Lead MI Commercial Manager

Standard Life plc; Birmingham; Hybrid; GBP 65,000 - 85,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Private medical cover

38 days annual leave

Up to 12% employer pension contrib.

12x salary life assurance

Career breaks

Income protection

3x volunteering days

Job summary

Standard Life plc is seeking a qualified finance leader to head the production and delivery of monthly BAU Expense MI. The role requires coordinating annual planning, forecasting, and reforecasting for BAU expenses, while ensuring accurate reporting, clear insights, and strong business commentary for senior stakeholders.

You will review expense submissions, support finance systems enhancement, and drive governance processes to improve efficiency and financial control across the function.

Qualifications

• CA/ACCA post-qualified experience in financial services.
• Financial Reporting experience with demonstrable track record of reporting accounts to board level.
• Background in Management Information production.
• People Management experience.

Responsibilities

• Coordinate the end-to-end annual planning (AOP), forecast, recut and reforecast processes for BAU expenses, supporting the wider Expenses team to deliver robust financial plans and meaningful business insights.
• Review and challenge consolidated expense submissions, ensuring financial integrity, reconciliation to the ledger and a clear understanding of material variances and cost drivers.
• Produce insightful analysis and commentary that explains business performance, highlights emerging risks and opportunities, and supports effective decision-making by senior stakeholders.
• Lead the quarterly production of financial updates for PGMS and RUKSL Boards, delivering concise and insightful reporting on financial performance and outlook.
• Support the design, testing and implementation of finance systems, reporting enhancements and new processes, ensuring strong controls and efficient delivery.
• Develop and maintain robust reporting, forecasting and governance processes that improve efficiency, strengthen financial control and enhance the quality of management information.
• Proactively contribute to continuous improvement initiatives across the Expenses function, identifying opportunities to simplify processes, improve insight and increase the value delivered by Finance.

Skills

CA/ACCA qualified

Financial reporting

Management information

People management

Tools

Oracle EPM/EPBCS

Power BI

Job description

Job Description

Job Type

12-month Fixed Term Contract

Location

Hybrid - This role could be based in either our Birmingham or Edinburgh offices with time spent working in the office and at home.

Flexible working

All roles are open to part-time, job-share and other types of flexibility. We will discuss what is important to you and balancing this with business requirements during the recruitment process. You can read more about flexible working here.

Closing Date

28th October 2026

Salary and benefits

£65,000 - £85,000 (dependent upon experience) plus an indicative bonus range of 16-32%, private medical cover, 38 days annual leave, up to 12% employer pension contribution, 12x salary life assurance, career breaks, income protection, 3x volunteering days and much more.

Who are we

We're Standard Life, a retirement specialist focused entirely on retirement savings and income. We champion the belief that everyone's journey to and through retirement can be better, and for more than 200 years, we've been helping our customers plan and prepare for their financial futures.

Life today is increasingly complicated, uncertain and unpredictable. People move through different careers, face unexpected moments and navigate important choices. We offer our colleagues flexibility, trust and benefits that work for whatever life brings. In return we expect curiosity, connection, accountability and high standards. We make room for what matters - so you can bring your best, every day.

The Role

Lead the production and delivery of monthly "BAU" Expense MI, ensuring reporting is accurate, timely and provides clear insight into financial performance, key trends, risks and opportunities.

• Coordinate the end-to-end annual planning (AOP), forecast, recut and reforecast processes for BAU expenses, supporting the wider Expenses team to deliver robust financial plans and meaningful business insights.
• Review and challenge consolidated expense submissions, ensuring financial integrity, reconciliation to the ledger and a clear understanding of material variances and cost drivers.
• Produce insightful analysis and commentary that explains business performance, highlights emerging risks and opportunities, and supports effective decision-making by senior stakeholders.
• Lead the quarterly production of financial updates for PGMS and RUKSL Boards, delivering concise and insightful reporting on financial performance and outlook.
• Support the design, testing and implementation of finance systems, reporting enhancements and new processes, ensuring strong controls and efficient delivery.
• Develop and maintain robust reporting, forecasting and governance processes that improve efficiency, strengthen financial control and enhance the quality of management information.
• Proactively contribute to continuous improvement initiatives across the Expenses function, identifying opportunities to simplify processes, improve insight and increase the value delivered by Finance.

What are we looking for?

Essential

• CA/ACCA post qualified experience in financial services
• Financial Reporting experience with demonstrable track record of reporting accounts to board level.
• Background in Management Information production
• People Management experience

Desirable

• Knowledge of Oracle EPM/ EPBCS and add ins
• Literate in Power BI Dashboards

We Want To Hire The Whole Version Of You

We are committed to ensuring that everyone feels accepted and welcome applicants from all backgrounds. If your experience looks different from what we've advertised and you believe that you can bring value to the role, we'd love to hear from you.

If you require any adjustments to the recruitment process, please let us know so we can help you to be at your best.

Find Out More About Working At Standard Life

• Guide for Candidates: standardlifeplc.pagetiger.com/guideforcandidates
• Find or get answers from our colleagues: www.standardlifeplc.com/careers/talk-to-us