Role Purpose

This role provides financial planning, budgeting, forecasting, analysis and business decision support for the English & Exams SBU for Sub Saharan Africa. In building relationships with key stakeholders, this role will provide relevant, reliable and accurate Management Reporting with transparent forecasts and commentary on costs, budgets, trends, and variances.
They will act as a trusted business partner and advisor and provide robust challenge when needed to ensure that financial resources can be deployed with maximum effectiveness and efficiency and ensure the financial trajectory of the business is always clear. Will also lead and support the development and implementation of long-term and short-term financial plans and strategies ensuring all feeder plans/scenarios are aligned and have been considered in context of wider model.
They will provide financial and commercial analysis and insights to the regional E&E directors, senior managers, colleagues, and partners to enable effective decision making to help ensure the business delivers the best possible performance to improve profitably vital to the financial sustainability of the British Council in a highly competitive context. The role will provide support during a the implementation of a new business operating model designed to deliver growth and efficiency by focusing on our customers’ needs in the most cost-effective manner.
This is a leadership role, responsible for the development of team members and the setting of a professional, positive and supportive team culture. The role will lead a regional Finance team through a period of global change in the way the Finance function operates and will support in the development and implementation of a new FP&A tool.

Main accountabilities but not limited to the following

• Provide clear summaries of regional planning / forecasting.
• Support planning and rolling re-forecasting processes to ensure that information obtained from these processes is reliable.
• Develop reporting procedures and templates for regional and local use.
• Ensure that shared costs allocation drivers across the region are compliant with corporate policy, transparent and reflect fair attribution across business streams.
• Analyses growth trends, product trends and KPIs and makes recommendations to maximize opportunities and manage risks to ensure targets are met.
• Support investment analysis and financial appraisal for Capex projects in the region.
• Support efficiencies through deep dive financial analysis on support functions across the region and liaising with Country Directors and the Regional Finance Director on optimizing resources.
• Manage Regional management reporting and consolidation at regional level for SBU leads and Executive Board.
• Support Country Directors in understanding the key business risks and opportunities driving performance.
• Conduct business reviews with SBUs to understand the key drivers of financial performance.
• Review financial performance with the business leads and make recommendations for action to address issues identified at Country or Regional levels.
• Monitor cost allocation accuracy.
• Deliver outputs within corporate and regional timelines.
• Provide value adding insights driving monthly and quarterly performance for the region.
• Support the business in relation to Master Data set up (WBS, PC, CC).
• Liaise with treasury in supporting compliance with the cash management policy.
• Support the timely review of cash flow forecasts working together with the Regional Financial Controller.
• Demonstrate effective leadership of the regional Financial Planning and Analysis team and ensure that line management of staff is to British Council standards.
• Coach and support individuals and teams.
• Act as a business partner and pro-actively engage with stakeholders, building strong working relationships in the region, Group and globally to ensure that FP&A activities support the delivery of business strategy.
• Ensure business needs are understood by all, learning and expertise is shared, and global standards and initiatives are adopted.
• Pro-actively share insights to challenge, influence and add value to decision making, optimising opportunity whilst balancing risk.
• Advise on business decisions and projects with finance related dependencies and implications.
• Participate in implementation of global approaches for FP&A including leaner and more effective financial planning and forecasting processes to strengthen finance reputation as a valued business partner. Ensure benefits are achieved for both Finance and the business through the effective development and implementation of a new FP&A tool.

Requirements of the role

• Financial Planning and Analysis (planning, budgeting, reporting, forecasting and analysis).
• Experience of finance business partnering.
• Proven experience in successfully delivering results/meeting deadlines.
• Experience of working in an international and multi-cultural organisation, including a shared service operation.
• Experience of working with senior managers and stakeholder engagement.
• Minimum 5 years’ experience leading a dispersed, remote FP&A team
• Minimum 5 years’ experience in delivering measurable financial results within a complex multi country structure.
• Written and verbal proficiency in English is required.
• Qualified accountant – CIMA, ACCA, ACA, or similar accountancy qualification, with some experience post-qualification.

Additional Information

• Office Working. This role is required to work at the office as per British Council guidance.