Director of Financial Planning and Analysis

Brief about the role:

The Head of Financial Planning & Analysis is a senior finance leadership role responsible for driving strategic financial planning, budgeting, forecasting, performance analysis, and investment evaluation to support the organization’s growth, profitability, capital allocation and long‑term value creation. In addition to leading the FP&A function, the role is responsible for formulating and assessing investment opportunities (capital expenditure, mergers & acquisitions, portfolio investments), aligning financial strategy with the Group’s objectives, and presenting key insights and recommendations to the Group CFO and the board. The Head of Financial Planning & Analysis (FP&A) will report to the Group Chief Financial & Investment Officer.

Key Responsibilities:

• Lead the Group’s annual budgeting process, including developing budget templates, setting timelines, coordinating with business units, consolidating budgets, and presenting to senior leadership.
• Develop and manage the long‑range (3‑5 year) financial plans in alignment with the Group’s strategy, including revenue growth, cost structures, capital expenditure, and financing assumptions.
• Maintain and improve rolling forecasts (quarterly or monthly as relevant) to reflect operational and strategic changes.
• Establish driver‑based planning models, scenario and sensitivity analyses, and “what‑if” planning to assess the impact of key business decisions or external factors.
• Oversee variance analysis (budget vs actual, forecast vs actual), identify key drivers of variance, provide insight into business performance, and recommend corrective actions.
• Develop, maintain and present key financial and operational performance metrics (KPIs) to the Group CFO and the board.
• Provide business‑partnering support: work closely with business unit leaders to interpret financial results, support decision making, and drive value creation.
• Lead the design and operation of management reporting, dashboards, and financial modelling to support strategic and operational decisions.
• Lead evaluation of investment opportunities: capital expenditures (Capex), growth projects, M&A, joint ventures, portfolio investments, divestitures.
• Construct robust financial models to assess investment viability and risk/return trade‑offs.
• Construct robust Leverage buy out models.
• Provide recommendations to the Group CFO on capital allocation, funding strategy, and investment prioritization.
• Monitor and report the performance of investments post‑commitment (tracking actuals vs business case, recommending corrective action).
• Maintain awareness of macroeconomic, market, industry trends, regulatory environment and their implications for investment strategy.
• Lead and develop a high‐performing FP&A & Investment team.
• Ensure strong internal controls, data quality, rigorous modelling standards, and adherence to best‑practice financial governance.
• Lead the preparation of the monthly and quarterly Group Financial Performance Report for the Executive Committee and Board of Directors, ensuring alignment with strategic and financial KPIs.
• Design and oversee the creation of board decks, including executive summaries, financial dashboards, trend analyses, and key business insights. The decks should highlight:
• Actual vs Budget/Forecast performance
• Key financial ratios (e.g., EBITDA margin, ROIC, free cash flow).
• Segment-level and consolidated performance.
• Cash flow analysis and capital expenditure tracking.
• Strategic project updates and investment outcomes.
• Develop concise narratives and visualizations (charts, heatmaps, bridge analyses) to communicate complex financial results in an executive-friendly format.
• Ensure consistency, accuracy, and completeness of all financial data and commentary included in board-level reporting.
• Integrate financial results with operational and strategic updates, enabling board members to connect financial outcomes to business initiatives.

Qualifications & Experience:

• Master’s degree: MBA (from a reputable institution) – mandatory.
• Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) certification is a plus.
• Minimum of 10-15 years of progressive experience in corporate finance, FP&A, financial planning, budgeting, investment evaluation or related functions (within a medium to large corporate, preferably international or multi‑business unit environment).
• Demonstrated experience in leading FP&A teams and/ or investment evaluation functions, ideally having managed a budget/forecasting function and capital investment portfolio.
• Strong analytical modelling skills (financial modelling, scenario/sensitivity analysis, driver‑based planning).
• Proficiency with financial planning & analysis tools (Excel advanced modelling, BI tools, forecasting software) and familiarity with ERP/ financial systems.
• Exceptional presentation and communication skills – able to distil complex financial data into actionable insights and present to senior leadership/board.