Lead Finance Planning & Reporting Analyst

Lead Finance Planning and Reporting Analyst
£45,000 - £50,000 plus excellent benefits (Work Level 6A)
Manchester city centre - in this role you’ll work in a hybrid way splitting your time between home and the office around once a week (find out more about our hybrid working policy at https://jobs.coop.co.uk/hybrid-working-policy).  

We’re looking for a Lead Finance Planning and Reporting Analyst to join us to support our Food Retail Business. You’ll work closely with the Food Support Centre and the Food FPAR (Financial Planning, Analysis & Reporting) team. Your main responsibilities will include managing cost forecasts, understanding and explaining variances, and partnering with functional teams to support decision-making. You’ll provide clear financial analysis and help ensure plans align with business priorities.

What you’ll do

•    Financial Planning & Analysis for our Food Support Centre, one of our biggest cost lines
•    Provide key insights and commentary to various internal partners
•    Own monthly performance reporting and period end packs for Food Support Centre, providing overview to risks and opportunities
•    Produce insightful and clear planning communication packs for decision making
•    Support the Finance Business Partners within Food Retail to monitor spend against budget
•    Provide ad hoc financial analysis support for business initiatives 
•    Build strong relationships with internal senior leadership across the business

What you’ll bring

We’re committed to making our roles as accessible as possible, so we only ask for the minimum criteria. To thrive here, you’ll need to bring:

•    An accountancy qualification (e.g. ACA, CIMA or CIMA) or are currently working towards one
•    Experience making improvements to reporting processes and delivering actionable insights, with an understanding and experience within financial modelling
•    The ability to understand core accounting principles and think commercially 
•    Excellent communication skills, with the confidence to present to financial and non-financial partners, challenging and influencing where necessary
•    The ability to prioritise the right tasks in a complex, changing environment

Why Co-op?

At Co-op, we’re owned by our members. And because we’re owned by you, we can do right by you. So when you join us, you’re not just taking a job, you’re joining a movement. We’re an organisation that puts people and communities first, and we’re powered by purpose. We want this to be a place where you can thrive, so you’ll also receive:

•    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) 
•    30% discount on Co-op products and 10% off other brands 
•    Stream – early access to a percentage of your pay as you earn it 
•    Virtual healthcare including GP appointments, mental health support, nutrition and fitness advice 
•    24/7 colleague support service 
•    Training and support for your development and career progression
•    Cycle-to-work scheme

A place you’ll belong

We’re building diverse and inclusive teams that reflect the communities we serve. We welcome applications from everyone and are committed to creating a workplace where colleagues can feel like they belong, supported by our inclusive policies and the ways we work.

We’re proud to be part of the Disability Confident scheme and offer interviews to disabled candidates who meet the minimum criteria for a job. If you need any adjustments during the recruitment process, we’ll support you.

Learn more about our recruitment process at jobs.coop.co.uk/apply-process and our inclusion commitments at jobs.coop.co.uk/diversity-inclusion

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 up to 50 minutes. If you're a current Co-op colleague, this does not need to be completed.