Commercial Finance and FP&A Senior Manager

ZEISS is technology and innovation. Founded in Germany, in 1846, ZEISS is an internationally leading technology enterprise operating in the optics and optoelectronics industries across 50 countries.

As a company wholly owned by a foundation, ZEISS is committed to responsibility in all its activities. As a pioneer in scientific optics, its employees across the globe continue to push the boundaries of what is possible. With a strong focus on quality and innovation, ZEISS creates value for its customers and helps shape new ways of seeing the world.

We’re looking for a Commercial Finance and FP&A Senior Manager to join us as part of ZEISS Vision UK in Birmingham. 

Your Role

This is an exciting opportunity to take on a pivotal leadership role within Zeiss Vision UK, combining commercial finance leadership, strategic business partnering and business transformation.

As a key member of the Finance team, you will lead and develop our Commercial Finance Business Partners while driving an ambitious transformation of our financial planning, reporting, data analytics and insight capabilities.

With a strong focus on AI, automation and data-led decision-making, you will modernise the way Finance operates, moving away from manual, retrospective reporting towards more automated, forward-looking insight. The ambition is to improve the quality and speed of financial information, creating greater capacity for the team to focus on strategic business partnering, commercial opportunities and sustainable growth.

Alongside this transformation agenda, you will lead our strategically important Vendor Finance initiative, supporting customers through tailored financing solutions while ensuring robust commercial assessment, financial due diligence and governance.

What you'll be responsible for

Vendor Finance Leadership

•Take ownership of CZV UK's high-profile customer Vendor Finance initiative, enabling customers to achieve their ambitions through tailored lending support.

•Lead financial and commercial due diligence, assess lending opportunities and monitor existing agreements against business cases and contractual commitments.

•Develop robust business cases and recommendations for UK and Global Board approval.

•Act as the primary contact for key stakeholders, including customers, commercial teams, legal advisers, auditors and senior management.

•Strengthen financial controls, governance and management reporting, providing clear visibility of lending opportunities, financial exposure, protected revenue and business case performance.

Strategic Influence & Change Delivery

•Partner with senior leadership to identify and deliver commercial growth opportunities and support the wider business transformation agenda.

•Lead complex finance improvement initiatives, balancing immediate efficiencies with longer-term strategic developments.

•Establish robust financial processes, reporting standards and governance, ensuring the business has the insight and infrastructure to support its future ambitions.

Commercial Finance Leadership & Business Partnering

•Lead, coach and develop two experienced, fully qualified Commercial Finance Business Partners, creating a high-performing, commercially focused team.

•Build strong relationships with senior commercial stakeholders, influencing decisions and identifying opportunities to drive revenue, profitability and productivity.

•Provide clear, actionable insight into customer, product and channel performance, including pricing, margins, cost-to-serve and profitability.

•Challenge commercial assumptions, evaluate business cases and support strategic investment and transformation decisions.

Financial Planning & Performance Management

•Own the annual budgeting process, rolling forecasts and medium-term financial planning.

•Lead financial modelling, scenario planning and sensitivity analysis to support business decisions.

•Oversee commercial finance reporting, KPI frameworks and performance reviews, ensuring financial expectations are aligned with commercial and operational priorities.

•Strengthen forecasting accuracy, financial discipline and accountability across the business.

Data, AI & Finance Transformation

•Lead the transformation of financial planning, reporting and data analytics, establishing a clear roadmap for improved systems, processes and reporting capabilities.

•Identify opportunities to leverage AI, automation and business intelligence tools to improve reporting efficiency, data quality and the generation of financial insight.

•Drive practical AI applications, including predictive forecasting, automated variance analysis and anomaly detection, ensuring appropriate validation, governance and human oversight.

•Lead the implementation and adoption of improved reporting and planning tools, building analytical capability and encouraging a culture of continuous improvement across Finance.

What you'll bring

Essential experience and qualifications

•Degree qualified or equivalent, with a recognised accountancy qualification (ACA, ACCA, CIMA or CA).

•At least five years' post-qualified experience within a commercially focused finance environment.

•Significant FP&A experience, including budgeting, forecasting, financial modelling and commercial business partnering.

•Proven experience leading and developing teams, with a track record of driving performance and building capability.

•Demonstrable experience delivering finance, reporting, data or process transformation, with measurable improvements in efficiency, quality or business insight.

•Advanced Excel and financial modelling skills, alongside hands-on experience with business intelligence tools such as Power BI or Tableau.

•Strong understanding of data integration, reconciliation, governance and reporting systems.

•Practical knowledge of AI and automation opportunities, including their application, limitations and appropriate controls.

•Experience presenting complex financial information and recommendations to senior leadership and Board-level stakeholders.

•Strong commercial judgement, with the ability to look beyond Finance, understand business drivers and influence decisions that deliver tangible value.

Personal attributes

•A proactive, hands-on leader with a strong continuous improvement mindset.

•Excellent communication, influencing and stakeholder management skills.

•Confident challenging assumptions and translating complex information into clear, actionable recommendations.

•Resilient, adaptable and comfortable leading change in a fast-moving environment.

•Strong problem-solving, planning and decision-making capabilities.

Desirable experience

•Experience supporting mergers and acquisitions (M&A), including financial due diligence and business case evaluation.

•Exposure to customer financing, lending assessments or credit risk management.

•Experience working with AI, automation and advanced analytics solutions to enhance financial planning and reporting processes.

Apply now to take the next step in joining ZEISS, where you can push technological boundaries, shape markets and contribute to the advancement of society.

Your ZEISS Recruiting Team:

Abbie Walters, Kate Campbell