M&S is British value-for-money retailer focused on own label businesses, including Food, Clothing & Home and Bank & Services. Today, we operate a family of businesses, selling high-quality, great-value own-brand products in the UK and internationally, from 1,509 stores and over 100 websites globally. Together our 70,000 colleagues across our stores, support centres, warehouses and supply chain serve nearly 30 million customers each year.

We are on our biggest ever transformation programme! With the objective to restore the M&S business and brand, to deliver long-term, sustainable, profitable growth for our investors, colleagues and wider communities.

Group FP&A is a high-profile team working closely with the CFO, Director of Group Finance and Heads of Finance around the business, as well as having close interactions with Investor Relations, Treasury and Tax.

You'll be playing a pivotal role in the team, supporting in the delivery of key planning cycles and having direct ownership of the weekly cash flow forecast, quarterly forecasting and annual Budget processes, as well as delivering insight, analysis and key messaging to the CFO, ExCo and Board.

Key Accountabilities:

• Ownership of key planning cycles, specifically forecasts and annual Budget process, including:
• Monthly review and analysis of Group performance on trade and cashflow
• Weekly tracking and re-forecasting of Group cash flow, interacting with multiple areas of the business to interrogate the numbers and drive better cash flow management
• Building strong relationships with the Clothing & Home, Food and International FP&A teams
• Draft monthly actuals commentary for CFO report
• Ownership of half yearly going concern and viability scenario modelling
• Key support to Senior Finance Manager and Head of Finance for Group FP&A
• Support in consolidation of 3 Year Plan and preparation of key outputs including updates to the CFO and Board packs
• Ad hoc project work

Key skills:

• A Qualified accountant
• Excellent attention to detail and inquisitive nature to get under the skin of the issue
• Confidence to challenge and ability to pull together the simple story from seemingly complex information
• Collaborative approach, with natural style that builds strong network with finance colleagues across Clothing & Home, Food and International
• Great teammate but also happy to work independently on own initiative
• A drive for continuous improvement: implementing or coordinating changes to processes which improve the team’s efficiency and outputs
• Ability to work at pace and respond quickly to changing demands and priorities

What you’ll get from the role

• Frequent exposure to finance leadership, through preparing updates for and ongoing communications with the CFO and FLT, as well as collaborating closely with Investor Relations and Treasury
• Oversight and understanding of key Group financial information, including P&L, cashflow, and balance sheet
• Development of a broad network across finance, having engagement with Heads of Finance and FP&A teams across the business
• Responsibility and ownership of key outputs and processes, combined with a supportive team to give on-the-job coaching
• As the CFO’s go-to team for information, the day-to-day priorities are constantly evolving. No two days are ever the same!

Key Benefits:

• Flexible working approach, with a balance of being in the office and working from home
• 33 days holiday (including bank holidays) + 1 celebration day
• 20% discount on M&S products
• A range of wellbeing support (including free counselling and a virtual GP for you and immediate family)
• 25% off gym memberships, access to online fitness classes and discounts for complementary health services, such as nutrition and lifestyle coaching

M&S is ready to push boundaries to lead the industry into a greener, speedier, more inspiring digital era. That’s why we’re revolutionising how we work and offering our most exciting opportunities yet. There’s never been a better time to be part of our team. Marks & Spencer aims to be an inclusive organisation, trusted and admired by our colleagues, customers and suppliers. Join us and make an immediate impact. We are committed to an active Inclusion, Diversity and Equal Opportunities Policy, which starts with our recruitment and selection process, and we are happy to talk flexible working.  We will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process. If you consider yourself to have a disability or learning difficulty which means you are unable to complete the application process online, please get in touch either by phone on 0345 300 3725 or by email recruitment.online@marksandspencer.com so we can make alternative arrangements for you.