Commercial Analyst

Imperial Enterprise; Greater London; On-site; GBP 52,000 - 75,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

43 days annual leave

Generous pension

Flexible working policy

On-site leisure facilities

Cycle-to-work scheme

Season ticket loan

Job summary

Imperial College London seeks a Commercial Analyst to shape financial performance across its hospitality and accommodation portfolio, with turnover around £50m and 5,000+ student rooms. You’ll translate complex data into actionable insights for senior leaders, linking finance with operations and ensuring VAT and accounting compliance.

You will develop budgets, forecasts, pricing models and profitability analyses for outlets, accommodation pricing, and new initiatives, partnering with managers

Qualifications

• Degree-level education in finance, business, or analytical discipline; part-qualified or qualified accountant (ACA, ACCA, CIMA, or equivalent).
• Proven experience supporting budgeting, forecasting, financial planning, and management accounting cycles.
• Experience analysing, interpreting, and reporting financial performance within a large, complex, multi-site organisation.
• Advanced Excel and financial modelling capability, with experience building, maintaining, and improving complex financial models and reporting tools such as Power BI.
• Experience in hospitality, accommodation, higher education, or commercial services, including familiarity with relevant systems such as Procure Wizard, EPOS, or similar.
• Strong understanding of cost control, margin analysis, VAT in hospitality/accommodation settings, and the Agent/Principal accounting model.
• Demonstrable ability to communicate complex financial information clearly and persuasively, influencing senior stakeholders through data-driven insight.
• Excellent analytical, critical-thinking, and problem-solving skills, with a proactive approach to identifying inefficiencies and developing practical solutions.
• Ability to manage competing priorities, meet tight deadlines under pressure, work collaboratively with diverse teams, and maintain professional partnerships.
• High standards of integrity, confidentiality, accuracy, equality, diversity and inclusion; commitment to continuous professional development and effective use of Microsoft Office tools.

Responsibilities

• Provide the financial analysis and commercial insight that helps Imperial’s hospitality, catering and accommodation operations make confident, profitable decisions.
• Monitor financial performance through management reports, dashboards and variance analysis; assess revenue, labour, cost of sales and gross profit; and develop robust budgets, forecasts, pricing and profitability models.
• Your analysis will directly support initiatives including accommodation pricing, summer business growth, new outlets and investment projects, identifying opportunities to improve efficiency, recover costs and maximise returns.
• You will work closely with operational managers, senior leaders, Finance, ICT and external partners to turn complex information into clear, actionable recommendations.
• You will enhance reporting tools and data quality, establish meaningful KPIs and lead regular performance reviews, while ensuring compliance with financial regulations, VAT requirements and agent/principal principles.

Skills

Budgeting

Forecasting

Financial modelling

Financial analysis

Stakeholder communication

Analytical thinking

Education

Degree in finance or related

ACCA/ACCA/CIMA part-qualified or qualified

Tools

Procure Wizard

EPOS

Power BI

Job description

Imperial is a world Top 10 university with an international reputation for excellence in teaching and research. The Campus Operations Department are responsible for supporting the operational Hospitality Teams of various cafes, restaurants, bars and events located across all their Campuses to provide affordable and high-quality food and services for the Imperial community and external clients. They create a valuable resource for Imperial, which in turn supports our academic community of world leaders in the provision of Engineering, Medicine, Natural Sciences, Business Management, Research and Teaching.

As Commercial Analyst, you will help shape the financial performance and future direction of Imperial’s diverse hospitality and accommodation portfolio, with annual turnover of around £50m. Supporting more than 5,000 student rooms, a major summer accommodation business and 30+ catering outlets, you will turn complex financial and operational data into clear, actionable insight for senior leaders.

You will be the vital link between finance and operations, helping teams understand profitability, control costs and make confident investment decisions. Working closely with Student and Commercial Accommodation colleagues, you will provide commercial analysis that supports efficient operations, robust VAT and accounting compliance, and a high-performing, sustainable hospitality offer across Imperial’s campuses

What you would be doing

You will provide the financial analysis and commercial insight that helps Imperial’s hospitality, catering and accommodation operations make confident, profitable decisions. You will monitor financial performance through management reports, dashboards and variance analysis; assess revenue, labour, cost of sales and gross profit; and develop robust budgets, forecasts, pricing and profitability models. Your analysis will directly support initiatives including accommodation pricing, summer business growth, new outlets and investment projects, identifying opportunities to improve efficiency, recover costs and maximise returns.

