Commercial Finance Business Partner - George Trading

Job Title

Location

Employment Type

Contract Type

Hours Per Week

Salary

Competitive salary plus benefits

Category

Closing Date

Are you looking for a challenging opportunity, collaborating with senior leadership, influencing decision making and driving business growth?

This is a perfect opportunity for an inquisitive Finance Business Partner with aspiration to be the Finance Trading Lead within the clothing division, responsible for adding value to a business with a big growth agenda.

This vacancy is part of the wider Commercial Finance Team and business partners the Clothing leadership team up to VP level. This is a key role which offers significant exposure to the Trading functions at George and an opportunity to influence at all levels of the business. The prime objective of the role is to influence and challenge business decisions to maximise sales, gross profit and cash through providing commercial insight, financial reporting and accurate forecasting. You will deliver regular trading insight, whilst identifying profit improvement and cash opportunities.

Key Responsibilities include:

• Understand key trading drivers (including market factors, promotional and markdown activity, ranging and investment) and provide decision making support to ensure delivery of trading targets.
• Provide robust and timely weekly trading updates, focusing on sales, trading margin and stock to make considered recommendations on key areas for improvement/stretch.
• Engage with FP&A teams to provide regular forecasting to support consolidation of Total Asda profit. Be a critical friend to key stakeholders to ensure positive contribution towards achieving The Asda Ambition.
• Drive rigor and consistency into regular forecasting processes, driving accountability for the accuracy from the Merch team, developing a “no-surprises” culture.
• Lead monthly performance reviews in partnership with Director and Senior Merch Managers to understand trading performance, highlight risks and opportunities, ensure ownership and accuracy of forecast and provide challenge where necessary.
• Support 3-year plan cycle to develop the Clothing strategy and lead the 1-year plan process to ensure a joined-up approach across all functions to align the seasonal product plans to the business strategy.
• Continually monitor and review stock management including intake, dispatch and terminal position, liaising with the Merchandise Director and highlight any cash concerns to the CFO.
• Be an active participant alongside Merchandising and Buying in the open to buy and intake margin target process.
• Drive commercial insight by harnessing and leveraging on the Central Merchandising Planning team and drive the “so what” and “now what” agenda.
• Cross function collaboration to understand product life cycle and buying to improve working capital.

About You

• The role would suit a qualified accountant ACA, ACCA or CIMA background interested in working in retail.
• Trading finance have experience in commercial finance with confidence to set the agenda.
• An inquisitive mind with a desire to understand how things work and connect together.
• A growth mindset to invest in the development opportunities available both technically and personally.
• Ability to build and maintain exceptional customer relationships
• Pro-active with the ability to challenge and influence senior stakeholders • Strong analytical and communication skills
• Ability to operate within a broader customer leadership team

#LI-JC1

Everything you'll love

To ensure we balance moments where we know we need to collaborate together and the need for flexibility, Asda has a hybrid way of working with a minimum 3 days a week in one of our Home Offices. Over and above this, each area of Asda may have additional requirements which may require spending more days in the office, visiting suppliers, stores or depots.

You will also get an excellent benefits package including:

• Discretionary company bonus
• Company pension up to 7% matched
• Company Car allowance of £5,700
• 15% colleague discount in store and online
• Free access to wellbeing services such as Wagestream, 24/7 virtual GP, counselling, health and dental cash plans and a 24/7 employee assistance helpline, alongside discounts across a range of services and activities, from airport parking, enhanced to theme parks and cinemas.
• Asda Allies Inclusion Networks – helping colleagues to make sure everybody is included and that our differences are recognised and celebrated
• Excellent parental leave policies, including maternity & adoption leave, paternity leave, shared parental leave, neonatal care leave, and support for those doing fertility treatments.

We want all colleagues to be able to bring their best and true selves to work, every day. Simply put, we want our colleagues to be Proud to be Asda and proud to be themselves"