Finance Business Partner

at  Freightliner

Freightliner is the UK’s largest maritime intermodal logistics operator, transporting containers from all major deep-sea ports to our national network of inland terminals, as well as a leading operator in the UK Heavy Haul rail freight market. Freightliner has operations across Europe offering both Intermodal and Heavy Haul rail freight services seamlessly connecting European countries and the UK.
In the UK the Freightliner Group operates under a number of legal entities including Freightliner Group Ltd, Freightliner Heavy Haul Ltd, Freightliner Ltd, Pentalver Transport Ltd, and Pentalver Cannock Ltd.
Our commitment to you, once you join our team, is to foster growth and provide developmental opportunities to ensure you reach your utmost potential.
We are looking for the most committed and reliable individuals who possess the knowledge, skills and experience needed for their roles.
In return we can offer competitive pay, excellent benefits, a competitive pension scheme and a rewarding career in an award-winning team
Purpose of the Role:
The role is to act as the key finance interface with the Road team and support this function through financial and strategic analysis including business development, contract profitability reporting and monthly reporting cycles including quarterly forecasts and annual budgets.
Main duties and responsibilities:
Month-end analysis on revenue and profitability by site and customer/contract. Supporting but also challenging the commercial function to improve profitability through insightful analysis. Work in close partnership with the individual budget holders and the regional FP&A team to provide accurate, timely and comprehensive annual budgets, quarterly re-forecasts and strategic plans as required. To independently conduct monthly review meetings with budget holders and to act as a key point of contact to support the budget holders with commercial business, capital and investment proposals. Support the Head of Finance in the monthly presentation of financial performance, full year forecasts and budget variances including understanding financial opportunities and risk. To build strong operational and commercial relationships and to provide financial support to business decision making, for example creation of pricing models and the drafting of business cases. Challenge business managers to ensure that all concepts have been properly considered before presenting to the business. Challenge current ways of working, driving efficiencies and cost savings wherever possible. Be comfortable dealing with and working through issues and operational challenges with project teams and other stakeholders, getting into details to ensure you understand the cost drivers of the business and can provide insight to any non-finance stakeholders. Be dependent on your resourcefulness and ability to influence and partner with finance teams and other stakeholders in the other operating platforms.

Key job requirements:

• Qualified accountant (ACA, ACCA, CIMA or equivalent) with relevant post qualification experience; including both technical and commercial roles.
• Comfortable with management account analysis and lease accounting principles.
• Ability to influence decision making through relevant financial insight to key stakeholders of the business
• Determined and proactive - prepared to get into the detail to understand the complex cost drivers of the business;
• Excellent analytical ability with a high attention to detail;
• The ability to analyse and present on complex matters, having implemented best practice across your career and worked in large complex businesses;
• Excellent presentational and communication skills;
• Strong interpersonal skills with the ability to build healthy working relationship with business stakeholders and interact effectively with all levels of staff across the UK/Europe region
• Highly effective organisational and time management skills with the ability to work autonomously, prioritising workload and meet deadlines;
• IT literate with advanced Excel skills

Behavioural Competencies:

• Delivers goals and objectives with drive, energy and enthusiasm;
• Proactive approach to work and uses own initiative to implement improvements;
• Embraces new challenges, is hands on and gets things done;
• Sets high standards of work for self, and consistently achieves these;
• Listens attentively to others’ perspectives and provides constructive feedback and coaching;
• Exhibits and lives the Group’s core values:
• Safety… we have an unconditional commitment to the well-being of our people and the safety of our operations
• Service… we have an absolute commitment to our customers based on a philosophy of mutual success
• Integrity… we possess the courage to do the right thing always
• Respect… we treat all people with dignity and fairness, fostering diversity and inclusion
• Transparency… we communicate openly to enable well-informed decision making
• Accountability… we set high standards and take full ownership of our results as an individual and a team
• Innovation… we embrace creativity, technology and new ideas
• Excellence… we have relentless focus on continuous improvement and excellence in all we do

Please refer the Job description for details