Head of FP&A

Job Description:

About Us

e.surv Chartered Surveyors and Walker Fraser Steele are the UK's leading residential surveying brands, delivering property risk expertise and residential surveying services for over 35 years. Trusted by high street mortgage lenders, building societies, national landlords, and equity release brands, we complete a property inspection every 12 seconds across the UK and Northern Ireland.

Role Purpose

As a strategic finance business partner to the Finance Director, Managing Director, and Senior Management Team, you will ensure all business decisions are supported by thorough internal, competitor, and market analysis.

Key responsibilities include:

• Performance Reporting: Develop best-in-class business, market, and competitor performance reporting, including KPIs on revenue, productivity, and operational excellence, with actionable insights.
• Scenario Modelling: Conduct market assumption modelling, competitor positioning, strategic initiatives, product and market entry/exit, and M&A to forecast business performance and support strategic planning.
• Investment Appraisal: Create investment appraisals and business cases for evaluation by the Investment Committee and LSL Group management.
• Commercial Tenders: Ensure tenders include top-quality revenue, profit, and efficiency metrics for pricing submissions.
• Planning Cycle: Lead the planning cycle, including three-year plans, budgets, and forecasts, ensuring robust and clearly articulated plans with comprehensive commentary.
• Operational Planning: Translate business performance and future trends into effective operational plans, optimising surveyor capacity.

Reporting

• Design and deliver daily, weekly, monthly, and quarterly business performance reports with full KPIs and insights.
• Meet all LSL Group FP&A reporting needs, including QBR, monthly FDs calls, and performance reviews with the CEO/CFO.
• Partner with the Head of Financial Accounting and Control to review business performance against budget/forecast.
• Implement a balanced scorecard approach to business performance, providing insights across financial, customer, product, and internal processes.
• Manage the FP&A Operations Manager to ensure visibility of operating costs and identify efficiency opportunities.
• Collaborate with the Head of Finance Change, Technology, and MI to drive MI/BI solutions with dynamic, self-serve reporting and dashboards.

Business Partnering and Strategic Optimisation

• Act as the strategic finance business partner to the FD/MD, ensuring FP&A managers deliver top-notch business partnering and decision support.
• Lead discussions to drive business performance optimisation.
• Ensure all business decisions are supported by strategic, commercial, and financial analysis.
• Provide dynamic modelling for commercial tenders and support price and product positioning.
• Prepare robust investment appraisals and business cases for the Group investment committee.
• Support new business initiatives, ensuring alignment with business cases and identifying necessary amendments.

Team & Group Liaison

• Build and lead a high-performing FP&A team with the skills and tools to excel.
• Promote continuous improvement, automating and enhancing processes and technology solutions in collaboration with the Head of Finance Change.

Knowledge, Expertise, and Qualifications

• Qualified Accountant (CIMA, ACCA, ACA) with extensive experience in FP&A and Commercial Finance.
• Strong commercial acumen and strategic mindset, with the ability to influence business direction.
• Proven track record in creating and presenting robust plans, budgets, and forecasts to senior leadership.
• Experienced strategic finance business partner with significant experience supporting senior leaders.
• Expertise in tender support, pricing, and new product propositions.
• Strong financial modelling and scenario planning skills.
• Ability to identify trends and communicate insights to non-finance audiences.
• Commitment to high-quality work and accuracy.
• Strong team player with excellent relationship-building skills.
• Experienced in developing and leading FP&A teams.

PRE EMPLOYMENT SCREENING - All of our employees have to pass a Criminal Records Disclosure and Credit Referencing Process in order to work with our lender clients, if you are unsure on this, ask the team and we'll be happy to explain the process.