Lead Finance Analyst – 9 month Fixed Term Contract/Secondment

£42,000 - £47,000 plus excellent benefits (Work Level 6A)
Manchester - We’re now working in a hybrid way, with colleagues dividing their time between home/remote working and the office. You can find out more about our hybrid working policy at colleagues.coop.co.uk/hybrid-working-policy

We’re looking for a lead finance analyst to join us, this role will support performance reporting and financial planning for our SAP Programmes, alongside supporting the wider performance reporting and planning across our team. You’ll be required to work closely and business partner with our project stakeholders, maintain reporting outputs and identify any risks or opportunities that might have a financial impact, and add those into our forecasts, budgets, and strategic plans. 

You’ll also work flexibly across the Central Costs team to support Finance Business Partners when required.

What you’ll do

• Build financial plans using proven techniques and methods
• Input data and assumptions / driver updates into the financial models, forecasts, budgets, and strategic plans
• Consolidate reporting inputs and tell the story of the overall performance in a compelling way
• Own the monthly performance reporting for your area 
• Consolidate the period results, understanding key variances and the impact it has on overall financial statements
• Provide reconciliation and variance analysis across the different business areas on a weekly, monthly, quarterly, and yearly basis
• Communicating and building relationships with key partners across the business
• Work to improve our internal forecasting and reporting processes
• Champion our planning and reporting tools

This role would suit people who have

• Accountancy qualification (ACA, CIMA, ACCA or equivalent) and experience with budgets, forecasts, P&Ls, balance sheets, and cash flow
• Strong IT skills, including spreadsheet/model consolidation (VLOOKUPs, advanced formulas) and experience with planning tools
• Ability to prioritize tasks effectively in a complex, dynamic environment, with strong analytical skills and attention to detail
• Skilled in creating presentations and communicating data insights to both financial and non-financial stakeholders
• Proactive in identifying opportunities and driving continuous improvement, with excellent communication and influencing abilities

Why Co-op? 

Here you’ll do work that matters. We’re a commercial organisation with a purpose beyond profit, you’ll have an opportunity to help us build a stronger Co-op and stronger communities. You’ll also get a package that includes:

• An annual bonus (based on personal and business performance)
• 28 days holiday (rising to 32 with service) plus bank holidays
• A pension with up to 10% employer contributions
• Access to a subsidised onsite gym (at our Manchester HQ)
• Coaching and training to support your career development
• Wagestream – a money management app that gives you access to a percentage of your pay as you earn it
• Grocery Aid – 24/7 access to a range of emotional, financial, and practical support services for you and your family

Building an inclusive work environment 

We’re actively building diverse teams and we welcome applications from everyone. If you have a disability, we can make reasonable adjustments to our recruitment process according to your needs. We're also part of the Disability Confident scheme, meaning we'll always offer an interview to disabled candidates who apply through the scheme if they meet the minimum criteria for a job.

We'll ask whether you’d like to be considered under the Disability Confident scheme when you apply.
If we invite you to take part in the recruitment process for any of our jobs, we’ll ask you if you need any reasonable adjustments to enable you to participate.

You can find out more about our recruitment process at jobs.coop.co.uk/apply-process

You can find out more about the Disability Confident scheme and all our commitments to diversity and inclusion at colleagues.coop.co.uk/diversity-inclusion-and-wellbeing

Please note that we may close applications for this role early.

As part of your application, you'll need to complete an online assessment. This assessment typically takes between 45-60 minutes. If you're a current Co-op colleague, this does not need to be completed.