Director of Financial Planning and Analysis

White Stores Company; Kuwait City; On-site; KWD 20,000 - 32,000; Full time

Job summary

White Stores Company is seeking an FP&A Manager to lead the planning & analysis function, delivering forward-looking financial insights and strategic recommendations to support sustainable growth.

You will own budgeting, forecasting, management reporting, financial modelling, and profitability analysis, collaborating with Sales, Marketing, Supply Chain, Operations, HR and other functions to turn data into actionable decisions.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Finance, Accounting, Economics, Business Administration or a related field.
• Professional qualification such as CMA, ACCA, CPA or CFA is preferred.
• Strong knowledge of financial planning, management accounting and business analysis.

Responsibilities

• Lead the annual budgeting and business planning process.
• Coordinate budget preparation with all relevant departments.
• Develop financial assumptions based on business plans, historical performance and market expectations.
• Consolidate departmental budgets and ensure alignment with company objectives.
• Monitor budget utilization and identify potential risks and opportunities.
• Support the development of the company's medium- and long-term financial plans.
• Lead monthly and quarterly forecasting processes.
• Prepare rolling forecasts for revenue, gross profit, OPEX, working capital and cash flow.
• Review business assumptions and update forecasts based on actual performance and market developments.
• Monitor forecast accuracy and continuously improve forecasting methodologies.
• Provide management with early visibility of potential financial risks and opportunities.
• Prepare and present monthly management reporting packs.
• Analyse actual performance against budget, forecast and prior year.
• Identify key financial and operational variances and their underlying drivers.
• Provide clear explanations and recommendations to management.
• Develop and monitor financial and business KPIs.
• Support monthly business performance reviews with senior management.
• Analyse sales performance by brand, category, customer, channel and product/SKU, where applicable.
• Analyse revenue growth and identify key sales drivers.
• Monitor volume, price and mix impacts on revenue and profitability.
• Analyse gross margin performance and identify margin leakage.
• Evaluate the financial impact of discounts, promotions, rebates and commercial agreements.
• Support Sales and Commercial teams with financial analysis for business decisions.
• Evaluate the financial performance of brands, categories and key customers.
• Prepare profitability analysis by product, brand, customer and channel.
• Analyse gross margin and contribution margin performance.
• Identify opportunities to improve margins and overall profitability.
• Support pricing and commercial decisions through financial modelling.
• Analyse cost-to-serve and other factors affecting customer profitability.
• Prepare business cases for new products, customers, brands and commercial initiatives.
• Partner with Supply Chain, Procurement and Warehouse teams to monitor inventory performance.
• Analyse inventory levels, ageing, slow-moving and obsolete stock.
• Monitor working capital performance and identify improvement opportunities.
• Analyse receivables, payables and inventory trends.
• Support initiatives to improve inventory efficiency and cash conversion.
• Highlight potential working capital risks to senior management.
• Monitor operating expenses against budget and forecast.
• Analyse departmental OPEX variances and cost trends.
• Work with budget owners to improve cost control and accountability.
• Identify cost-saving and efficiency opportunities.
• Support management in evaluating the financial impact of cost optimization initiatives.
• Develop financial models to support strategic and operational decisions.
• Prepare scenario and sensitivity analysis.
• Evaluate investment proposals and new business opportunities.
• Prepare financial business cases for management approval.
• Assess the potential financial impact of different commercial and operational strategies.
• Act as a finance business partner to Sales, Marketing, Supply Chain, Procurement and Operations.
• Challenge business assumptions constructively and provide data-driven recommendations.
• Improve financial awareness and accountability across business functions.
• Translate complex financial information into clear and practical business insights.
• Support management in identifying growth opportunities and addressing performance gaps.
• Improve FP&A reporting processes, templates and controls.
• Develop dashboards and management reports using Excel, Power BI and ERP data.
• Identify opportunities to automate recurring reports and analysis.
• Ensure the accuracy and consistency of financial and operational data.
• Support improvements in financial reporting systems and analytical tools.
• Provide financial analysis and recommendations on management requests.
• Support strategic projects, restructuring, cost optimization and business transformation initiatives.
• Prepare financial presentations for senior management and executive meetings.
• Conduct any other analysis required to support business performance and decision-making.

Skills

Financial analysis

Budgeting

Forecasting

Management reporting

Stakeholder management

Education

Bachelor's degree in Finance/Accounting/Economics/Business Administration

CMA/ACCA/CPA/CFA preferred

Tools

Excel

Power BI

ERP systems

Job description

The FP&A Manager will lead the Financial Planning & Analysis function, providing management with accurate financial insights, forward-looking analysis, and recommendations to support business decisions and sustainable growth.

The role will be responsible for budgeting, forecasting, management reporting, financial modelling, business performance analysis, profitability analysis, and commercial finance support.

The position will work closely with Sales, Marketing, Supply Chain, Procurement, Operations, HR and other functions to understand business drivers, challenge assumptions, and translate financial and operational data into actionable recommendations.

Roles and Responsibilities:

1. Financial Planning & Budgeting

• Lead the annual budgeting and business planning process.
• Coordinate budget preparation with all relevant departments.
• Develop financial assumptions based on business plans, historical performance and market expectations.
• Consolidate departmental budgets and ensure alignment with company objectives.
• Monitor budget utilization and identify potential risks and opportunities.
• Support the development of the company's medium- and long-term financial plans.

