Head - Budgeting, Analytics & Insights

Finance House; Abu Dhabi; On-site; AED 550,000 - 900,000; Full time

Job summary

Finance House in the United Arab Emirates seeks a Head of Budgeting, Analytics & Insights to lead enterprise budgeting, forecasting, analytics, and management reporting. This role partners with executive leadership to enable data-driven decisions and strategic planning across banking and financial services.

You will drive automation, BI maturity, and governance of KPI frameworks while guiding the team to optimize resource allocation and profitability.

Qualifications

• Strong expertise in budgeting, forecasting, FP&A, analytics and management reporting.
• Advanced financial modelling, KPI frameworks and performance management.
• Excellent analytical and quantitative skills with data interpretation abilities.
• Proficiency in Power BI, Excel, and BI tools; banking/FS domain knowledge.
• Academic and professional qualifications as listed (MBA preferred; CA/CPA/ACCA/CMA mandatory).

Responsibilities

• Lead enterprise budgeting, forecasting and long-term financial planning for all units.
• Develop models, assumptions and methodologies to improve visibility and accuracy.
• Coordinate budget reviews with leaders and consolidate for strategic objectives.
• Monitor utilization and performance; propose corrective actions.
• Drive rolling forecasts, scenario analysis and stress testing for planning.
• Oversee management reporting, dashboards and executive commentary.
• Lead BI and analytics initiatives to support decision-making and efficiency.

Skills

Budgeting

Forecasting

FP&A

Business Analytics

Management Reporting

Power BI

Excel

Banking knowledge

Data-driven decisions

Education

Bachelor's Degree in Finance/Accounting/Economics/BA

MBA preferred

CA/CPA/ACCA/CMA mandatory

Tools

Power BI

Excel

BI Tools

Job description

Summary

The Head - Budgeting, Analytics & Insights is responsible for leading Finance House's enterprise-wide budgeting, financial planning, business analytics, performance management, and management reporting functions while serving as a strategic finance partner to executive leadership. The role drives data-driven decision-making through advanced financial analysis, forecasting, KPI governance, and business insights that support profitability, operational efficiency, and business growth.

The incumbent will oversee budgeting and forecasting cycles, business performance analysis, and reporting frameworks while driving automation, business intelligence, and analytics transformation initiatives to enhance financial visibility, reporting accuracy, and strategic planning capabilities. The role also partners closely with business leaders and cross-functional stakeholders to identify opportunities, manage financial risks, optimize resource allocation, and support strategic initiatives within a dynamic banking and financial services environment.

Budgeting & Financial Planning

• Lead the annual budgeting, forecasting, and long-term financial planning processes for all business units.
• Develop robust financial models, planning assumptions, and forecasting methodologies to improve financial visibility and planning accuracy.
• Coordinate with business leaders to review and consolidate budgets, ensuring alignment with strategic and financial objectives.
• Monitor budget utilization and financial performance against approved plans and recommend corrective actions where necessary.
• Lead rolling forecasts, scenario analysis, sensitivity assessments, and stress-testing exercises to support strategic planning and business continuity.
• Support management in evaluating investment plans, business expansion opportunities, and cost optimization initiatives.
• Prepare executive-level budgeting reports, planning presentations, and financial summaries for senior management review.

Analytics & Business Insights

• Lead enterprise-wide financial and business analytics initiatives to support strategic and operational decision-making.
• Conduct detailed analysis of profitability, revenue trends, cost structures, operational efficiency, and business performance across products and business lines.
• Develop meaningful financial and operational insights to support business growth, performance improvement, and resource optimization.
• Identify key business drivers, performance gaps, risks, and emerging trends and provide actionable recommendations to management.
• Perform financial modelling, scenario analysis, and business case evaluations to support strategic initiatives and investment decisions.
• Develop predictive and trend-based analytical frameworks to improve forecasting accuracy and business performance monitoring.
• Promote a data-driven culture through effective use of analytics, reporting, and business intelligence tools.

Management Reporting & Performance Management

• Oversee the preparation of management dashboards, KPI scorecards, performance reports, and executive presentations.
• Ensure timely, accurate, and insightful monthly, quarterly, and annual reporting to senior management.
• Monitor key performance indicators across business units and provide detailed commentary on financial and operational performance.
• Conduct variance analysis between actual performance, budgets, and forecasts and highlight areas requiring management attention.
• Establish and maintain standardized performance management frameworks and reporting structures across the organization.
• Support executive leadership with strategic insights and recommendations to improve profitability, efficiency, and overall business performance.

Reporting Automation & Business Intelligence

• Lead automation and enhancement of budgeting, analytics, and reporting processes to improve efficiency, scalability, and reporting accuracy.
• Drive implementation and optimization of Power BI dashboards and business intelligence solutions across the organization.
• Collaborate with Technology and Data teams to strengthen data quality, reporting infrastructure, and analytics capabilities.
• Reduce manual reporting dependencies through automation, workflow optimization, and digital transformation initiatives.
• Continuously improve reporting turnaround time, visualization standards, and analytical capabilities through process enhancements and technology adoption.

Stakeholder Management & Leadership

• Serve as a strategic advisor and finance business partner to executive management and business heads.
• Build strong working relationships across Finance, Treasury, Operations, Risk, Technology, and Business functions to support organizational goals.
• Lead, mentor, and develop the Budgeting, Analytics & Insights team to build strong technical and analytical capabilities.
• Foster a culture of accountability, collaboration, innovation, and continuous improvement within the function.
• Ensure effective workload management, employee development, and succession planning within the department.

Knowledge & Skill Requirements

Technical & Functional Skills

• Strong expertise in budgeting, forecasting, financial planning & analysis (FP&A), business analytics, and management reporting.
• Advanced knowledge of financial modelling, profitability analysis, KPI frameworks, and performance management methodologies.
• Strong analytical and quantitative skills with the ability to interpret complex financial and operational data.
• Advanced proficiency in Power BI, Excel, and business intelligence tools.
• Good understanding of banking and financial services business models, products, and performance drivers.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree in Finance, Accounting, Economics, Business Administration, Data Analytics, or a related discipline.
• Master's Degree such as MBA or equivalent is preferred.
• Professional accounting qualification such as CA, CPA, ACCA, or CMA is mandatory.

Experience

• Minimum 12-15 years of experience in Budgeting, FP&A, Business Analytics, and Management Reporting within Banking or Financial Services.
• Minimum 5 years of experience in a senior leadership role managing budgeting, analytics, or financial planning functions.
• Proven experience in financial analytics, business intelligence, reporting automation, and performance management.
• Demonstrated track record in driving strategic insights, process improvements, and data-driven decision-making initiatives.