Senior Financial Analyst in Liverpool

The Role

At WHSmith our people are at the heart of everything we do. They are the ones that go the extra mile for our customers. The ones that enable our growth. That’s why our Finance team is passionate about creating an environment where people can be creative and trailblazing in order to do their best work.

The role of the Senior Finance Analyst is truly cross-functional – you will be right at the centre of the business, leading and driving the commercial financial agenda. Our Commercial Finance teams are the engine room of the business; everything depends on the overall trading environment and our competitors. It’s fast-paced and you never know what will happen next.

We are looking for someone who can support our existing FP&A team in delivering timely and actionable insights to both finance and non-finance teams via detailed analysis of the company’s financial performance. The successful candidate will be a key Business Partner to the Business Development team and support in investment appraisals for new store formats and partnerships.

What you will be doing

• Business partnering the Business Development and Partnerships team in store P&Ls, building business cases for new tenders, and working closely with the team on their forecasts of new stores, impacts and closures.
• Creating and Presenting Post Completion Reviews and variance analysis for new store formats vs Board paper and forecast to understand performance.
• Taking ownership of store profitability, providing the business with in-depth understanding of key KPIs and drivers, allowing strategic decisions to be made.
• Creating P&Ls for our total store estate on a monthly (and ad hoc) basis.
• Understanding true profitability of our various store formats and partnerships, both existing and future store proposals.
• In-depth understanding of sales and margin of our formats, and the impact it has on the rest of the store.
• Ad hoc commercial analysis

What we are looking for

• We are looking for someone highly numerate with an analytical background, ideally within Retail FMCG.
• Advanced Excel is essential.
• Part or newly qualified (CIMA/ACMA/ACA), or with significant Commercial Finance experience.
• Someone with P&L modelling experience would be a plus.
• You should have strong interpersonal skills to build key relationships within the Business Development and Partnerships teams.
• Confidence to articulate the output of your analysis and challenge both the approach and results when necessary.
• Most importantly we are looking for someone with a proactive approach and the initiative to identify opportunities to drive improvement.

How we reward our teams

• Hybrid Working Model from home and in the office
• 4pm Friday Finish
• Flexible Working
• 25 Days holiday, plus your Birthday off, plus Bank Holidays with an opportunity to buy extra days holiday
• Family Friendly Leave
• Company Pension scheme
• Sharesave Scheme
• Annual Bonus based on company and personal performance
• Competitive Salary and Car Allowance
• Private Medical
• Staff Discount Card for stores and online

About us

Celebrating 230 years, we’re proud to have grown and evolved into a globally recognised brand present in over 30 countries around the world, and we’re proud to be that air of familiarity people love and trust on their journey, both in life and through life. As a diverse group of over 12,000 colleagues, we are all on the same journey to a better business through our commitments to our planet, people and the communities we serve.

WHSmith are proud to be an inclusive employer, we want our colleagues to feel welcome, and free to be themselves with us.

Our UK Travel office is based in a buzzing part of central London close to Liverpool Street Station. We are an ambitious team that thrives on pace, collaboration and innovation resulting in a real entrepreneurial culture. It’s perfect for people who are happy to use their initiative and embrace life outside their comfort zone.