focussed on brilliantly executing the Ocado joint venture, transforming our categories, working up plans to massively grow the business, lowering cost programmes, and supply chain excellence.

But rather than do things how we’ve always done it, we see this is the perfect opportunity to create the finance team of the future in the process! We are working through an integrated plan to create leaner and more effective ways of working, transforming our approach to big data and integrating new systems, and developing and growing our people.

We’re looking for a Financial Planning & Analysis Analyst (FP&A) Analyst to join our Food Finance team.

This is a great opportunity to take a pivotal role in the Foods Finance Team. The role supports and influences decision making in the fast paced, ever changing world of M&S Food. Supporting the Senior Finance Manager and Head of Finance to manage annual budget cycles and periodic forecasts as well as providing insightful analysis into the key drivers of M&S and market performance informing the transformation of the Food Group. Working alongside the Food Commercial Finance team and Group Finance teams the role is high profile and has the opportunity to be involved in strategic projects that will drive the business forward.

Principal Accountabilities

·  Support the Senior Finance Manager to deliver well supported annual budgets and rolling forecasts, which are fully bought into by Food Commercial Teams and aligned to the strategic direction of the Food Board
·  Management of Business Planning and Consolidation (BPC) for forecasting and budget purposes
·  Provide insightful and considered monthly, quarterly, bi-annual and annual update on performance (sales to gross profit) to the Food Board
·  Responsible for communicating updates in the market and from competitors on a timely basis
·  Driving new insight to support action in the Food group, working closely with the Food Leadership Team, Commercial Teams, Group FP&A, Customer Insight Unit (CIU) and Investor Relations (IR)
·  Support IR in understanding the drivers of historical performance across financial and non-financial metrics and forward-looking guidance
·  Providing insightful and considered ad-hoc analysis on all areas of Foods performance for presentation to the Food Board

Technical Competence needed to be successful in the role

·  Qualified accountant (CIMA / ACCA / ACA)
·  Previous experience in retail / FMCG background FP&A and/or IR preferred
·  Commercial awareness and interest in Food industry
·  Inquisitive and curious mindset
·  Strong analytical capabilities, comfortable working with and accurately manipulating data to provide accurate and insightful reporting
·  Effective communication skills both written and verbal
·  Ability to maintain and further enhance controls and process and ability to implement change
·  Proficient IT skills
·  Team player but also happy to work independently on own initiative
·  Embodies the four ‘M&S Ways’

If you are passionate about driving the business forward, living the transformation and working together as a high performing team, then M&S Food Finance will whet your appetite!