The Commercial Finance Manager’s role is to partner the business streams in ensuring that sales & commercial contribution are optimized and effectively managed. The post holder will provide strong commercial & financial advice on margin management, investment and other operational issues as well as ensuring that the commercial teams are appropriately communicated with on actual & forecast performance.

Role Responsibilities

• Contribute to the formulation of the Commercial Strategy by developing short to medium term operational forecasts and leading the commercial annual budgeting process.
• Drive understanding and focus on performance within the Commercial teams, facilitating a single-minded focus on what needs to be done to meet and go beyond delivery of annual targets.
• Lead the commercial risks & opportunities process for premium core and meet regularly with those who have profit accountability to ensure they have a clear understanding of what their P&L position, variances to plan, and what can be done to get back to / further outperform plan.
• Have a holistic view of business financials to ensure the right decision support can be given to drive core business agenda areas. Emphasis will be placed on Cost of Goods & Pricing optimization, understanding and control.
• Maximize return on investment by holding the business to account to deploy our financial resources in the most effective way and supporting commercial teams through Decision Support activity to do this.
• Build financial capabilities of the commercial teams to help them formulate and deliver sound commercial plans.
• Provide leadership on compliance and act as a champion of compliance and ethics within the commercial teams.   Own the integrity and control of customer profitability, ensuring business information provided is accurate and fair.
• Continuous process improvement and simplification will be a key enabler for the realization of the business’ growth ambitions.    The CFM is expected to challenge established ways of working and constantly improve commercial processes (e.g. R&O, BPM, Working Capital Forecasting, etc.)
• Foster strong relationships with the commercial functions by establishing a customer service culture within the Commercial Finance Team
• Challenge existing modus operandi, questioning processes and structures which are currently embedded in the Company culture.

Qualifications and Experience Required           

Qualifications

• 1st Degree in a business-related field.
• Qualified Accountant (CPA (K), ACCA, ACA, ACMA)

Experience

• 5+ years financial, commercial & market experience in accounting/analytical roles within the FMCG industry and experience of managing teams.
• Business Performance evaluation
• Budgeting & Forecasting for multiple business functions
• Good internal/external communicator being able to build strong relationships, influencing and presenting at a senior level.
• Knowledge of local market environment & trends, government policy and regulatory requirements

Celebrating our inclusive and diverse culture is core to Diageo’s purpose of “celebrating life every day everywhere”. This purpose is, in itself, inclusive in nature, as it values everybody irrespective of background, disability, religion, gender or ethnicity.

Our ambition is to create the best performing, most trusted and respected Consumer Products Company in the world. To achieve these, we need the world’s very best people.