International Senior Commercial Finance Analyst ((Occupation Costs)

International Senior Commercial Finance Analyst (Occupation Costs)

At WHSmith, our people are at the heart of everything we do. They are the ones that go the extra mile for our customers. The ones that enable our growth. That’s why our International People team is passionate about creating an environment where people can be legally protected, compliant, and empowered to deliver their best work across our Rest of World (ROW) business.

Australia, Singapore, Spain – just three of the 30+ countries where you can find our stores. You’ll find us at airports, stations, hospitals and shopping malls all over the world, with stores run directly, through joint ventures or via ‘Franchise Partnership’ models. It’s an integral part of the company’s growth strategy.

We now have an exciting opportunity for a Senior Commercial Analyst to join our International team on a permanent basis, based at our Head Office in London. Reporting into the International Commercial Finance Manager, you'll play a key role in supporting Occupation costs reporting and analysis across the International Estate.

What you’ll do:

• Own the end-to-end process for reporting Occupation Costs across the International business.
• Preparation of the month end reporting. Presenting analysis of performance to both finance and non-finance stakeholders, up to Director level.
• Managing IFRS16 reporting and postings to ledger.
• Responsible for Balance Sheet reconciliations for Occupation Costs
• Business partnering with the Business Development team to understand new rental agreements and their impact. Ensuring models are updated for any changes to lease terms.
• Produce commercial analysis to identify opportunities to improve profit performance.
• Own forecasting of both P&L and Balance Sheet Occupation costs for the three financial budgeting cycles.
• Review of rent invoices to expectations before Finance Director approval.
• Preparation of annual audit certificates to be shared with landlords across the International estate.
• Responsible for Sales Reporting to landlords on a weekly and monthly basis.
• Supporting the rest of the team with ad hoc requests and working with non-finance stakeholders to ensure any ad hoc information they require is available in a timely manner.

Who we’re looking for:

• We are looking for someone that is a qualified or part qualified accountant (CIMA, ACCA, ICAEW) with previous experience in a similar role beneficial.
• Experience within the retail industry would prove advantageous; however an interest in International Retail is vital.
• You will be an excellent communicator who can engage, communicate, and influence both financial and non-financial managers.
• Your planning and organisational skills will be strong and you’ll be able to prioritise a broad and extensive range of activities, and work well under pressure and to tight deadlines.
• An ability to pick things up quickly is also a must, as well as operating in a very fast paced environment.
• You’ll have excellent analytical skills and be an advanced user of Microsoft Excel.
• You must have a keen eye for detail and accuracy, to ensure all financial data is summarised in a logical and informative manner appropriate for a variety of audiences.