Head of Financial Planning & Analytics

Reporting to the Head of Group Finance this is a key role which is at the heart of our performance management framework, with a remit covering the financial planning and forecasting cycle, budgeting, analytics, assurance, insight, and reporting.

There is a strong focus on transforming and improving our current processes and ways of working across the wider FP&A community and will also play a pivotal role in helping to shape the strategic direction of our finance team and the business. This role will be considered as succession planning for the Director of Group Finance or a divisional FD (depending on the experience and performance of the successful candidate)

What you will be doing as Head of Financial Planning & Analytics
Analytics and Assurance - 

• Develop and implement advanced analytic tools and methodologies to provide deeper insights into financial data and support strategic decision making
• Identify key drivers and performance correlators for key components of Revenue, Cost and Capital for use in assurance and insight development.
• Provide independent analysis of company-wide financial information and provide insightful, accurate and timely financial recommendations for decision making purposes
• Ensure we understand linkages with regulatory outcomes and requirements, and have robust controls, checks and measures to ensure the accuracy and validity of all outputs of the team.

Planning forecasting and Budgeting -

• Ownership of the annual budgeting and quarterly forecasting planning cycles
• Lead and partner with the Business to develop comprehensive financial plans that align with the company’s strategic objectives.
• Implement innovative forecasting techniques to ensure we correlate with internal and external benchmarks and ensure we can anticipate market and business needs to enable agile responses to changing conditions.
• Own the annual Budgeting process. Focus on quality and continuous improvement to ensure this is flexible, responsive and makes use of market leading tools and technologies to drive an efficient and accurate process.
• Produce effective reporting that facilitates informed decision making
• Drive a collaborative process with the long-term strategic planning team (SBP)

Finance transformation -

• Significant involvement in the transformation of the Finance and Commercial department
• Key focus on collaborating with the existing Plan To Perform transformation team to refine and deliver on the transformational agenda for FP&A across Thames..
• Drive forward the plan to eliminate, simplify, standardise and automate our performance reporting

Stakeholder management -

• Extremely strong communication and influencing skills. Key to translate complex financial information into clear and concise actionable insight, and Influence decision making at senior management level.
• Build a strong FP&A community across Finance to drive effective and efficient processes and foster a strong collaborative end-to-end performance management framework.
• Collaborate with the Strategic Business Planning team on long-term business planning cycle

What you should bring to the role?

• Proven experience in a senior FP&A role, preferably within a large, complex organisation.
• Strong leadership skills with a track record of driving change and innovation.
• Expertise in financial analytics, reporting, planning, forecasting, and budgeting.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills.
• Ability to think strategically and translate vision into actionable plans.
• Advanced proficiency in financial software and tools.

What's in it for you?
This is an exciting time to join Thames Water as we continue to deliver on our turnaround plan, offering the opportunity to become part of our strategic journey.

• Competitive salary £100,000 - £120,000 per annum, depending on skills and experience.
• Annual Leave - 26 days holiday per year increasing to 30 with the length of service (Plus bank holidays).
• Car Allowance - £5,800 per annum.
• Annual Bonus.
• Private Medical Health Care.
• Contributory pension – Defined Contribution - Maximum of 12% -2x employee contribution.
• Personal Medical Assessments – Open to all once a year.
• Wider benefits scheme including our benefits hub, which is packed full of offers and information to save you money and support your wellbeing.

Find out more about our benefits and perks

Who are we?
We’re the UK’s largest water and wastewater company, with more than 16 million customers relying on us every day to supply water for their taps and toilets. We want to build a better future for all, helping our customers, communities, people, and the planet to thrive. It’s a big job and we’ve got a long way to go, so we need help from passionate and skilled people, committed to making a difference and getting us to where we want to be in the years and decades to come.

Learn more about our purpose and values

Working at Thames Water
Thames Water is a unique, rewarding, and diverse place to work, where every day you can make a difference, yet no day is the same. As part of our family, you’ll enjoy fast-tracked career opportunities, flexible working arrangements and excellent benefits.

Whether you’re interested in a role in one of our call centres or science labs, we’re looking for people like you with real passion and a burning desire to make things better.

So, if you’re looking for a sustainable and successful career where you can make a daily difference to millions of people’s lives while helping to protect the world of water for future generations, we’ll be here to support you every step of the way. Together, we can build a better future for our customers, our region and our planet.

Real purpose, real support, real opportunities. Come and join the Thames Water family. Why choose us? Learn more.

Our overarching aim is to ensure that Thames Water is great, diverse, and inclusive place to work. We welcome applications from everyone and offer extra support for those who need it throughout the recruitment process. Our aim is to remove any real or perceived barriers to success, so if you need assistance, we’re here to help and support.

When a crisis happens, we all rally around to support our customers. As part of Team Thames, you’ll have the opportunity to sign up to support our customers on the frontline as an ambassador. Full training will be given for what is undoubtedly an incredibly rewarding experience. It’s also a great opportunity to learn more about our business and meet colleagues.

Disclaimer: due to the high volume of applications we receive, we may close the advert earlier than the advertised date, so we encourage you to apply as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.