Finance Analyst - 6 Month FTC - Edinburgh

Our client is looking for a Finance Analyst for a period of 6 months.

We can look at this role being one day per week in Edinburgh or potentially fully remote.

This role is required to work alongside the Finance Manager providing the analysis and financial information required to support the cost centre owners. The role ensures the preparation of reliable, challenging and timely financial plans to support business planning, decision making and providing financial analysis for business cases and ad hoc papers.

What you need to do

• Support & Challenge – assist in providing financial support and challenge on current and future business areas, (including appropriate ledger forensic analysis to ensure accuracy of financial information, completing month end P&L reviews, preparation of regular cost reporting and updating of relevant financial analysis for regular cost centre meetings).  Attend meetings and deputise for Finance Manager as required.
• Planning – support the co-ordination and driving forward of the budgeting and forecast process for designated cost centre with a view to understanding key issues and opportunities through analysis of trends and other MI available, to deliver realistic and balanced outputs.  Complete all financial modelling required for the planning processed and populate templates within agreed timescales aiding the challenge of product and business assumptions.   In addition complete financial modelling for ongoing re-forecasting and assist in communication of risks and opportunities to full year out turn projections
• Challenge assumptions - through analysis of trends and other MI available, to deliver realistic and balanced forecasts and budgets. Review outputs for accuracy.
• Scenario planning / desktop forecasts – maintain models to assist the business in measuring impact of changes to the budgeted balance sheet and P&L positions. Working with other team members to develop commercial insight to enhance robust scenario modelling and accurately prepare/ present scenario output (profit and loss and balance sheet where applicable) to aid the decision making process e.g. cost saving initiatives or efficiency proposals.
• Financial Analysis/Commercial Support – Maintaining existing models and developing new models to provide finance managers with financial information to assist in strategic decisions, cost saving initiatives, efficiency proposals and any business cases.
• Ad Hoc – provide support for your manager and other areas of the Finance team as required including support on other products, projects and the overall cost base.
• Relationship Management - act as a point of contact within finance for designated business areas.

What you need to know and show

• The jobholder could be part qualified, qualified by experience or a qualified accountant ideally with practical experience of management accounting or have financial modelling qualifications and commercial experience.
• Good communication skills both verbal & presentation to both financial and non-financial stakeholders.
• Excellent PC skills essential – in particular, MS Excel.
• Well organised and able to prioritise workload in line with tight deadlines and work effectively under pressure.
• Highly numerate, with excellent analytical and problem solving skills and attention to detail with an ability to think and reason logically.
• Customer focussed team player with ability to work closely with others to deliver results.
• Proven track record of working on own initiative, with the ability to introduce fresh thinking to the role and the wider team.
• Strong relationship management skills

Please note: This role profile is aimed at describing the core output that should be achieved in this role. It is not intended to include specific tasks, temporary activities or projects to recognise flexibility in a changing context.