Commercial Finance Analyst - 4 Month FTC

Key Responsibilities:

• Commercial Reporting & Insight:
• Deliver regular commercial reports, including weekly sales and customer EPOS reporting, ensuring outputs are accurate, timely, and easy to interpret.
• Identify and communicate key trends, changes, and performance drivers, highlighting their implications for the business.
• Provide actionable insights and commentary to support commercial decision-making.
• Conduct ad hoc analysis to evaluate the performance of key initiatives, sponsorships, and events.
• Forecasting & Business Performance:
• Support and coordinate the monthly reforecasting process by working with stakeholders to ensure forecasts reflect the latest commercial outlook.
• Analyse movements in business performance, focusing on operational and commercial drivers.
• Report on risks and opportunities against forecasts and budgets.
• Ensure alignment across commercial teams, finance, and operations during the reforecasting process.
• Maintain robust forecast files with clear supporting analysis.
• Marketing Expenditure Management:
• Reconcile marketing expenditure monthly to ensure accuracy and proper classification of spend.
• Prepare and post marketing accruals in line with period-end deadlines.
• Work with budget holders to manage purchase orders, maintain accurate commitments, and resolve discrepancies.
• Reconcile marketing-related balance sheet accounts (e.g., accruals and prepayments) by investigating variances to ensure accuracy.
• Produce clear reports on actual vs. committed marketing spend against budgets, highlighting variances and required actions.
• Year-End Audit Support:
• Assist with year-end audit preparations by providing accurate schedules, responding to audit requests, and supplying clear documentation.
• Perform sales reconciliations between commercial reporting systems, source systems, and the general ledger while resolving any differences promptly.
• Compile a comprehensive year-end pack summarising prior-year performance across products/customers, including margin drivers such as stock, costs, pricing, and mix.
• Collaborate with finance and commercial teams to meet audit deliverables within agreed timelines.
• 2027 Readiness & Systems Support:
• Set up and quality-check commercial reporting suites, budget files, and supporting processes for 2027 readiness.
• Ensure all reporting files are well-documented for an efficient transition into the new financial year.
• Support day-to-day management of CRM/ERP systems by maintaining data integrity, resolving issues, and driving process improvements.
• Leverage newly implemented AI tools (e.g., Copilot) to enhance workflow efficiency and accuracy.

Skills & Experience:

• Essential Skills & Qualifications:
• Part-qualified or newly qualified accountant (ACCA/ACA/CIMA) or qualified by experience in a relevant finance discipline.
• Advanced Excel skills with experience building robust reporting/forecasting models (experience combining Excel with AI tools like Copilot or Claude is desirable).
• Strong analytical skills with confidence in interrogating data to identify trends and explain performance clearly.
• Proven experience in management reporting, commercial analysis, budgeting or forecasting within a fast-paced environment.
• Excellent attention to detail with a disciplined approach to reconciliations, controls, and data quality.
• Ability to manage recurring deadlines while responding flexibly to ad hoc requests from stakeholders.
• Desirable Skills & Experience:
• Familiarity with Power BI or Jet Reports for advanced analytics/reporting purposes.
• Experience using Microsoft Dynamics 365 ERP system is highly advantageous.
• Knowledge of AI tools such as Copilot or Claude for automation/process improvement is preferred.

About You:

• We’re looking for someone who:
• Is proactive, organised, and commercially curious with a strong ability to take ownership from day one.
• Enjoys interrogating data to uncover insights that drive decision-making across the business.
• Builds strong relationships with both finance and non-finance colleagues through excellent communication skills.
• Thrives in a fast-paced environment while maintaining resilience under pressure.

This role offers an exciting opportunity for someone who enjoys working at the intersection of data analysis and strategic decision-making while contributing meaningfully to organisational success during a critical period of transition.