You will work closely with operational managers, senior leaders, Finance, ICT and external partners to turn complex information into clear, actionable recommendations. You will enhance reporting tools and data quality, establish meaningful KPIs and lead regular performance reviews, while ensuring compliance with financial regulations, VAT requirements and agent/principal principles. By providing trusted commercial advice, maintaining strong governance and promoting financial accountability, you will help embed continuous improvement across the Hospitality and Property Services portfolio.

What we are looking for

• Degree-level education (or equivalent experience) in finance, business, or an analytical discipline; part-qualified or qualified accountant (ACA, ACCA, CIMA, or equivalent).
• Proven experience supporting budgeting, forecasting, financial planning, and management accounting cycles.
• Experience analysing, interpreting, and reporting financial performance within a large, complex, multi-site organisation.
• Advanced Excel and financial modelling capability, with experience building, maintaining, and improving complex financial models and reporting tools such as Power BI.
• Experience in hospitality, accommodation, higher education, or commercial services, including familiarity with relevant systems such as Procure Wizard, EPOS, or similar.
• Strong understanding of cost control, margin analysis, VAT in hospitality/accommodation settings, and the Agent/Principal accounting model.
• Demonstrable ability to communicate complex financial information clearly and persuasively, influencing senior stakeholders through data-driven insight.
• Excellent analytical, critical-thinking, and problem-solving skills, with a proactive approach to identifying inefficiencies and developing practical solutions.
• Ability to manage competing priorities, meet tight deadlines under pressure, work collaboratively with diverse teams, and maintain professional partnerships.
• High standards of integrity, confidentiality, accuracy, equality, diversity and inclusion; commitment to continuous professional development and effective use of Microsoft Office tools.

What we can offer you

• At Imperial, our values-respect, collaboration, excellence, integrity, and innovation-guide everything we do. You'll be part of a supportive and forward-thinking team, working on projects that directly contribute to the safety and wellbeing of our community.
• We are committed to creating an inclusive working environment and welcome applications from all backgrounds. We particularly encourage interest from individuals who are underrepresented in our workforce.
• The opportunity to continue your career at a world-leading institution and be part of our mission to use science for humanity.
• Benefit from a sector-leading salary and remuneration package (including 43 days' annual leave and generous pension schemes).
• Access to a range of workplace benefits including a flexible working policy from day one, generous family leave packages, on-site leisure facilities and cycle-to-work scheme.
• Interest‑free season ticket loan schemes for travel.
• Be part of a diverse, inclusive and collaborative work culture with various staff networks and resources to support your personal and professional wellbeing.

Further information

Further Information

If you require any further details on the role please contact: Ramona Dobrea, Head of Student and Commercial Accommodation Office by email - [e-mail]

Closing date: Midnight on Sunday, 8 November 2026

Attached documents are available under links. Clicking a document link will initialize its download.

Please note that job descriptions are not exhaustive, and you may be asked to take on additional duties that align with the key responsibilities mentioned above.

We reserve the right to close the advert before the stated closing date, should we receive a high volume of applications. It is therefore advisable that you submit your application as early as possible to avoid disappointment.

If you encounter any technical issues while applying online, please don't hesitate to email us at [e-mail]. We're here to help.

About Imperial

Welcome to Imperial, a global top-ten university where scientific imagination leads to world-changing impact.

Join us and be part of something bigger. From global health to climate change, AI to business leadership, here at Imperial we navigate some of the world’s toughest challenges. Whatever your role, your contribution will have a lasting impact.

As a member of our vibrant community of 22,000 students and 8,000 staff, you'll collaborate with passionate minds across nine London campuses and a global network.

This is your chance to help shape the future. We hope you’ll join us at Imperial College London.

Our Culture

We work towards equality of opportunity, to eliminating discrimination, and to creating an inclusive working environment for all. We encourage applications from all backgrounds, communities and industries, and are committed to employing a team that has diverse skills, experiences and abilities. You can read more about our commitment on our web pages .

Proud signatory of the Armed Forces Covenant. We welcome applications from the Armed Forces community.

Our values are at the root of everything we do, and everyone in our community is expected to demonstrate respect, collaboration, excellence, integrity, and innovation.