Cost & Investment Manager

This FTSE 100 business is looking for a qualified accountant to join their business as Cost & Investment Manager. The role offers good exposure to the successful candidate who will be reporting in to the Global Head of Business performance and the CFO. This role will provide the job holder with good influence within the business.

Role Purpose

The Cost & Investment Manager is responsible for providing direct Costs strategic focused support to the Global CFO and Global Head of Business Finance and ensures consistency and adoption of policies, processes, governance and reporting across all financial reporting. This includes liaison with and direction of Senior & Executive Management across the business and creation of information for use at Executive Management forums, including Stakeholder Management across Finance. Specifically covering the following aspects:

• Driving efficiency throughout the organization supporting achievement of annual plan and positioning for the long-term
• Managing performance to the Annual Operating Plan (AOP), and identifying improvement opportunities across all aspects of the business.
• Preparation for and follow up from a number of executive and management committees, covering Costs management, Direct and Indirect
• Project Management of ad-hoc assignments.
• Financial Management - providing robust financial planning, management, tracking and reporting, in constant interaction with Global Finance
• Lead Finance tracking and governance of strategic investments, spend, delivery and associated business and financial benefits
• Development of insightful and forward-looking Management Information, providing value to wider organisation as part of Finance Digitisation journey.

Key responsibilities

Impact on the Business

• Support performance management to the AOP, and identifying improvement opportunities across all aspects of the business.
• Driving efficiency throughout the organization supporting achievement of annual plan and positioning the business for long-term
• Review / challenge financials, Direct and Indirect Costs (eg AOP, targets, actuals)
• Ensure cost drivers are identified, challenged and managed efficiently
• Ensuring Global savings & control initiatives are we well communicated and coordinated with the regional finance teams

Customers / Stakeholders

• Interface with Global Functions and Finance to drive reporting updates and delivery to plan
• Build relationship with regional cost teams to drive execution and planned delivery globally
• Liaison with Group Planning and Cost teams in reporting and providing commentary and insight on financial results and key operational drivers
• Key contact with multiple investment stakeholders, tracking and monitoring spend, delivery and benefits

Leadership & Teamwork

• Provide a professional representation of the Business Finance team
• Maintain excellent working relationships across the business, particularly with the wider Finance teams
• Proactively engage and coordinate activity where duplication or cross over may exist
• Leader in driving adoption and wider usage of Finance digitisation tools across organisation
• Influence greater team communication and collaboration

Operational Effectiveness & Control

• Ensure compliance with Group Standards Manuals and the appropriate Functional Instruction Manuals
• Maintain controls over all Cost and Investment planning/forecasting, and reporting outputs to ensure submissions are made in a timely manner, are accurate and to a high standard.
• Ensure appropriate governance is implemented along with robust documentation and supporting management controls.
• Continuously reassess the operational risks associated with the role

Skills Knowledge and Experience:

• Qualified Accountant with 5-7 years PQE.
• Significant financial services experience
• Experience in senior Cost, MI or FP&A roles with regular interaction with senior management both inside and outside of Finance
• Proven ability to articulate complex issues concisely and in simple language to support problem analysis
• Outstanding relationship management, collaboration and influencing skills
• High level of personal drive and motivation to ensure delivery of a broad range of outputs simultaneously across the business
• Demonstrate frequent exposure to senior Finance and non-finance staff
• Strong knowledge of the external environment - regulatory, political, competitors etc.
• Strong analytical skills with a commercial bias, and an excellent grasp of business drivers.
• Excellent ability to explain complicated financial issues in clear (non-jargon) language.
• Proven track record functionally, operationally and technically.
• Proven influencing skills and ability to engage/build relationships with all stakeholders and the Group
• Process management skills
• Ambitious, driven and enthusiastic - pro-active thinker.