Finance Analyst – London

Wagstaff Recruitment; Greater London; On-site; GBP 42,000 - 64,000; Full time

Job summary

Wagstaff Recruitment is seeking a practical, delivery-focused Finance Analyst for a fast-moving retail and hospitality environment. The role centers on improving planning cycles (Sales and Labour) and partnering with the business on strategic transformation projects.

The ideal candidate will combine analytical depth with a practical, commercially aware mindset, and will drive efficiency through standardised planning tools and BI-enabled insights.

Qualifications

• Strong experience in Finance Business Partnering or FP&A.
• Proven financial modelling and analysis experience.
• Passion for driving change and supporting business transformation.
• Strong stakeholder management and ability to influence senior leaders.
• Ability to simplify complex problems and communicate clearly.
• Experience building planning tools or performance dashboards.
• Exposure to process automation or system implementation.
• Knowledge of BI tools (Power BI).

Responsibilities

• Design and build financial models and planning tools to support planning and decision-making.
• Work with large datasets and understand cost allocation methodologies.
• Build scalable, standardised processes to improve efficiency.
• Automate manual activities where possible.
• Support dashboard/reporting development with BI teams on data quality and availability.
• Partner on transformation projects from concept through to delivery.
• Define success measures/KPIs and track benefits vs plan.
• Translate complex data into clear commercial messages for stakeholders.

Skills

Finance FP&A

Financial modelling

Stakeholder management

Data analysis

Planning tools

Power BI

Automation

Business partnering

Communication

Tools

Power BI

Job description

We are working with a fast-moving, multi-site retail and hospitality environment with a strong current focus on process improvement and finance transformation.

They are looking for a practical, delivery-focused Finance Analyst. Your role will be centred on improving the efficiency and effectiveness of planning cycles (primarily Sales and Labour) and partnering with the business on strategic transformation projects. This Finance Analyst role suits someone commercially aware, comfortable with ambiguity, and able to flex between analytical detail and a questioning mindset to challenge existing ways of working.

What you'll be doing

Tools, models & process improvement

• Design and build financial models and tools to support planning and decision-making
• Work with large datasets, including understanding cost allocation methodologies
• Build scalable, standardised processes to improve consistency and efficiency
• Automate manual activities where possible
• Support dashboard/reporting development and work with data/BI teams on data quality

Transformation & value delivery

• Partner on transformation projects from concept through to delivery
• Build business cases including financial modelling and benefit tracking
• Define success measures/KPIs and track delivery of benefits vs plan
• Constructively test assumptions to ensure initiatives deliver real value

Performance tracking & insight

• Own business cases with clearly defined benefits
• Report on benefits delivered vs business case (financial and operational)
• Translate complex data into simple, commercial messages for stakeholders

Planning, forecasting & reporting

• Support annual budgeting, forecasting and long-range planning
• Deliver variance analysis against budget, forecast and prior year
• Support executive-level reporting and ad hoc strategic analysis

Business partnering

• Build relationships with Commercial, Marketing and Purchasing teams
• Provide financial guidance and challenge to support decision-making

What we're looking for

• Strong experience in Finance Business Partnering or FP&A
• Proven financial modelling and analysis experience
• A genuine passion for driving change, with experience supporting business change/transformation
• Strong stakeholder management, able to influence senior leaders
• Ability to simplify complex problems and communicate clearly
• Experience building planning tools or performance dashboards
• Exposure to process automation or system implementation
• Knowledge of BI tools (e.g. Power BI)

Job Tenure: Permanent