Head Of FP&A
Bauer Media Group
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Benefits offered by this job
Job summary
Bauer Media Group is seeking a commercially focused Head of FP&A in Manchester. You will lead budgeting, forecasting and performance reporting while partnering with senior leaders to drive informed commercial decisions.
The role emphasizes developing a high-performing FP&A team, strengthening planning processes and delivering timely, accurate financial insights. You will own long-range planning, drive robust financial controls, and lead month-end reporting using SAP Analytics Cloud and other
Qualifications
- Qualified accountant with FP&A, commercial finance or management reporting experience in a complex organisation.
- Strong budgeting, forecasting, modelling and performance analysis capabilities.
- Experience leading month-end, management reporting and planning processes.
Responsibilities
- Lead annual budgeting for Bauer Media Audio UK and own forecasting cycles.
- Oversee month-end reporting, provide commentary, analyse variances and present to senior stakeholders.
- Act as trusted finance business partner to CFO and senior leadership, driving commercial decision-making.
- Coach and develop the FP&A team, implement robust controls and scalable processes, and drive continuous improvement.
Skills
Education
Tools
Job description
We're looking for a commercially focused and strategic finance leader with extensive experience in financial planning, forecasting, reporting and business partnering.
We're looking for a commercially focused and strategic finance leader with extensive experience in financial planning, forecasting, reporting and business partnering. You'll lead the FP&A function for Bauer Media Audio UK, driving budgeting, forecasting and performance reporting while providing insight that supports informed business decisions. You'll also lead and develop a high-performing team, ensuring reporting processes are delivered accurately, efficiently and on time.
The FP&A team plays a critical role in supporting Bauer Media Audio UK's financial performance and strategic ambitions. Working closely with senior leaders across Finance and the wider business, we provide insight, challenge and analysis that help drive decision-making, identify opportunities and manage risk.
You'll be a trusted partner to the CFO and senior stakeholders, helping the business understand performance, improve forecasting accuracy and make commercially sound decisions. Through strong leadership, robust financial planning and continuous improvement, you'll strengthen financial controls, enhance reporting processes and support the delivery of Bauer's strategic objectives.
- Lead the annual budgeting process for Bauer Media Audio UK.
- Own forecasting cycles throughout the year, ensuring updates are accurately reflected, communicated and understood across the business.
- Support long-range planning activities and strategic planning processes.
- Oversee the annual pay review process, including modelling, coordination and communication of outcomes.
- Maintain a detailed understanding of revenue, costs, overheads and below-the-line activity to ensure forecasts are robust and commercially meaningful.
- Lead FP&A month-end reporting activities, ensuring all deadlines and reporting requirements are met.
- Chair month-end review meetings and coordinate financial inputs from across Finance and the wider business.
- Conduct detailed P&L reviews, highlighting key variances, risks and opportunities.
- Oversee reporting of actual and forecast royalties and operating costs.
- Produce insightful management reporting packs and performance analysis for senior stakeholders.
- Present monthly financial results, providing clear commentary and actionable recommendations.
- Act as a trusted finance business partner to the CFO and senior leadership teams.
- Provide insightful analysis and constructive challenge to support commercial and operational decision-making.
- Lead regular cost and balance sheet reviews, increasing accountability and visibility across the business.
- Contribute to finance governance forums and strategic discussions.
- Translate complex financial information into clear, actionable insight for both finance and non-finance audiences.
- Lead, coach and develop the FP&A team, creating a high-performing and supportive team environment.
- Foster a culture of collaboration, ownership, accuracy and continuous improvement.
- Ensure key processes are documented, resilient and consistently delivered.
- Oversee submissions to external stakeholders and reporting bodies as required.
- Maintain strong financial controls across planning, forecasting, reporting and month-end activities.
- Ensure effective use of SAP Analytics Cloud (SAC) and other planning tools.
- Identify opportunities to streamline reporting, improve accuracy and reduce manual activity.
- Work closely with wider Finance teams to improve coding, allocations and reporting processes.
- Qualified accountant (ACA, ACCA, CIMA or equivalent experience) with significant experience in FP&A, commercial finance or management reporting within a complex organisation.
- Strong expertise in budgeting, forecasting, financial modelling and performance analysis.
- Proven experience leading month-end reporting, management reporting and financial planning processes.
- Strong commercial acumen, with the ability to translate financial data into clear, actionable business insight.
- Excellent stakeholder management skills, with the confidence to influence, challenge and support senior leaders.
- Experience leading, coaching and developing high-performing finance teams.
- Advanced Excel skills and experience using planning and reporting systems, ideally SAP Analytics Cloud (SAC) or similar platforms.
- Excellent communication, presentation and relationship-building skills, with the ability to engage both finance and non-finance audiences.
- Strong organisational skills and attention to detail, with the ability to manage multiple priorities and deadlines.
- Confidence using data, technology and AI-enabled tools to improve efficiency, insight and decision-making.
This is a full-time, fixed-term contract (15 months) based in Manchester, operating within a hybrid working model that combines office and home working while supporting collaboration across Finance and business leadership teams.
We are a media business focused on creating content that matters to millions of people across Europe. Our offering extends from print and online publishing to audio broadcasting and entertainment, alongside investments in other media related sectors. With more than 500 million copies sold each year, we are one of Europe’s largest Publishers. From women’s and celebrities’ magazines to TV listings to food and special interest, we own some of the most popular publishing brands in Germany, UK, Poland and France – both digital and print. But not only that. Reaching over 61 million listeners weekly, we operate over 150 radio and podcast brands in nine countries, spanning the UK, Ireland, Poland, Slovakia, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Norway and Portugal. Family-owned in the 5th generation, Bauer Media focuses on the long-term, with a consumer-first mindset that guides us across our diverse portfolio. Our workforce of 12,000 shares a common purpose: to deliver content and services that enrich people's everyday lives.
- You'll have 28 days holiday, bank holidays & 2 volunteer days to use.
- Your development matters, so access to our internal training provider – Bauer Academy, is a huge win.
- We have enhanced Maternity/Adoption, Paternity and Shared Parental Leave Pay.
- You'll have the opportunity for flexible working.
- And much more! Find the full details of our benefits here
We are an international employer and equal opportunities are important to us. That's why we welcome everyone in their uniqueness, regardless of e.g. religion, gender, skin color, disability in our house.
We are committed to ensuring our recruitment process is inclusive and accessible to all. If you have a disability or a long term health condition, and need us to make any reasonable adjustments or do anything differently during any stage of the recruitment process, please let us know by emailing careershub@bauermedia.co.uk
We are actively recruiting for this position, so the job advert may close earlier than expected.
If you have any feedback regarding our UK recruitment process, please email careershub@bauermedia.co.uk we would love to hear from you.
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