FP&A Lead, Europe

JOB RESPONSIBILITIES:

Europe Budgeting & Financial Planning

· Lead and coordinate the end-to-end Europe budgeting process, ensuring:

o Timely, complete, and accurate submission aligned with Group timelines

o Strong alignment across Commercial, HR, Marketing, and Supply Chain

· Drive continuous improvement in the budgeting process, simplification of templates, strengthening assumptions, and improving review efficiency

· Support Europe leadership with budget deep dives, scenario analysis, and sensitivity modelling

· Identify structural gaps in planning processes and implement sustainable improvements across region

Forecasting & SG&A Control

· Lead the Europe forecasting cadence (monthly / quarterly), ensuring disciplined reviews and reduced forecast bias

· Drive SG&A monitoring and control, including:

o Detailed variance analysis (Actuals vs Budget / Forecast)

o Early identification of cost risks and mitigation actions

· Partner closely with regional functional leaders to improve forecast accuracy and visibility

· Improve review discussions from variance explanation to action-oriented decision making

Margin Protection & Value enhancement

· Support margin protection initiatives through:

o Analysis of COGS inflation and pricing gaps

o Review of price increases and recovery actions

· Identify process gaps in price setting and margin governance, recommending improvements where required

· Provide clear insights on product, customer, and mix impacts to support commercial decision-making

Monthly Business Reviews (MBRs)

· Lead the preparation and coordination of Europe MBR, ensuring:

o High-quality financial analysis and commentary

o Clear linkage between performance, risks, and agreed actions

· Improve the effectiveness and efficiency of the MBR process, reducing leadership time spent on data validation

· Support sub-regional and country teams in strengthening analytical inputs

· Create concise, fact-based narratives to support leadership-level decisions

Performance Analytics & Financial Insights

· Deliver deep-dive analytics on key performance drivers:

o Revenue, contribution margin, SG&A, EBITDA

· Track actuals vs budget / forecast and highlighting root-cause drivers

· Support ad-hoc analysis requested by Europe regional leadership or Group FP&A

· Ensure all insights are practical, concise, and decision-focussed

Process Excellence & Capability building (Europe FP&A)

· Identify and implement process improvements across FP&A process (budgeting, forecasting, MBRs)

· Improve analytical capability and financial acumen of FP&A and country finance teams across Europe

· Share best practices and enable consistent standards across countries and sub-regions

· Actively contribute to strengthening the Europe FP&A operating model

Stakeholder & Business partnering

· Act as a trusted finance partner to:

o Regional Finance Head and Leadership Team

o Regional and country finance heads

o Commercial, HR, Marketing, and Supply Chain leads

· Communicate complex financial topics clearly and confidently to senior stakeholders

· Balance challenge and support to ensure strong financial discipline without slowing the business

Success Measures and key KPIs

· Budget Delivery: Budget finalized on time with improved process and quality

· Forecast Accuracy: Reduced forecast variance; stronger SG&A predictability

· Margin Protection: Mitigation of COGS inflation; improved pricing governance

· MBR Effectiveness: High-quality, decision-ready MBR packs delivered on time

· Process Improvement: Tangible simplification and standardisation of FP&A processes

· Capability Building: Improved analytical maturity across Europe FP&A teams

· Stakeholder Satisfaction: Positive feedback from Europe CFO, ExCo, and country leadership

REQUIRED EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE:

· Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Accounting, Commerce, or related field

· CA / CPA / CIMA / ACCA preferred

· MBA or equivalent advanced degree is an advantage

· 10–15 years of experience in FP&A, business finance, or regional finance roles

· Strong exposure to multi-country / regional FP&A

· Demonstrated experience supporting senior leadership and ExCo-level forums

· Proven track record in driving budgeting, forecasting, SG&A control, and performance analytics

· Experience in matrixed, multinational environments preferred