Finance Business Partner

Job Description

• Leading the partnership between Finance and Gulf business directors to achieve the strategic and operational GULF goals in line with Company’s strategy via performance cycles (RBU / MTP).
• Proactively engage with business leaders (inc. Leadership Team, Regional and Global Business and Functional Leaders), providing financial insight, advice, guidance and support, enabling and influencing decision making to achieve optimal performance. Focus on consolidated management reporting.
• Responsible for establishing and maintaining Group Policy in key technical and specialist areas and manage associated risks, provide reports and analysis to support decision-making, deliver day to day operational requirements of the function.
• Being perceived by internal customers as the finance business expert and as an individual who actively shapes business strategy, seeks opportunities (business cases), mitigates business risks.
• Working on Financial Control Framework with GULF Financial Controller to make sure highest standards of controllership are met.
• Active collaborations with wider GULF Finance Team as well as global central teams, sharing best practice and delivering valuable support to the Business with consistency and efficiency.

Typical Accountabilities

Business Strategy & Decision Support:
• Working proactively with the business to understand future financial information needs and producing efficient solutions to meet these needs (Business Case Development, Benefits tracking, KPIs etc).
• Effective communication across teams and business units and with external parties to achieve a positive outcome, encouraging others to demonstrate flexibility when considering options and assessing business impact.
• Being actively involved in review and development of short & long-term strategy in area of accountability and maintaining an up-to-date understanding of all developments which may affect the organisation’s operations and policies and proactively advising customers of all relevant matters to achieve business requirements and objectives.

Business Performance:
• Having joint accountability with the business for the accuracy of forecasts and, using a good understanding of the business model and financial drivers, to challenge and influence the key cost drivers.
• Developing reliable operational and financial forecasts ensuring resources are allocated to maximise value creation for AZ.
• Leading the local / regional financial planning cycle in area of accountability; setting stretch but achievable performance targets, aligned with strategy and operational plans.
• Highlighting opportunities & risks and delivering timely, accurate and granular reporting and commentary on performance, linking business drivers to actual spend and forecast.
• Leading on technical forecast of cash, DSO and stock.
• Proactively driving efficiencies including seeking cross functional process solutions.
• Exploring needs of internal customers and suppliers and utilising this information to improve business results showing significant commercial and business acumen.
• Post deal management on agreements in area of accountability, ability to analyse and interpret financial statements, understand complex company valuations and contribution to deal-related commercial analysis.
• Preparation of all presentations for key business and finance review meetings.
• Working closely with Project / Capacity Managers to model and plan for volatile cost and resource demands.

Continuous Improvement, Governance and Coaching:
• Initiating changes to improve working practices and processes in Finance and communicating these amongst the Finance Business Partnering network.
• Communicating governance and compliance standards and statutory regulations to non-specialists in a way that is understandable and relevant and relays the risk of commercial decisions effectively.
• Leading insightful and proactive risk management processes to ensure the organisation’s regulations, rules and processes are adhered to, highlighting areas of concern and promoting continuous improvement in the robustness of the processes, sharing best practice across the business.
• Developing the professional capability of the Finance team and the financial understanding of non-finance managers
• Manage key finance processes.
• Manage cycle financial processes like month closing, budgeting, monthly reporting.

Essential

• BS degree in relevant field (Finance, Accounting).
• Extensive experience of Finance Business Partnering, with at least 8-12 years of experience.
• Good understanding of Financial Controlling.
• Experience of working in well-known MNC.
• Exceptional communication and presentation skills, including oral & written; Fluent English is a must.
• Excellent Interpersonal skills.
• Demonstrable knowledge of global and corporate business context.
• Experience of using financial systems to support business decision making (budgeting, forecasting & modelling) inc. Hyperion Planning Systems, SAP, Power BI etc.
• Managing complex finance deliverables in tight deadlines and prioritizing workload.
• Self-starter, dynamic, curious and fast paced personality.

Desirable

• Experience of working in pharmaceutical organisation/ understanding pharmaceutical business, its environment and dynamics, ability to manage actively P&L as a plus
• MBA or CPA / CIMA / ACCA
• Ability to challenge status quo.
• Innovative digital technology experience and curiosity
• Flexibility driven by financial budgeting and operational cycles.
• ‘Right first time’ approach