Head of Financial Planning & Analysis

Position

Reporting to the Group Chief Financial Officer (CFO), this role is perfect for an individual who has led and scaled a high performing Financial Planning & Analysis (FP&A) function with industry experience drawn from a combination of mid/large company (financial best practice), high growth SME, and private equity/venture capital backed subscription/data analytics businesses.

As the Head of FP&A you will be focused on building a best-in-class, business-first, FP&A function; delivering a robust planning and performance management framework; leading 5-year strategy planning, annual budgeting, re-forecasting, scenario planning and special projects; implementing tools/processes to provide efficient scenario planning capability and insightful analysis of business performance, KPIs and forecasts; business partnering with operational stakeholders at the most senior level; supporting the CFO with all Investor/fundraising activity.

This is a high-profile role with the opportunity to make it your own and have a tangible impact within a rapidly scaling global organization, and as such you must be able to demonstrate the ability to challenge current processes, recommend and implement improvements and contribute ideas that will create value.

To achieve the above, you will be flexible in approach, looking to work in a growing and evolving business, focused on outcomes with a great degree of attention to detail. You must be able to work independently, be familiar with navigating a matrixed international environment and be able to hit the ground running.

Key responsibilities

  • Lead the strategic & financial planning process, including short- and long-term planning and analysis to support the Group’s internal goals (commercial and financial) and key stakeholders (Investors and Board)
  • Support the Group leadership team on key strategic and financial analysis projects. Your role will involve a wide range of activities from developing and owning financial models, working with the business to understand value drivers to improve opportunities, building presentations and more
  • Lead the annual budget and planning cycle end to end across the Group including initial design and framing of what we want to accomplish to ensure the right business outcomes, ensuring an agile and lean planning process, aligning the business and supporting them through the budget cycle
  • Develop a comprehensive set of metrics and KPI reports to enable the leadership team to measure, drive and forecast performance across different areas of the business
  • Use the newly implemented ERP system (Dynamics 365) to overhaul and upgrade reporting and analysis and provide reporting tools to deliver rapid analysis and insight to leaders across the business
  • Provide monthly/more regular cash flow forecasts/updates
  • Identify the Group’s longer-term cash requirements and work with Treasury to ensure appropriate funding is in place
  • Assist with enhancing strategic, executive-level reporting related to P&L, cash and balance sheet that aids the identification and communication of performance issues
  • Support the CFO with key initiatives to help transform FP&A globally
  • Support the CFO (and other key stakeholders) when raising further funding (debt or equity) as required for Aurora to deliver business plan targets. This will include building and maintaining detailed cash flow models for the business to analyse shareholder returns, IRR, scenario analysis, exit valuation, and capital structure options etc

Required attributes

  • Strong accountancy background
  • Professional accounting qualification – Qualified Chartered Accountant or equivalent
  • Experience in strategic planning and delivering insightful analysis to enhance business performance
  • Significant experience in FP&A function preferably in a large corporate organisation with recognised automated ‘big data’ analytic capabilities
  • Commercial acumen
  • Ability to work as a key leader in the Finance team and to engage with and manage senior stakeholders across multiple geographies within the business and with the C-suite, Board and investors
  • Ability to manage and scale a global FP&A function growing in size and complexity
  • Strong organisational skills and a logical thinker
  • Experience with enterprise-level financial systems (especially Dynamics 365)
  • Advanced experience using Excel and other analytic tools
  • Exceptional attention to detail and accuracy
  • Strong initiative, creative and solutions-driven
  • Self-motivated and resourceful

What we offer

  • A fun, informal and international work culture
  • A competitive salary package
  • Access to regular coaching and mentoring sessions and the opportunity to learn from experienced HR professionals
  • Access to the Aurora Academy, our training programme offering a range of opportunities to develop your skills

At Aurora, we will consider all requests for flexible working. For most roles, the following types of flexibility are usually possible: a hybrid model of remote and in-office working, part-time hours and flexible start and finish times. Please talk to us at the interview about the flexibility we could offer and we will explore what’s possible for the role.

The Company is committed to the principle that no employee or job applicant shall receive unfavourable treatment on grounds of age, disability, gender reassignment, race, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation, marriage and civil partnership and pregnancy and maternity.

Applications

The successful candidate would start as soon as possible. We will review applications as they are received. Salary will be competitive with experience.

To apply, please submit your:

  • CV
  • Brief cover letter
  • Salary expectations
  • Earliest possible start date
Apply

About Aurora

From its academic roots, Aurora Energy Research has grown to be the largest dedicated power market analytics company in Europe, providing data-driven intelligence to drive strategic decisions in the global energy transformation. We are a diverse team of experts with vast energy, financial, and consulting backgrounds, covering power, hydrogen, carbon, and fossil commodities.

We are active across the globe in the APAC, LATAM, EMEA, and NORAM regions, working with leading organisations to provide comprehensive market intelligence, bespoke analytic and advisory services, and cutting-edge software. We are a thriving, rapidly growing company, currently serving over 600 of the world’s most influential energy sector participants, including utilities, investors, and governments, and we expect to continue to grow rapidly, adding new countries and products to our portfolio.