Financial Planning and Analysis Manager

About the Role

We are seeking a seasoned and strategic Financial Planning and Analysis (FP&A) Manager to lead our FP&A function across the GCC region. In this pivotal role, you will oversee integrated business planning processes, financial reporting, and strategic decision-making to drive sustainable growth and profitability in a complex, multi-market business environment. You will collaborate closely with senior leadership, commercial teams, operations, supply chain, and finance partners to deliver accurate financial insights, optimize value chains, and support data-driven decision-making. This position offers an exciting opportunity to shape the financial future of our organization by leveraging advanced analytics, digital transformation, and strategic financial leadership.

Key Responsibilities

The successful candidate will be responsible for the following core functions:

• Strategic Financial Planning and Forecasting: Lead the development and execution of integrated business planning processes, including monthly and quarterly forecasts, annual budgets, rolling forecasts, and long-term strategic plans. Ensure alignment across Commercial, Operations, Supply Chain, and Finance to drive cohesive financial strategies.
• Financial Reporting and Analysis: Own the end-to-end Flash reporting process, delivering accurate and timely preliminary financial results, risk assessments, and opportunity analyses. Oversee the month-end financial close process, ensuring the precise preparation of P&L statements across markets, channels, and SKU-level profitability.
• Executive Leadership Engagement: Provide executive management with insightful financial analysis, variance explanations, strategic recommendations, and performance updates. Partner with senior business leaders to support informed decision-making through financial analysis, scenario modeling, investment evaluations, and performance management.
• Value Chain Optimization: Collaborate with Commercial Finance Partners to evaluate and enhance end-to-end value chains, identifying opportunities to improve margins, reduce costs, enhance operational efficiency, and strengthen profitability across the region.
• Advanced Financial Modeling and Analytics: Develop and maintain sophisticated financial models, dashboards, and analytical tools to support strategic initiatives, pricing decisions, investment cases, and market expansion opportunities. Monitor key financial and operational KPIs to proactively identify business risks, opportunities, and performance improvement initiatives.
• Digital Finance Transformation: Champion the adoption of AI, automation, and advanced analytics to enhance forecasting accuracy, generate deeper business insights, and improve finance productivity. Drive financial governance and reporting standardization to ensure consistent, accurate, and timely financial reporting across the GCC region.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Work closely with cross-functional teams to embed financial targets into commercial and operational plans, ensuring successful execution and alignment with strategic objectives.

Internal Key Deliverables

To ensure operational excellence and strategic alignment, the FP&A Manager will be accountable for the following deliverables:

• Accurate and timely monthly financial close and regional P&L reporting.
• Executive dashboards and performance reviews that provide actionable business insights and drive informed decision-making.
• Monthly, quarterly, and annual forecasts with a strong emphasis on forecast accuracy and reliability.
• Annual budgets and long-term financial plans that align with the organization’s strategic objectives and growth aspirations.
• Robust financial models and business cases that support investment decisions, pricing strategies, and market expansion initiatives.
• Comprehensive value chain analyses that identify and quantify profitability improvement opportunities across the business.
• Standardized and automated reporting processes that enhance efficiency, accuracy, and scalability across the GCC region.
• Timely identification and communication of financial risks, opportunities, and performance trends to senior leadership.

Qualifications and Experience

To excel in this role, candidates must meet the following requirements:

• Education: Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Accounting, Economics, or a related field. An MBA or professional qualification (CA, CPA, ACCA, CIMA, or CFA) is a plus.
• Experience: Minimum of 8 years of progressive experience in FP&A, Commercial Finance, or Business Finance, with a strong preference for candidates with experience in FMCG or Manufacturing sectors.
• Technical Proficiency: Expertise in budgeting, forecasting, financial modeling, business partnering, and performance management. Proficiency in ERP/EPM systems (e.g., SAP, Oracle Hyperion), advanced Excel, and Power BI or similar business intelligence tools is essential.
• Analytical and Leadership Skills: Exceptional analytical acumen, strong communication abilities, and proven stakeholder management skills. Experience leading finance transformation initiatives and leveraging AI, automation, and advanced analytics to drive financial excellence is highly desirable.
• Regional Experience: Prior experience working across multiple markets or in a regional finance role within the GCC is advantageous.