Financial Analyst

Job description

Brief Our client is seeking a Financial Analyst to join a growing UK-based business. The role will focus on financial analysis, management reporting, costing, and commercial insights to support better business decisions. The successful candidate will analyse financial and operational data, assess costs and profitability, support pricing decisions, and provide clear reporting to management. Experience in an asset-heavy or operationally complex industry would be an advantage. About the clients Our client is a growing, diversified UK-based business operating across multiple operational and asset-intensive sectors. The company is now developing a dedicated management information function to provide clearer financial and commercial insight and support better business decisions. Responsibilities Financial Analysis & Management Information Develop and maintain management reports, dashboards, and financial analysis for senior management. Analyse financial and operational data to identify profitability, cost trends, variances, and areas requiring attention. Analyse the genuine cost and profitability of different business activities. Help answer key commercial questions around costs, margins, pricing, customers, and contracts. Investigate unusual figures and identify the reasons behind financial and operational variances. Cost & Profitability Analysis Analyze the operating costs of vehicles, lorries, machinery and others. Develop cost-per-mile, cost-per-kilometre, and cost-per-hour calculations where appropriate. Analyse labour, fuel, maintenance, machinery, and other operational costs. Support the development of appropriate charge-out rates and pricing models. Analyse customer and contract profitability. Identify opportunities to improve margins and reduce unnecessary costs. Data & Reporting Work with information from accounting systems, spreadsheets, timesheets, vehicle records, fuel data, maintenance records, and other operational sources. Consolidate information from multiple sources and identify gaps or inconsistencies. Improve the structure, accuracy, and reliability of financial and operational data. Help determine what information the business needs and how it should be collected. Develop and improve dashboards, reporting tools, spreadsheets, and financial models. Commercial Support Provide financial analysis to support pricing, estimating, tendering, purchasing, and operational decisions. Analyse fleet and plant performance and utilisation. Provide ad-hoc analysis and financial modelling as required. Present financial information clearly to non-financial stakeholders and management. Qualifications Bachelor's degree in Finance, Accounting, Economics, Business, Mathematics, Data Analytics, or a related field. Previous experience in Financial Analysis, Management Accounting, Commercial Analysis, Management Information, or a similar role. Strong Excel skills and confidence working with financial and operational data. Good understanding of financial reporting, costing, margins, and profitability. Strong analytical and numerical skills with excellent attention to detail. Excellent written and verbal English communication skills. Ability to explain financial information clearly to non-financial stakeholders. Commercially minded with strong problem-solving skills. Naturally curious and willing to question figures and investigate why something does not look right. Comfortable working with imperfect or fragmented data and helping develop better processes. Able to work independently and effectively in a remote environment. Experience with Xero or similar accounting systems would be advantageous. Experience in construction, contracting, haulage, agriculture, engineering, plant, forestry, landscaping, or another asset-heavy industry would be highly desirable. Experience analysing fleet, machinery, labour, fuel, maintenance, or utilisation costs would be an advantage.