Business Analyst

Whitbread PLC; Dunstable; Hybrid; GBP 50,000 - 65,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Bonus 20%

Pension Up to 10% matched

Branded discounts

Job summary

Whitbread PLC in Dunstable invites applications for a Business Analyst to join our FP&A & Corporate Finance team. You will translate long-term plans into budgets and forecasts, develop new site modelling and provide insight across reporting and planning activities.

With significant exposure to stakeholders across Finance and the wider organisation, the role suits someone who combines strong analytical capability with excellent relationship-building and communication skills.

Qualifications

• A qualified accountant (CIMA, ACCA or ACA) with a degree-level education or equivalent experience.
• Strong financial modelling and advanced Excel skills.
• Experience in budgeting, forecasting and variance analysis within a multi-site environment.
• Experience in property-focused or similarly complex businesses is a plus.
• Excellent organisation and communication skills, with attention to detail and stakeholder engagement.

Responsibilities

• Support the Group budget, forecasting and five-year business planning process across the UK and Germany, working with Finance teams to understand key assumptions and business drivers.
• Review financial outputs, analyse variances and model scenarios and sensitivities to test the robustness of plans and provide meaningful insight.
• Enhance and develop new site and Germany planning models, improving processes, Excel modelling and reporting outputs.
• Provide timely and insightful reporting to senior stakeholders, supporting the wider FP&A team with KPI reporting, planning and external guidance messaging.
• Support wider corporate projects and ad-hoc analysis, helping answer key business questions and continuously improve FP&A processes.

Skills

Financial modelling

Advanced Excel

Budgeting

Forecasting

Variance analysis

Communication

Stakeholder management

Attention to detail

Organisational skills

Education

Qualified accountant (CIMA/ACCA/ACA) + degree-level education

Tools

Excel modelling

Job description

Title: Business Analyst

Location: Dunstable

Contract: 12 months FTC

Hybrid working: 3 days a week in the office

This is an exciting opportunity for a Business Analyst to take on a broad and visible role within our FP&A & Corporate Finance team. You'll help translate our long-term plans into budgets and forecasts, develop new site modelling and provide insight across a range of reporting and planning activities. With significant exposure to stakeholders across Finance and the wider organisation, the role would suit someone who combines strong analytical capability with excellent relationship-building and communication skills.

What you'll be doing

• Support the Group budget, forecasting and five-year business planning process across the UK and Germany, working with Finance teams to understand key assumptions and business drivers.
• Review financial outputs, analyse variances and model scenarios and sensitivities to test the robustness of plans and provide meaningful insight.
• Enhance and develop new site and Germany planning models, improving processes, Excel modelling and reporting outputs.
• Provide timely and insightful reporting to senior stakeholders, supporting the wider FP&A team with KPI reporting, planning and external guidance messaging.
• Support wider corporate projects and ad-hoc analysis, helping answer key business questions and continuously improve FP&A processes.

Why you'll love it here

• Bonus 20%
• Pension Up to 10% matched
• Branded discounts up to 60% off Premier inn or Hub stays

What you'll need

• A qualified accountant (CIMA, ACCA or ACA) with a degree-level education or equivalent experience.
• Strong financial modelling and advanced Excel skills, with the ability to analyse large volumes of data and translate them into clear, meaningful insights.
• Experience in budgeting, forecasting and variance analysis, ideally within a multi-site, property-focused or similarly complex business.
• A highly analytical and methodical approach, with strong attention to detail and a good understanding of accounting and investment principles.
• Excellent organisation and communication skills, with the ability to manage multiple priorities, work independently and build effective relationships with stakeholders across the business.