Negotiable
Undetermined
Hybrid
Hatfield, England, United Kingdom
Summary: The Finance Business Partner role at Ocado Retail involves providing financial expertise and support to the Fresh team, focusing on delivering profitable growth through insightful reporting and analysis. The position requires collaboration with trading managers and commercial directors to evaluate cost structures and make informed trading decisions. This is a senior-level position within a dynamic Commercial Finance team during a period of accelerated growth. The role is based in Hatfield with a hybrid working arrangement.
Key Responsibilities:
- Partner with functional areas to support leadership in decision-making and identify business opportunities.
- Act as a trusted business partner for Trading Managers and the Fresh Commercial Director.
- Provide regular, robust reporting on trade performance and conduct mix vs rate analysis.
- Translate complex financial scenarios for non-financial colleagues.
- Collaborate with data insight colleagues to enhance commercial decision-making.
- Assist in budget and forecast preparation and review.
- Develop and follow up on gap-closing activities to meet performance expectations.
- Support annual business plans with suppliers and monitor performance against targets.
- Own the forecasting process for the category and improve forecasting accuracy.
- Provide month-end support with accruals and supplier income outturn.
- Identify and implement improvements within the Commercial Finance Teams.
- Evaluate and challenge new product launches and promotional activities for profitability.
- Participate in cross-functional project groups and provide ad hoc finance support.
- Supervise and coach the SFA/analyst in the team.
Key Skills:
- Qualified accountant with strong academic background.
- Previous retail experience is advantageous.
- Strong communication and influencing skills.
- Proficient in Excel and financial modeling.
- Highly numerate and analytical with attention to detail.
- Deadline-focused and goal-oriented.
- Enthusiastic and eager to learn.
- Able to build relationships with key stakeholders.
- Proactive and dedicated to quality and accuracy.
- Ownership of results.
Salary (Rate): undetermined
City: Hatfield
Country: United Kingdom
Working Arrangements: hybrid
IR35 Status: undetermined
Seniority Level: Senior
Industry: Other
Contract type: Fixed Term Contract (6 Months)
Location: Hatfield (hybrid working – 3 days in the office)
Working hours per week: 40 hours
Level: Senior
Application closing date: Wednesday 25th June 2025
About Us
Our mission is to deliver joy in every shop, through unbeatable choice, unrivaled service, and reassuringly good value. We’re Ocado Retail , a market-leading, joint venture between Ocado Group and M&S and the world’s largest dedicated online supermarket ocado.com . Not only is Ocado.com the only place to shop a full range of M&S food online, but it’s also the home to the widest online supermarket range in the UK and champion of small, independent brands. We’re also the brains behind Zoom by Ocado , our same-day grocery delivery service.
About The Team And The Role
The Commercial Finance team has exposure to the heartbeat of how our business trades and plays a key role in delivering on our financial objectives. This team provides insight, value add and reporting for both Ocado.com and Zoom by Ocado. It’s an exciting time to join the Commercial Finance Team as we head into a pivotal period of accelerated growth and continue to Raise the bar for both our finance and commercial colleagues.
Reporting to the Senior Finance Manager, you will be responsible for supporting the Fresh team, providing financial expertise and challenge to the commercial teams in order to deliver profitable growth for Ocado retail. This includes evaluating cost structures, tenders and joint business plans, as well as day to day trading decisions, like pricing and promotions
What You’ll Do
You'll partner your functional area to support leadership make the right decisions, and play a critical role in identifying, recommending, and concluding on business opportunities to create value
Be the trusted business partner for the 2x Trading Managers and the Fresh Commercial Director
Support with providing regular, robust and insightful reporting around trade performance, understanding mix vs rate analysis and how the various brands are driving performance
Make complex financial scenarios easy for non-financial colleagues
Working with our data insight colleagues, cut through the data to enable better & faster commercial decision making, ensuring we provide our customers with the most comprehensive and compelling ranges
Work closely with the supporting function in the preparation and review of budgets and forecasts
Play a key role in developing and following up on ‘gap closing’ activities to ensure performance is delivered in line with expectations
Support in annual business plans with suppliers to negotiate the best deal for Ocado, then monitor performance against agreed targets throughout the year, advising on course corrections if required
Own the forecasting process for your category, making forecasting accuracy improvements and enabling key trade drivers to be understood
Month end support by providing the central team with accruals and accurate supplier income outturn
Identifying and Implementing improvements to ways of working within the Commercial Finance Teams
Evaluating and challenging new product launches, promotional activities new proposals/existing business to ensure profitability
Participate in cross functional project groups
Providing ad hoc Finance support
Supervise and coach the SFA / analyst in the team leading them through
Who You Are
Qualified accountant with strong academics
Previous Retail experience advantageous
Strong communication and influencing skills, ability to articulate financial data in a clear and transparent way
Strong Excel skills and experience in building financial models
Highly numerate and analytical with a keen eye for detail
Deadline focused and goal oriented
Enthusiastic to learn
Able to build relationships with key stakeholders
‘Can do’ proactive approach
Dedicated to detail, quality and accuracy. Responds quickly to change, demonstrating a proactive and positive approach
Ownership of results
What’s In It For You
By joining Ocado Retail you’ll have the chance to experience life at the world’s largest online retailer, work with an amazing bunch of people who challenge what’s possible each day, and grow your skills and career in online retail. If that’s not enough to tempt you, you’ll also get access to loads of great benefits to sweeten the deal. Here’s a taste of what we offer:
Health & Wellbeing: Private medical insurance with the option to add your family, Digital GP appointments, market-leading family policies, mental health support, discounted gym memberships, dental insurance, and more.
Spend & Save: Recognition with reward platform, up to 7% matched pension contributions, 15% Ocado discount, 20% M&S discount, free breakfast every day in the office, electric vehicle leasing scheme and free shuttle bus from Hatfield station to the office.
Never miss the moments that matter: Blended/Hybrid working, 26 days holiday plus 8 flexible bank holidays, options to buy an extra holiday, 2 weeks work from anywhere, and lifestyle break opportunities.
Our Hiring Process
Lucky for us, we get loads of great applications and we really appreciate that so many people put the time and effort in to apply. To recognise that, we treat all applications respectfully and fairly. So, if yours stands out, you’ll follow our standard hiring process – one of our Talent Partners will talk you through this in an initial call.
Everyone’s welcome
We’re an equal opportunities employer. That means that we make sure all potential colleagues are treated fairly and equally. If you require reasonable adjustments during the recruitment process, please let us know on the application form.