Manager, Financial Planning and Analysis

Heriot-Watt University; Malaysia; On-site; MYR 180,000 - 280,000; Full time

Job summary

Heriot-Watt University Malaysia invites a seasoned Manager, Financial Planning and Analysis to steer the University's financial planning, analysis, and dashboards to support strategic decisions. Based at Putrajaya campus, you will lead forecasting, budgeting, and performance reporting for multiple faculties and projects.

You will collaborate with budget holders, develop financial models, and drive process improvements across reporting, with a focus on Power BI and AI-enabled insights to enhance

Qualifications

• Essential: Bachelor’s degree in finance, accounting, or related field.
• Desirable: CPA, CMA, or ACCA.

Responsibilities

• Lead quarterly forecasts, annual budget and long-term financial plan.
• Collaborate with budget holders for planning and forecasting.
• Develop financial models for budgeting, forecasting and scenario analysis.
• Review budget/forecast presentations and govern budget uploads into Cloud ERP.
• Monitor KPIs and variances; support financial and operational objectives.
• Develop and maintain financial models and analysis for business initiatives.
• Conduct benchmarking and translate data into actionable insights.
• Deliver internal/external reports timely and accurately.
• Enhance Power BI dashboards, reporting tools and AI-enabled solutions.
• Lead MRAC performance reporting and provide management insights.
• Prepare monthly cash flow projections and liquidity assessments.
• Drive continuous improvement across finance reporting and systems.
• Lead or support ad-hoc projects as required.

Skills

Leadership

Financial planning

Business analysis

Deadline-driven

Independent working

Communication

Education

Bachelor's degree in finance or accounting

CPA / CMA / ACCA (Desirable)

Tools

Excel

Power BI

Oracle Cloud

Job description

Job Description

The Manager, Financial Planning and Analysis will play a key role in contributing to the achievement of the University’s strategy.

The role holder is responsible for the University’s financial analysis, financial planning, financial management and special projects.

The role holder reports to the Senior Manager, Finance.

The role will be based at the University's campus in Putrajaya, the administrative capital of Malaysia.

Key Duties and Responsibilities

a. Lead the preparation of quarterly forecasts, annual budget and long-term financial plan. Drive financial strategy alignment with institutional goals, including;

• Engage and collaborate with budget holders to manage and advise on financial planning, forecasting and budgeting;
• Develop financial models for budgeting, forecasting and scenario analysis to assess the financial impact of different business assumptions and support decision-making;
• Review the budget and forecast presentations; and
• Oversee and ensure governance of final budget upload into Cloud ERP.

b. Review financial results, monitor KPIs, identify key trends and variances, and work with budget holders to address issues and support financial and operational objectives.

c. Responsible for the University’s Financial Performance Review Report.

d. Lead the development and maintenance of financial models and analysis, including pricing and costing reports, to support business initiatives and decision-making.

e. Conduct industry and business benchmarking, identify key findings and areas for operational improvement, and provide insights to support management decision-making.

f. Responsible for financial performance analysis to support business decisions and prepare presentations and insights for various management teams.

g. Responsible for the timely and accurate delivery of internal and external reports as required.

h. Drive the development and enhancement of Power BI dashboards, reporting tools and AI enabled solutions, prioritising business requirements, reviewing outputs and ensuring accurate, user-friendly and relevant reporting to support management decision-making.

i. Lead MRAC performance and operational reporting, provide direction on reporting requirements, drive continuous improvements and translate data into insights to support management decision-making.

j. Prepare monthly cash flow projections, monitor liquidity requirements, identify potential funding gaps or surplus positions, and provide recommendations to management.

k. Define and drive continuous improvement strategy across finance reporting and systems, ensuring consistent enhancement of processes, data quality, and reporting efficiency.

l. Lead and/or support ad-hoc project as and when required.

All HWUM staff endeavours will embody our shared values of: Inspire, Collaborate, Belong, and Celebrate.

Please note that this job description is not exhaustive, and the role holder may be required to undertake other relevant duties commensurate with the grading of the post and its general responsibilities. Activities may be subject to amendment over time as the role develops and/or priorities and requirements evolve.

Person Specification

This section details the attributes e.g. skills, knowledge/qualifications and competencies which are required in order to undertake the full remit of the role.

Education & Qualifications

Essential

• Bachelor’s degree in finance, accounting, or a related field

Desirable

• Professional qualification such as CPA, CMA, or ACCA

Experience

Essential

• Minimum seven (7) years of working experience in finance capacity in which 2 years should be in a managerial position

Desirable

• Experience working in the education industry.

Competencies, Skills & Knowledge

Essential

• Purposely leadership that inspire and bring positive impact to our community
• In depth knowledge of accounting principles, financial reporting, and regulatory requirements
• Strong financial planning, modelling and business analysis experience
• Detail oriented and strong analytical skills with the ability to analyse complex data and develop actionable insights
• Self-motivated with high degree of commitment to meet deadlines and objectives
• Well versed with Microsoft Office applications especially proficient in MS Excel
• Well versed with Business Intelligent and Analytical Tools
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Able to work independently and meet deadlines

Desirable

• Knowledge in Oracle Cloud
• Strong project management skills with the ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills with the ability to communicate complex financial concepts to non-finance staff
• Well versed with Power BI tools

Essential Criteria

- these are attributes without which a candidate would not be able to undertake the full remit of the role. Applicants who do not clearly demonstrate in their application that they possess the essential requirements will normally be eliminated at the short-listing stage.

Desirable Criteria

- these are attributes which would be useful for the candidate to hold. When shortlisting, these criteria will be considered when more than one applicant meets the essential criteria.

Other Relevant Information

We aim to hold interviews at the Malaysia Campus in Putrajaya on the week of 7 December 2026.

For more information about Malaysia Campus, please visit http://www.hw.edu.my.

For information about Purpose-Driven Education, please see our website: https://www.hw.ac.uk/malaysia/about/purpose-driven-education.htm

The University is committed to equality of opportunity.