Head of FP&A

Head of FP&A

Salary: £75,000 - £85,000 + bonus

Location: Warrington (on-site)

Keywords: financial planning, commercial success, strategic business partner, stakeholder management, team development, profitability, collaboration, mentoring, analytical insight, growth

We're excited to be exclusively recruiting a Head of Financial Planning & Analysis for a thriving retail business based in Warrington. This is the most senior commercial finance position in the organisation and offers the chance to shape the financial future of a double digit growth business founded by passionate entrepreneurs.

As the Head of FP&A, you will be at the heart of strategic decision-making, working closely with senior leaders across multiple departments to ensure every financial move supports sustainable growth, profitability, and operational excellence. You will enjoy a highly visible role where your expertise in budgeting, forecasting, and commercial analysis will directly influence the organisation's direction.

What you'll do:

As Head of Financial Planning and Analysis based in Warrington, you will play an instrumental part in driving both day-to-day operations and long-term strategy. Your responsibilities will span from leading the annual budgeting process through to overseeing complex financial modelling that underpins critical business decisions. You will work collaboratively with senior leaders across various departments, ensuring that every commercial initiative is supported by rigorous analysis and sound judgement. Your ability to deliver insightful performance reporting will empower stakeholders at all levels to act decisively on emerging trends or risks. In addition to managing core financial processes like margin analysis or cost control initiatives, you'll also provide invaluable support on strategic projects ranging from retail growth to international expansion. Success in this role requires not only commercial proficiency but also strong interpersonal skills; your guidance will be essential in developing talent within your team while championing collaboration across the wider organisation.

• Lead the design and delivery of annual budgets, quarterly reforecasts, and long-term financial models that align with overall business strategy and ambitious growth targets.
• Oversee all trading, margin, and performance reporting on a weekly, monthly, and quarterly basis while delivering actionable insights that enhance profitability and efficiency.
• Present concise yet impactful analysis to Senior Leadership teams, highlighting key trends, risks, opportunities, and supporting board-level reporting requirements.
• Serve as the primary financial partner for key business areas including Product, Merchandising, Marketing, and Operations to ensure commercial decisions are financially sound.
• Collaborate closely with the Marketing team to forecast spend accurately, measure return on investment (ROI), and optimise campaign performance.
• Partner with Merchandising to manage stockholding levels, monitor stock ageing trends, control freight costs, and maximise working capital efficiency across channels.
• Conduct detailed margin analysis by product line, category, and sales channel, identifying leakage points while optimising pricing strategies and informing promotional activity.
• Support pricing and discounting decisions by providing clear financial rationale that balances volume growth with profitability objectives.
• Work cross-functionally to manage overheads effectively while maintaining operational agility throughout periods of change or expansion.
• Act as finance lead on major strategic projects such as international expansion or new market entry by evaluating business cases for ROI alignment with long-term goals.

What you bring:

• ACA / ACCA / CIMA qualified with significant post-qualified experience in commercial finance roles, ideally within retail or similar consumer-facing sectors.
• Demonstrated track record of influencing strategic outcomes through robust financial planning processes.
• Advanced analytical skills including complex modelling capabilities that translate large datasets into meaningful business insights for non-finance audiences.
• Exceptional stakeholder management abilities combined with excellent communication skills.
• Highly commercial mindset evidenced by previous success in improving profitability through effective cost management or revenue optimisation strategies.
• Experience leading high-performing teams where you have mentored colleagues' development whilst fostering a culture of curiosity and accountability.
• Comfortable operating within dynamic environments where agility is required alongside proactive problem-solving approaches.
• Proven ability to collaborate cross-functionally, particularly with marketing or merchandising functions, to drive shared objectives around spend efficiency or campaign effectiveness.
  

Robert Walters Operations Limited is an employment business and employment agency and welcomes applications from all candidates