Senior Planning & Forecasting Analyst

This FTSE 100 business is looking for a qualified accountant to join their business as Senior Planning and Forecasting Analyst. The role is extremely high profile within the business, reporting in to the Global Head of Planning. The role offers the successful candidate strong influence over group wide planning and forecasting processes with exposure to senior management.

With the business undertaking an unprecedented amount of strategic change at the moment, the environment is an exciting and challenging place to be, providing guidance and analysis to key decision makers within this market leading business. With extensive business interaction, this is an excellent opportunity to develop and grow this important role within Business Finance.

To both drive strategic decisions across the group and ensure the business is on track to achieve its financial targets, the team is responsible for the following:

• Developing strategic recommendations based on rigorous financial analysis
• Production of internal MI, external reporting deliverables and supporting financial analysis
• Production of the Group's AOP and supporting internal analytical processes such as stress testing and any other financial projections

Key responsibilities

• Support the Head of Planning with the group-wide coordination and management of the annual financial and operational planning processes, and also the monthly forecasting process
• Lead the analysis, review divisional plans, as well as feasibility assessments of meeting the Group's targets
• Lead the preparation of Group Management Board and Holdings Board materials on the annual operating plan
• Prepare commentary and liaise with the business (Global Functions and Global Businesses) to ensure Group commentary is aligned to their expectations, ensuring key financials are understood
• Understanding of submission numbers and movements / rationale between submissions
• Provide SME knowledge of Group planning processes to the business (Global Functions and Global Businesses)
• Act as key liaison with Group ALCM and Group Regulatory on capital, funding and RWA movements, and focus on understanding the numbers and rationale behind changes
• Support the gathering of requirements for the group-wide financial planning and forecasting processes, including targets, guidelines, timelines and policies
• Provide support for integrating the financial planning process with the PRA Stress Testing process
• Partner closely with key stakeholders to ensure a common understanding of requirements and progress with financial plans and forecasts, and to ensure effective and timely issue resolution

The role holder would be part of the Global MR&A team within Business Finance. The team is high profile, with exposure to the Head of Business Finance, the Group's Chief Accounting Officer and other senior finance leaders.

Core areas of responsibility for the wider MR&A team are:

• Internal performance reporting: Preparation of regional submissions for the monthly Group Management Board ('GMB') to allow senior management to monitor the financial performance of the business, working closely with each of the Global Businesses and a number of other departments. Delivering the monthly regional Flash submissions, providing an early summary of the Group's results for regional and country CEOs and CFOs. Preparing reports for the regional Executive Committees and boards. Ensuring consistency in communications across all countries in the region and Group.
• External performance reporting: Preparing commentary to support board level senior management in explaining the Group's results on a regional / country basis including ensuring regional and country CEOs and CFOs are aligned on messaging in Group documents in relation to the region. Ensure messaging for local external reporting is correct and is aligned to Group messaging.
• Investor Relations: Responsible for liaison with local Investor Relations team where required.
• Strategic analysis: Performing analysis to develop key performance metrics for the region, including return on equity and return on risk weighted assets, both historical and forward looking. This analysis is required for strategic decision making within the region / country.
• Finance transformation: Continually seeking improvements in reporting and analytics to assist in the streamlining of processes and to focus the team's work on reporting/analysis that will drive improved business performance.
• Offshore team: MR&A is supported by a team based in India. This team's responsible for a significant amount of the report and data production. Role holder responsible for overseeing relationship with this team to ensure reports are accurate and delivered on a timely basis.

Skills Knowledge and Experience:

• Qualified Accountant with 5-7 years PQE.
• Proven ability to lead, develop and manage a team.
• Superior ability to drive through change
• Excellent ability to explain complicated financial issues in clear (non-jargon) language.
• Strong analytical skills with a commercial bias, and an excellent grasp of business drivers.
• Proven influencing skills and ability to engage/build relationships with all stakeholders.
• Process management skills
• Experience of financial planning / budgeting (ideally from a Regional perspective).
• Ambitious, driven and enthusiastic - pro-active thinker.
• Financial services experience is preferred but not required.
• Good understanding of IFRS