Senior Manager - Finance

Overview

The Business Navigator will be the finance point of contact for the assigned Business Unit/market, owning planning, forecasting and performance management activities and partnering closely with Business Partners, CFOs and key stakeholders. The role will translate business performance into meaningful financial insights, support key planning and forecasting cycles, drive timely and accurate performance communication, and act as the finance point of contact for market-specific initiatives and continuous improvement. The role also requires close collaboration with central planning, ecosystem and support teams to ensure effective delivery of planning processes and resolution of business/system-related issues.

Responsibilities

1. Business Performance & Planning

• Own planning and performance management activities for the assigned BU/market.
• Lead weekly Early Read projections and provide commentary on key variances vs. Forecast.
• Analyse performance vs. PY, Forecast and AOP, identifying key drivers, risks and opportunities.
• Partner with Business Partners and key stakeholders on P&L Forecasting and AOP.
• Support CFO reviews of the full P&L, NOPBT and CoC for Forecast and AOP.

2. Performance Communication & Messaging

• Prepare monthly performance commentary and key messages for Sector.
• Support CFO performance and Forecast reviews with clear insights, explanations and key business messages.

3. Planning Coordination & Stakeholder Management

• Partner with Central Integrators to coordinate planning inputs, reports, trackers and deck preparation.
• Work closely with Business Partners, Finance stakeholders and functional teams to ensure timely and accurate delivery of planning requirements.
• Challenge assumptions and drive alignment and closure on key planning deliverables.

4. Market-Specific Initiatives & Continuous Improvement

• Act as the Finance point of contact for the assigned market on new initiatives, process improvements, automation and business-specific requirements.
• Support evaluation and implementation of initiatives such as Brand P&L, cost mapping/allocation changes and other market-specific finance requirements.
• Partner with relevant stakeholders to assess requirements, drive implementation and ensure alignment with existing planning and reporting processes.

5. Ecosystem / Data & Systems

• Act as the business SME for TM1/Mosaic-related planning, master data and mapping requirements.
• Partner with Ecosystem Admin and support teams to resolve data, mapping and system-related issues requiring business knowledge.
• Work with Cockpit/support teams to leverage dashboards and reporting tools effectively.

6. Delivery & Ways of Working

• Independently manage multiple planning cycles, competing priorities and evolving business requirements under tight timelines.
• Maintain high quality, accuracy and control while responding to continuous stakeholder and BU demands.

Qualifications

• Chartered Accountant/MBA/CMA with a minimum of 8-10 years’ experience
• Strong FP&A / financial planning experience with sound understanding of P&L, forecasting, AOP and performance management.
• Highly analytical and commercially oriented, with ability to identify key business drivers, challenge assumptions and translate data into actionable insights.
• Strong business partnering and stakeholder management skills, with confidence to interact with Business Partners, Finance Directors and CFOs.
• Strong understanding of financial planning, control and reporting processes, with good attention to data quality and controls.
• Strong problem-solving and ownership mindset, with ability to independently manage multiple priorities and drive issues to closure.
• TM1 / HFM / Cockpit knowledge and experience is a definite plus.
• Strong communication skills with 100% fluency in English.
• Ability to independently interpret financial performance, challenge assumptions and proactively identify risks, opportunities and required actions.