Location: London Store Support Centre & Home - colleagues go into the office 1-2 days per week on average.
Why join us
Joining the Finance team at Sainsbury's means being part of a dynamic and forward-thinking organisation committed to enhancing the lives of our customers every day. As a Finance Analyst in Central Trading, you will have the opportunity to collaborate with diverse stakeholders at all levels, influencing key strategic decisions and driving transformation within a competitive and ever-evolving industry. With a focus on maximising sales, profit, and driving performance, you will play a crucial role in shaping the future direction of the business while honing your analytical skills, fostering social integration, and contributing to the success of the team.
What you'll do
As a Finance Analyst – Central Trading you will play a critical role in supporting the Finance Manager and Head of Finance during periodic and annual planning cycles. Your responsibilities will include creating and updating financial forecast models, developing insights on sales and margin trends, and providing analysis to enhance commercial decision-making. You will collaborate across finance functions to ensure consistency in reporting, refine existing insights, and drive process efficiency. Additionally, you will be involved in creating daily sales forecasts, managing systemic uploads of planning and reporting cycles, and providing ad hoc analysis to support the wider commercial teams. Your ability to understand commercial performance, leverage analytical tools, and communicate effectively with stakeholders of varying levels will be key to your success in this role.
Who you are
You are a professionally qualified or part qualified accountant with a strong background in large FMCG, food, or retail businesses. Your expertise in financial planning and analysis, combined with your ability to turn data into actionable insights, enables you to support key stakeholders in understanding commercial performance and shaping the future direction of the business. With your strong communication skills and commercial acumen, you play a vital role in driving performance, challenging ways of working, and contributing to the overall success of the team through your proactive and collaborative approach.
Essential Criteria
* Professionally qualified accountant (ACCA, ACA, CIMA) or actively studying towards qualification
* Commercially aware with experience in a large comparable FMCG, Food or Retail business is desirable
* Demonstrable proficiency in Excel, including ability to analyse and interpret data to produce actionable insights
* Ability to work with data systems, evidenced by experience with Snowflake/SQL or a clear willingness and aptitude to learn these tools
* Proven ability to communicate and influence stakeholders at varying levels of financial and commercial understanding
* Capability to work autonomously and prioritize effectively, supported by strong problem-solving skills
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