Finance Analyst - Outdoor Operations

The AA; Basingstoke; Hybrid; GBP 50,000 - 65,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

25 days' annual leave

Pension contributions up to 7%

Free AA breakdown membership from Day

GP and wellbeing support

Employee discounts

Job summary

The AA in Basingstoke is seeking a finance professional to help manage the Roadside Outdoor cost base, supporting 3,000 employees across Patrols and Garaging. You will turn historic and projected performance into clear insights and dashboards.

You will partner with Operational leaders and MI teams to shape budgeting, forecasting, and financial modelling for contracts and business cases, using Excel and Power BI, with opportunities to automate reporting.

Qualifications

• Strong analytical and problem-solving capability, with the ability to interpret large financial and operational datasets and turn them into meaningful insight.
• A good understanding of management accounting, including month-end reporting, budgeting, forecasting and variance analysis.
• Strong Power BI capability, with experience developing dashboards and management reporting for finance and non-finance audiences.
• Advanced Excel skills, including experience analysing and reconciling large datasets with a strong focus on accuracy.
• Clear communication and stakeholder management skills, with the confidence to explain, challenge and influence across finance and operational teams.
• Qualified accountant, or part-qualified with significant experience.

Responsibilities

• Analyse monthly financial and operational performance against budget and forecast, identifying key drivers, risks and opportunities so stakeholders can act on clear insight.
• Partner with Financial Reporting to support accurate, timely month-end reporting and robust review and reconciliation of financial information.
• Develop reporting, analysis and Power BI dashboards that improve visibility of spend, trends, cost drivers and Cost per Case across Outdoor Operations.
• Support budgeting and forecasting with operational stakeholders, strengthening key assumptions and improving forecast accuracy.
• Provide financial modelling and analysis for contract reviews, business cases and operational decisions, helping teams understand financial implications and options.
• Track benefits from cost-saving and efficiency initiatives, challenging assumptions and highlighting risks to delivery against forecast.
• Simplify and improve financial processes, reporting and data by working across Finance, Planning & Performance and MI and making effective use of Excel, Power BI, AI and other available tools.

Skills

Data analytics

Power BI

Excel

Financial analysis

Budgeting

Forecasting

Stakeholder management

Problem solving

Education

Qualified accountant or part-qualified

Tools

Power BI

Excel

AI tools

Job description

Location: Basingstoke (Hybrid working, 3 office days per week)

Employment Type: Permanent

Why Join Us?

• Annual bonus, free AA breakdown membership from Day One and access to a wide range of employee discounts
• Turn complex financial and operational data into clear insight that helps shape performance across Outdoor Operations
• Partner with operational leaders and Finance, Planning & Performance and MI teams to improve decisions, efficiency and cost management
• Build broad exposure across Roadside operations, reporting, forecasting, modelling and performance insight

Company Description / Business Unit

For over a century, The AA has been keeping Britain moving. Today, millions of drivers trust us to be there when it matters most, and we're equally committed to supporting the people who make that possible. With a 4.5-star Glassdoor rating, we've built a culture where colleagues are empowered to grow, collaborate and make a real impact for our customers on every journey. Which has been recognised by Sunday Times “Best Places to Work” for the last two years.

Job Description

If you enjoy turning complex data into clear decisions, this is a role where your insight can make a visible difference.

As a key member of the operational finance team, you’ll support the financial management of The AA’s Roadside business, focusing on the Outdoor cost base across Patrols, Garaging and support areas. With a cost base of around £270m and approximately 3,000 employees across Patrol Operations, accurate reporting and meaningful insight are central to understanding performance and supporting effective decisions.

You’ll analyse historic and projected performance across P&Ls, balance sheets and cashflows, helping stakeholders understand the drivers behind spend, operational KPIs and Cost per Case. You’ll develop reporting and Power BI dashboards, support budgeting and forecasting, and provide modelling for contract reviews, business cases and operational decisions.

Working with the Head of Garaging, support function leaders and colleagues across Finance, Planning & Performance and MI, you’ll bring curiosity, accuracy and constructive challenge. You’ll also have opportunities to simplify and automate reporting and analysis using Excel, Power BI, AI and other available tools.

Key Responsibilities

• Analyse monthly financial and operational performance against budget and forecast, identifying key drivers, risks and opportunities so stakeholders can act on clear insight.
• Partner with Financial Reporting to support accurate, timely month-end reporting and robust review and reconciliation of financial information.
• Develop reporting, analysis and Power BI dashboards that improve visibility of spend, trends, cost drivers and Cost per Case across Outdoor Operations.
• Support budgeting and forecasting with operational stakeholders, strengthening key assumptions and improving forecast accuracy.
• Provide financial modelling and analysis for contract reviews, business cases and operational decisions, helping teams understand financial implications and options.
• Track benefits from cost-saving and efficiency initiatives, challenging assumptions and highlighting risks to delivery against forecast.
• Simplify and improve financial processes, reporting and data by working across Finance, Planning & Performance and MI and making effective use of Excel, Power BI, AI and other available tools.

Qualifications

You’ll Bring

• Strong analytical and problem-solving capability, with the ability to interpret large financial and operational datasets and turn them into meaningful insight.
• A good understanding of management accounting, including month-end reporting, budgeting, forecasting and variance analysis.
• Strong Power BI capability, with experience developing dashboards and management reporting for finance and non-finance audiences.
• Advanced Excel skills, including experience analysing and reconciling large datasets with a strong focus on accuracy.
• Clear communication and stakeholder management skills, with the confidence to explain, challenge and influence across finance and operational teams.
• Qualified accountant, or part-qualified with significant experience.

Nice to Have

• Experience working within a large, complex and data-led organisation.
• Experience using or exploring AI and automation tools to improve analysis, reporting or process efficiency.
• Knowledge of the industry.

Additional Information

Belonging at The AA

At The AA, we value the unique perspectives, experiences and ideas that our people bring. We've nurtured a workplace where everyone feels valued, respected and empowered to do their best work.
Through our employee communities and inclusion initiatives, we’ve created opportunities for people to connect, share experiences and influence positive change across the business. This is a place where your voice matters and where you can belong, grow and succeed.

Driven by People, Rewarded by Benefits
We believe in rewarding our people. That's why we offer a comprehensive benefits package including;

• 25 days' annual leave plus bank holidays, the option to buy additional holiday
• Up to 7% employer pension contribution
• Free AA breakdown membership from Day One with 50% discount for family and friends, discounts on AA products including car and home insurance
• 24/7 GP access and wellbeing support for you and your family
• A wide range of employee discounts, including our popular car salary sacrifice scheme

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