Job Description

Senior Financial Analyst - Global Service

Location: EMEA, United Kingdom, London

Ref: DETECTIONEMEA01398

Division: Smiths Detection

Job Function: Finance



We have an amazing opportunity for a commercially minded Senior Financial Analyst to join the Smiths Detection (Part of Smiths Group) finance team on a permanent (hybrid working) basis. This opportunity can be based at either our central London or Hemel Hempstead office locations.

In this highly visible and influential role, your mission will be to provide the Finance Director for Global Operations, Technology & Sustainability, and other members of our executive leadership with high-quality management reporting, forecasting and business planning metrics and analytics with an ultimate objective to improve decision-making, provide valuable insight into business performance and to provide a strong financial control environment.

Our team will look for you to support the Finance Director in providing strategic input, identifying business risks, and proposing mitigating actions. You will be involved in the regular communication of management information (including financial performance and other KPI\'s both historical and forecast) to the Finance and service functions.

To be successful this position is all about your attitude and aptitude. You will be able to demonstrate incredible management accounting and reporting skills, a strong commercially minded approach to business and a natural talent for presenting financial information to a wide and varied stakeholder base. You will also need to be confident and outgoing, relish the opportunity to working as a trusted Finance Business Partner to budget holders and be able to tailor your delivery accordingly. Advanced Excel skills are essential.

This role is ideally positioned for a part/newly qualified accountant who is keen to make their move into a FTSE 100 company where opportunity for growth and development is written into our DNA.

You will also need to be confident and outgoing, relish the opportunity to working as a trusted financial advisor to budget holders and be able to tailor your delivery accordingly. Excellent Excel and communications skills are a must.

It is also important to note, you\'ll be joining a production team who are focused on adding real value to every aspect of our engineering and manufacturing operations, you will have lots of opportunity for involvement, exposure to exciting projects and opportunity to forge collaborative relationships globally across the organisation.

Duties & Responsibilities

Financial Planning:

• Manage the Global Service financial planning process for all quarterly, annual and strategic financial plans (including working capital and cost saving targets). Ensuring required functions are provided with quality navigation, forecasting and business planning tools and procedures that focus on decision making to maximise profit and cash. Including the communication and presentation of financial plans to Smiths Detection management and stakeholders.
• Actively engaging in the completeness, consistency, and timely reporting of the monthly finance related service metrics such as margin, attach rates, warranty, absorption and labour utilisation, etc.
• Support the validation of large capital investment requests, benefit assumptions and post completion reviews.
• Take specific responsibility for analysing product warranty cost consumption and validating the accuracy of provisions. Provide support to the operations team in monitoring Cost of Poor Quality.
• Monitoring business case delivery on all Service delivery improvement programmes.
• Conduct regular and broad ranging analytical reviews to provide comfort on the completeness, timeliness and accuracy of Service transactions reflected in SAP.
• Support both Transparent Gross Margin and transfer pricing analyses as appropriate for statutory account purposes and taxation requirements.
• Owning the consolidation and divisional reporting of the monthly metrics together with ensuring that the appropriate framework is adhered to.
• Develop a deep understanding of and maintaining an appropriate reporting tool to represent the various elements causing under/over absorption and spend analysis across service.
• Support the preparation of the finance section of the monthly service board report.
• Drive a culture of standardisation and consistency within the function for example supporting the implementation / development of a consistent standard cost/rate methodology across all the operating plants within Smiths Detection.
• Support SAP initiatives to enhance the level of consistency and automation of service / Finance processes
• Support the preparation of presentations as and when required to be delivered to senior management within Smiths Detection

Cost Control:

• Robust and consistent cost control including the harmonisation project in terms of SAP standard costing structure across the Smiths Detection entities, tracking of target benefits and understanding of monthly variances giving rise to under/over absorption within service.
• Employ techniques such as analytical review to support constructive challenges to the operations cost centre owners to ensure the cost base is understood and controlled.
• Lead the reporting and verification of savings reported from divisional procurement and VAVE and Service CI saving initiatives.
• Tracking of the top 20 global warranty costs for assessment by key stakeholders and senior management.

Inventory / Cost:

• Control, analyses, discipline of using ERP, \'buy-at-risk\', \'last time buy\' decisions and overall inventory reduction planning. Continuing improvements in inventory transparency and decision making.
• Ensure SAP compliance is maintained, and processes adhered to for example in the areas of inventory control including cycling counting across the service network
• Maintenance of the standard costs across the service network
• Ownership and management of the annual service cost roll process together with the global operations teams with subsequent impact analysis.

Diversity & Inclusion

We believe that different perspectives and backgrounds are what make a company flourish. All qualified applicants will receive equal consideration for employment regardless of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, economic status, disability, age, or any other legally protected characteristics. We are proud to be an inclusive company with values grounded in equality and ethics, where we celebrate, support, and embrace diversity.

The Individual

• Professionally qualified or part qualified, (ACCA ACMA), and educated to a degree level.
• Experience working with SAP is a significant advantage.
• Experience of dealing with large organisations and consolidations is an advantage.
• Ability to own the implementation of new ways of working and lead change.
• Confidence in challenging senior partners and, holding partners accountable for action plan delivery.
• Influencing and leadership skills: grounded experience of building, developing, and sustaining relationships with key partners at all levels.
• Structured and logical problem solver; ability to communicate effectively at all levels, written and verbal.
• Self-starter who possesses the ability and drive to operate independently; high energy level, intellectual curiosity, and strong work ethic with a commitment to continuous improvement in a dynamic and changing environment.

About Smiths

At Smiths we apply leading-edge technology to design, manufacture and deliver market-leading innovative solutions that meet our customers\' evolving needs, and touch the lives of millions of people every day. We are a FTSE100, global business of around 14,600 colleagues, based in 50+ countries. Our solutions have a real impact on lives across the planet, enabling industry, improving healthcare, enhancing security, advancing connectivity and supporting new homes. Our products and services are often critical to our customers\' operations, while our proprietary technology and high service levels help create competitive advantage. We welcome colleagues with a curious mind, who are happy with responsibility, enjoy a challenge and are attracted by the idea of working at a business with a 170+ year history of innovation, and five global divisions, all experts in their field.

About Smiths Detection

Smiths Detection is a global leader in detection and screening technologies for the protection of people and assets, supporting safety, security and freedom of movement in today\'s world.

Smiths Group