Assistant Manager - Financial Planning & Analysis (People)

Americana Restaurants; Sharjah; On-site; AED 140,000 - 210,000; Full time

Job summary

Shapoorji Pallonji & Company Pvt. Ltd. is seeking an energetic Assistant Manager - FP&A (People) to lead budgeting and forecasting for workforce costs.

You will collaborate with HR, operations, and leadership to build budgets, forecasts, and headcount models, driving data-driven decisions on people investments. The role focuses on payroll and people cost management, variance analysis, and governance over manpower approvals.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Finance, Business Admin, Economics or related field.
• Master's degree or professional certification (CA/CFA/ACA/MBA) preferred.

Responsibilities

• Lead annual budgeting and quarterly forecasting for payroll and people costs.
• Develop workforce planning and headcount models.
• Monitor labor cost, productivity, overtime, and vacancy metrics.
• Partner with HR on hiring plans, compensation changes, incentives, and restructurings.
• Perform variance analysis and explain key drivers against budget and forecast.
• Prepare monthly management reports and presentations for senior leadership.
• Evaluate business cases for new roles, restructures, and people initiatives.
• Ensure financial governance over manpower approvals and organizational changes.
• Identify opportunities for cost optimization while maintaining operational effectiveness.
• Support automation and continuous improvement of FP&A reporting and planning processes.

Skills

Workforce planning

Budgeting

Payroll management

Advanced Excel

Data analysis

HR-Finance partnering

ERP systems

Scenario planning

Process improvement

Education

Bachelor's degree in Finance or related field

Master's degree or professional certification (CA/CFA/ACA/MBA)

Tools

SAP

Oracle

Job description

Job Purpose:

The Assistant Manager - FP&A (People) is responsible for leading financial planning and analysis for workforce-related costs across the organization. The role partners with HR, operations, and leadership to develop budgets, forecasts, workforce models, and performance insights, ensuring effective resource allocation, financial discipline, and data-driven decisions that align people investments with business objectives.

Key Responsibilities:

• Lead annual budgeting and quarterly forecasting for payroll and people costs.


• Develop workforce planning and headcount models.


• Monitor labor cost, productivity, overtime, and vacancy metrics.


• Partner with HR on hiring plans, compensation changes, incentives, and organizational restructuring.


• Perform variance analysis and explain key drivers against budget and forecast.


• Prepare monthly management reports and presentations for senior leadership.


• Evaluate business cases for new roles, restructures, and people initiatives.


• Ensure financial governance over manpower approvals and organizational changes.


• Identify opportunities for cost optimization while maintaining operational effectiveness.


• Support automation and continuous improvement of FP&A reporting and planning processes.

Qualification:

• Bachelor's degree in Finance, Business Administration, Economics, or a related field.


• Master's degree or certification (CA, CFA, ACA, MBA) preferred.

Experience:

• 3-6 years of experience in FP&A, financial analysis, or management accounting, preferably with exposure to HR/people cost planning.

Job Specific Skills:

• Workforce planning and headcount modelling


• Budgeting, forecasting, and variance analysis


• Payroll and total people cost management


• Advanced Excel and financial modelling


• Data analysis and reporting (Power BI/Tableau)


• HR-Finance business partnering and stakeholder management


• ERP systems experience (SAP/Oracle)


• Scenario planning and cost impact analysis


• Process improvement and reporting automation