Finance Manager – Network & Property
Contract type: Permanent
Location: Hatfield (Hybrid working - 3 days in the office)
Working hours per week: 40 hours
Level: Manager
Application Closing Date: Friday 19th June 2026
About the team and the role
This is a newly created role sitting within our dynamic FP&A team. We are a key strategic partner to the leadership team, managing the 5-year plan, budget, and monthly reforecast processes across the business. We pride ourselves on delivering deep financial analysis, driving critical insights, and shaping future outlooks to support stronger decision-making and sustainable, profitable growth.
As the Finance Manager – Network & Property, you will act as the dedicated finance partner to the Network & Property team, who manage all of our sites and ensure our volume demands are met. This is a pivotal role as Ocado Retail undergoes significant organic expansion. You will be heavily involved in the financial evaluation of our network—spanning the build-out of new Customer Fulfilment Centres (CFCs), spokes, and existing network investments.
You will have a seat at the table from project initiation conversations all the way through to investment sign-off decisions, and be expected to ask the right questions and challenge assumptions to drive to the right outcomes. You will need to think strategically, evaluating new sites as critical nodes within a wider network while considering complex elements like delivery economics. Because this is a brand-new role, you’ll be comfortable operating in ambiguity, building new processes from scratch, and taking true end-to-end ownership of our business case processes.
What you’ll do
* Lead Expansion Business Cases: Own the end-to-end development of robust business cases for new distribution centres (CFCs) and spokes; build multi-variant models to evaluate real estate costs, automated CAPEX, and last‑mile/middle‑mile trunking efficiencies.
* Commercial Property Partnering: Partner with the Property Negotiation and Development teams, providing rigorous financial modeling and data insights during commercial discussions, site acquisitions, and upcoming lease renegotiations.
* Own Post‑Investment Reviews (PIR): Lead the PIR process for completed network projects, delivering deep‑dive analysis and lessons learned to the Strategic Governance Board to improve future decision‑making.
* Capex & Budget Management: Manage all budget/forecast inputs and own the Capex budget for network and property; track actual spend against budget for live construction projects and network upgrades with a strict focus on cash flow and robust fixed asset controls.
* Drive Tech & Capacity Innovation: Model the financial trade‑offs of structural capacity constraints; continuously improve investment appraisal tools using Oracle for automation, and incorporate AI into BAU processes to uncover new ways of working.
Who you are
* Highly Numerate & Analytical: A keen eye for detail with strong experience consolidating and analysing numbers to drive total confidence in financial outputs.
* Financial Modeling Expert: Proven experience building robust business cases and financial models from scratch, ideally handling multi‑variant scenario planning.
* Commercial Lease & Logistics Acumen: A solid understanding of lease negotiations, key contract levers, and operational network efficiency factors.
* Strong Stakeholder Management Skills: Excellent at building meaningful cross‑functional relationships and comfortable challenging spend plans or assumptions to drive better business outcomes.
* Adaptable & Organised: Highly organised, able to juggle multiple complex workstreams at once, and comfortable operating within ambiguity to build brand‑new processes.
* Mobility: Ability and willingness to travel within the UK to network sites when required.
* Tech & System Savvy: A proactive, continuous improvement mindset with a motivation to use systems (e.g., Oracle) to automate Capex tracking and site performance reviews.
* Forward‑Thinking: An interest or experience in incorporating AI and advanced scenario modeling/sensitivities into business‑as‑usual processes.
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. You'll also be part of our AI Academy, a dedicated learning journey designed to empower every colleague with the smart technology skills of the future.
Health & Wellbeing: Private medical insurance with option to add your family, Digital GP appointments, market‑leading family policies, mental health support, discounted gym memberships, dental insurance, and more.
Spend & Save: Annual bonus scheme split between personal and business objectives, 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: Hybrid working, 26 days holiday plus 8 flexible bank holidays, options to buy extra holiday, 2 weeks work from anywhere, and lifestyle break opportunities.
Everyone’s welcome
We’re an equal opportunities employer, which means that we make sure all potential colleagues are treated fairly and equally. We want to ensure everyone has a fair chance to apply; if you need this job description in an alternative format (e.g., larger print, different document type, etc.), please reach out to us at careers@ocadoretail.com and we'll be happy to assist you, and if you require reasonable adjustments during the recruitment process, please let us know on the application form.
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