Food Finance Planning and Analysis

Summary

Are you a recent graduate or part qualified ACCA/CIMA Accountant looking for your next step within a Commercial Finance Team? This is a great opportunity to take a pivotal role in the Food Finance Team, supporting and influencing decision making in the fast paced, ever changing world of M&S Food.

You would be supporting the Senior Finance Manager and Head of Finance to manage our 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 FP&A team this role is high profile role and includes the involvement has the opportunity to be involved in strategic projects that will drive the business forward.

Key Principal Accountabilities

Support the Senior Finance Manager to deliver robust well supported annual budgets and rolling forecasts, which are fully bought into by Food Commercial team and aligned to the strategic direction of the Food Board
Provide insightful and considered monthly, quarterly, bi-annual and annual update on performance (sales to gross profit) to the Food Board
Challenge output from Finance teams before reporting upwards on Sales and GP
Management of monthly working capital analysis and commentary
Provide in-depth insight through scenario planning and sensitivity analysis to enable debate and discussion and support decision making
Responsible for communicating competitor and market updates internally on a timely basis
Driving new insight to support action in the Food Group, working closely with the Food Leadership Team, Commercial Team, Group FP&A, Customer Insight and Investor Relations
Support Investor Relations in understanding the drivers of historical performance across financial and non-financial metrics and forward-looking guidance
Provide control, challenge and support to the Food Commercial team
High interaction with the Commercial Finance team and wider Food Finance team

Technical Competence

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