Finance Business Partner

**About the opportunity**:
This will be a permanent role reporting into the Commercial Finance Controller for Trading and specifically supporting the Ireland business, which consists of both Dealz and Pepco brands across circa 80 stores in ROI and Poundland brand across circa 40 stores in NI.

The role will predominantly support and challenge our buying and merchandising teams in Ireland, linking into wider core business functions such as distribution and retail to support and challenge delivery of core objectives and key strategic projects. We’ll look for you to identify key risks and opportunities, working with the team in Ireland to ensure performance targets are set fairly and robustly, are then tracked regularly and objectives are achieved in a timely and effective manner.

This is a true business partnering role where you will embed yourself within the function supporting leaders and decision makers of the respective area, offering financial guidance, challenge, routine and objective opinion when assessing both risks and opportunities.

This role will be working from our office in Walsall with regular travel to our offices in ROI.

The role will allow hybrid working.

**What you'll be doing...**:
**Support and challenge performance across the Trading function**
- Deliver a robust set of budgets and forecasts with regular review of performance
- Support the introduction of a more lower level P&L by category, incorporating retros, shrinkage / damages, distribution and any significant regulatory or merchandising costs
- Help drive a consistent and challenging monthly and quarterly performance review
- Support the simplification of the forecasting and budgeting processes
- Provide understanding about what the most effective and efficient route to market is
- Develop the Trading teams to be more self-sufficient

**Continuous process improvements across reporting, reviewing performance, forecasting and budgeting**:

- Understand the key metrics the business uses and develop KPI’s across the team
- Ensure we have consistency across the reporting and performance reviews
- Review the current annual budgeting and quarterly forecasting processes
- Ensure commercial objectives are being met
- Interpret data and develop action plans to tackle deviations or shortfalls

**Operations / Performance Management**
- Able to devise and implement plans to mitigate risk for business
- Communicate sales results, activities, etc to the Commercial leadership team, whilst providing recommendations and plans for ongoing improvement
- Ensure areas of responsibility are delivered in a way that are consistent with the company’s mission and financial plans
- Develop and implement strategic changes in order to maintain compliance
- Develop and maintain an excellent rapport with key stakeholders

**Management Reports**
- Provide specific tactical actions to the Commercial leadership teams
- Support the development of reporting mechanisms to provide insight to the business
- Prepare Board level presentations and Executive summaries

**What you'll need...**:

- Degree in Business or Management or equivalent level of experience to the role
- B.Sc. in Commerce or MBA
- Qualified accountant, ideally CIMA or ACCA
- Experience in a multi-site environment essential, Retail sector is preferable
- Proven success in working in a Finance Business Partner role
- Experience of delivering objectives with a good understanding of process
- Experience of leading teams through significant changes
- Advanced Excel skills and knowledgeable in Powerpoint

**What we can offer...**:

- Competitive salary
- Potential to earn bonus
- Company car or car allowance
- Personal private medical care cover
- Discount Card - 10% discount on most purchases in store including PEP&CO
- Family Friendly Benefits
- Loyal Service Awards
- My Staff Shop - exclusive discount portal
- Apprenticeships & Career Development
- Life Assurance Cover
- Health & Wellbeing - employee assistance programme to support you
- Holiday Allowance - 33 days, along with the option to purchase additional holiday (annually)
- Birthdays are important, so each year, you can take the day off as an extra day’s holiday
- Pension scheme

**About us...**:
From one store in Burton-upon-Trent in 1990 to more than 850 across the UK and the Republic of Ireland today, Poundland & Dealz has developed a reputation for offering top brands and quality own-brand products at an amazing value. We sell everything from food and drink to DIY, pet products to stationery, not forgetting our very own fashion brand, PEP&CO. We have recently invested £45 million in the business, opened new stores and revamped existing ones. We’re on an exciting journey, and you can be a part of it.

We’re part of a much larger group in Europe called Pepco which has 3,000 stores in 17 territories serving 50 million shoppers, and the size of our business means there are so many opportunities for you to come and join us. From our r