Financial Analyst – Strategic Growth

About Our Client
Our client is an established and growing design business entering an exciting phase of expansion. They are currently exploring new product and manufacturing opportunities, including kitchens, joinery, furniture, outdoor living, and textiles.

To support this strategic shift, they are assessing different operating models—ranging from internal manufacturing to strategic partnerships and hybrid structures. They have retained our services to find a commercially minded Financial Analyst to assess the financial viability of these opportunities, build forecasting models, and provide the analytical rigour needed to inform key investment and operating decisions.

This is a hands-on, high-impact role for someone who enjoys building models from scratch, working closely with diverse stakeholders, and translating complex data into clear recommendations within a fast-moving, entrepreneurial environment.

Key Responsibilities

  • Investment Appraisal: Assess the financial viability of potential new business and product opportunities, including business-case development.
  • Operating Model Evaluation: Evaluate alternative models, including internal manufacturing, strategic partners, sourcing, and hybrid models.
  • Financial Modelling: Build and maintain financial models covering cash-flow forecasting, scenario planning, investment returns, and DCF analysis where relevant.
  • Product Costing: Develop robust product costing models, including materials, labour, outsourced production, overheads, and margin analysis.
  • Profitability Analysis: Conduct profitability and margin analysis across different product lines to identify commercial risks and potential.
  • Capital Assessment: Analyze the financial implications of capital-intensive opportunities compared with more asset-light models.
  • Stakeholder Collaboration: Partner with commercial, technical, sourcing, and operational stakeholders to gather inputs and stress-test assumptions.
  • Strategic Reporting: Produce clear, concise reporting and recommendations for senior leadership to support go/no-go, operating-model, and investment decisions.
  • FP&A Support: Support wider FP&A and management accounting processes as needed during the engagement.

What Our Client Is Looking For

  • Qualifications: Qualified Chartered Accountant or Chartered Management Accountant (CA(SA), ACA, ACCA, CIMA, or equivalent).
  • Experience: 5+ years of post-qualification experience in Commercial Finance or Financial Analysis.
  • Modelling Skills: Advanced financial modelling skills, including cash-flow forecasting, costing, scenario analysis, and profitability/margin analysis.
  • Industry Background: Experience within manufacturing and/or services is preferable; exposure to product, sourcing, or retail businesses is highly valuable.
  • Core Competencies: Solid background in FP&A, costing, management accounting, and investment appraisal.
  • Working Style: Comfortable working independently in a fast-paced, ambiguous environment, with the ability to build structure and clarity from scratch.
  • Commercial Mindset: Commercially sharp and able to challenge assumptions rather than simply model them.
  • Communication: Strong communication skills, with the ability to present financial analysis clearly to non-finance stakeholders.