2. Forecasting & Business Planning

• Lead monthly and quarterly forecasting processes.
• Prepare rolling forecasts for revenue, gross profit, OPEX, working capital and cash flow.
• Review business assumptions and update forecasts based on actual performance and market developments.
• Monitor forecast accuracy and continuously improve forecasting methodologies.
• Provide management with early visibility of potential financial risks and opportunities.

3. Management Reporting & Performance Analysis

• Prepare and present monthly management reporting packs.
• Analyse actual performance against budget, forecast and prior year.
• Identify key financial and operational variances and their underlying drivers.
• Provide clear explanations and recommendations to management.
• Develop and monitor financial and business KPIs.
• Support monthly business performance reviews with senior management.

4. Commercial & FMCG Finance

• Analyse sales performance by brand, category, customer, channel and product/SKU, where applicable.
• Analyse revenue growth and identify key sales drivers.
• Monitor volume, price and mix impacts on revenue and profitability.
• Analyse gross margin performance and identify margin leakage.
• Evaluate the financial impact of discounts, promotions, rebates and commercial agreements.
• Support Sales and Commercial teams with financial analysis for business decisions.
• Evaluate the financial performance of brands, categories and key customers.

5. Profitability Analysis

• Prepare profitability analysis by product, brand, customer and channel.
• Analyse gross margin and contribution margin performance.
• Identify opportunities to improve margins and overall profitability.
• Support pricing and commercial decisions through financial modelling.
• Analyse cost-to-serve and other factors affecting customer profitability.
• Prepare business cases for new products, customers, brands and commercial initiatives.

6. Inventory & Working Capital

• Partner with Supply Chain, Procurement and Warehouse teams to monitor inventory performance.
• Analyse inventory levels, ageing, slow-moving and obsolete stock.
• Monitor working capital performance and identify improvement opportunities.
• Analyse receivables, payables and inventory trends.
• Support initiatives to improve inventory efficiency and cash conversion.
• Highlight potential working capital risks to senior management.

7. OPEX & Cost Management

• Monitor operating expenses against budget and forecast.
• Analyse departmental OPEX variances and cost trends.
• Work with budget owners to improve cost control and accountability.
• Identify cost-saving and efficiency opportunities.
• Support management in evaluating the financial impact of cost optimization initiatives.
• Develop financial models to support strategic and operational decisions.
• Prepare scenario and sensitivity analysis.
• Evaluate investment proposals and new business opportunities.
• Prepare financial business cases for management approval.
• Assess the potential financial impact of different commercial and operational strategies.

9. Business Partnering

• Act as a finance business partner to Sales, Marketing, Supply Chain, Procurement and Operations.
• Challenge business assumptions constructively and provide data-driven recommendations.
• Improve financial awareness and accountability across business functions.
• Translate complex financial information into clear and practical business insights.
• Support management in identifying growth opportunities and addressing performance gaps.

10. Reporting, Systems & Automation

• Improve FP&A reporting processes, templates and controls.
• Develop dashboards and management reports using Excel, Power BI and ERP data.
• Identify opportunities to automate recurring reports and analysis.
• Ensure the accuracy and consistency of financial and operational data.
• Support improvements in financial reporting systems and analytical tools.

11. Ad-Hoc & Strategic Analysis

• Provide financial analysis and recommendations on management requests.
• Support strategic projects, restructuring, cost optimization and business transformation initiatives.
• Prepare financial presentations for senior management and executive meetings.
• Conduct any other analysis required to support business performance and decision-making.

Qualifications and Skills

Education

• Bachelor's degree in Finance, Accounting, Economics, Business Administration or a related field.
• Professional qualification such as CMA, ACCA, CPA or CFA is preferred.
• Strong knowledge of financial planning, management accounting and business analysis.

Experience

• 7–10 years of relevant finance experience, with significant experience in FP&A, commercial finance or management reporting.
• Previous experience in FMCG, distribution, retail, consumer goods or a similar fast-moving commercial environment is strongly preferred.
• Proven experience in budgeting, forecasting and financial modelling.
• Strong experience analysing P&L, gross margin, OPEX and working capital.
• Experience working with Sales, Supply Chain, Procurement and Operations.
• Experience preparing management reports and presenting financial insights to senior management.

Technical Skills

• Advanced Microsoft Excel and financial modelling.
• Strong knowledge of financial statements and P&L analysis.
• Experience with ERP systems.
• Strong Power BI / Business Intelligence skills are preferred.
• Strong data analysis and reporting capabilities.
• Ability to develop clear management presentations and dashboards.

Communication Skills.

• Strong communication and presentation skills.
• Ability to convert financial data into clear, practical business recommendations.
• Strong analytical and commercial mindset.
• Strategic thinking with a hands-on approach.
• Strong business partnering and stakeholder management skills.
• Excellent problem-solving and decision-making ability.
• Ability to challenge assumptions professionally and constructively.
• High attention to detail and data accuracy.
• Ability to work under pressure and meet strict reporting deadlines.
• Proactive approach to identifying risks, opportunities and business improvements.