Job Description
This job is with St. James's Place, an inclusive employer and a member of myGwork – the largest global platform for the + business community. Please do not contact the recruiter directly.
The role:
The Financial Planning and Analysis Director is responsible for managing financial information, developing critical financial insights, and driving communication and education across the business - supporting the development and build out of SJP's FP&A capabilities. They will be a hands-on leader with a strategic mindset, to develop and drive the Group's financial planning, forecasting, and performance analysis, and provide actionable insight that shapes strategic decisions across the business. Acting as a key partner to senior leadership, the role is responsible for translating complex financial data into clear narratives, highlighting and assessing trends, risks, and opportunities that support business growth, efficiency, and value creation. This position plays a central role in embedding financial insight into decision-making across the organization, setting high standards for analytical excellence and commercial acumen
What you'll be doing:
* Leadership & Oversight: Lead and manage the Financial Board Partnering, Data, and Financial Planning and Analysis teams, fostering a positive culture that is committed to supporting employees. Build and maintain effective working relationships with other members of the Finance Division Senior Leadership Team, as well as relevant ExCo and Board members, to ensure that there is effective co-ordination of all company activities in support of corporate objectives.
* Planning & Forecasting: Develop and oversee the business planning process, aligned to the strategy planning process, for Group (and major SJP companies as required) - implementing systems, procedures and controls that produce timely, reliable and accurate information and forecasts for decision making. Work closely with Group and entity CFOs, Investor Relations, key stakeholders across the business and within Finance to gather inputs to develop long-term strategic plans, annual budgets, operational analysis, and reporting. Track and communicate performance against targets, and work to maintain and improve financial outlook.
* Strategic support: Provide thought leadership on resource allocation and business critical decisions. Drive strategic scenario testing (working closely with Group Risk) to inform and shape transformation priorities and stress test financial resilience across market conditions.
* Target setting: Work with key stakeholders to set and monitor financial targets and carry out performance monitoring.
* Communication: Lead the dissemination of financial insights/understanding across management, Group and entity boards, and wider business via written and verbal communication. Support communication on month, quarter and year-end reporting, including external market, management and Board presentations.
* Board and Business Partnering: Act as a conduit to provide business performance insights to CFOs of legal entities and Boards, and business Directorates across SJP. Provide specialist Finance knowledge where required.
* Data, Business Performance & Decision Support: Working alongside the CDO team, take responsibility for ensuring robust, high-quality capture and controlled management of Financial data. Lead on the provision of controlled, timely and accurate financial data and MI across Finance, and into the business, to support decision making across a range of stakeholders. Own definition of key financial metrics and engage key stakeholders across the organization to ensure consistent use.
* Governance & Controls: Ensure robust governance and control over data, forecasting, performance reporting, and financial insight; support regulatory and statutory reporting processes by ensuring alignment of internal analysis and forecasts, and board communications with external reporting obligations
* Senior Finance SM&CR (As Required): Responsibility for a finance-related SM&CR responsibility, such as CFO or Chief Actuary of a significant regulated Group subsidiary.
Who we're looking for:
The ideal candidate will have broad and deep knowledge of financial planning, budgeting and forecasting cycles within FS organisations. They will be highly commercial with strong knowledge of the key value drivers and financial mechanics of an FS organisation to include market trends, competitive positioning and the economic environment as it relates to forecasting, planning and strategic decision-making. They will be fluent with financial systems and planning tools including ERP systems, financial modelling and projection systems, data analysis, visualisation, dashboarding tools and Excel based modelling. They will have a good understanding of the governance structure of the business and be able to collaborate and build relationships across the SJP business at all levels. The role holder will have a strategic mindset with strong problem-solving skills and be able to analyse performance trends, investigate variances and translate technical financial data into commercially relevant insights and actions. This person will need the credibility and drive to develop the FP&A capability within SJP and set up the associated team so proven leadership skills are a pre-requisite.
Essential Criteria
* MBA, CFA, professional financial qualification (e.g. accountant, actuary, treasury or tax professional with relevant post-graduate degree.
* Broad and deep knowledge of financial planning, budgeting and forecasting cycles within FS organisations.
* Strong knowledge of relevant controls and procedures and understanding of the governance structure of the business.
* Commercially aware with strong understanding of key value drivers and financial mechanics of an FS organisation.
* Fluent with financial systems and planning tools, financial modelling and projection systems, data analysis, visualisation and dashboarding tools and Excel based modelling.
* Proven leader with experience of recruiting and managing high performance teams.
* Influential and highly credible communicator - confident presenting and comfortable with Board level interactions.
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