Financial Controller & Data Analyst – FP&A

Overview

Job Overview:

The Financial Controller & Data Analyst – FP&A is a key contributor to BFL Group’s financial and operational success, blending advanced data analytics with commercial finance expertise to drive strategic decision-making. This role is responsible for delivering actionable insights through data analysis, developing BI dashboards, and automating processes to support the FP&A team. Beyond traditional financial planning and analysis, the role takes on a critical commercial finance function by partnering with merchandising and buying teams to manage “open to buy” budgets and ensure liquidity. Additionally, it plays a leading role in data mastery and governance, maintaining high standards of data quality and integrity across the organization.

Key responsibilities:

• Partner with merchandising and buying teams to manage “open to buy” budgets, ensuring inventory purchases align with sales forecasts and financial targets while optimizing stock levels.
• Monitor and manage liquidity, providing recommendations to balance inventory investments with the company’s cash flow needs and short-term financial obligations.
• Lead data governance initiatives, establishing policies and procedures to ensure data quality, consistency, and security across all systems and departments.
• Drive data mastery, ensuring the accuracy and integrity of data used in analyses and reports through best practices in data validation and cleansing.
• Design and maintain interactive BI dashboards (e.g., using Tableau or Power BI) to visualize key financial, operational, and inventory metrics for stakeholders.
• Analyze large datasets using Python to identify trends, patterns, and insights that inform financial forecasts, inventory optimization, and business performance.
• Automate data collection, cleaning, and analysis workflows to enhance the efficiency of FP&A processes and ensure timely availability of accurate data.
• Support budgeting, forecasting, and ad-hoc financial analysis, with a focus on integrating inventory planning and commercial finance insights.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams (e.g., IT, merchandising, buying) to integrate data sources, align on data standards, and support operational goals.
• Present complex data findings and strategic recommendations to the FP&A team, senior management, and other stakeholders in a clear and actionable manner.

Skills & Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in data science, Computer Science, Statistics, Finance, or a related field.
• 5+ years of experience in data analysis, preferably in a financial or retail context.
• Proficiency in Python for data analysis and experience with BI tools (e.g., Tableau, Power BI).
• Strong analytical skills with the ability to interpret complex datasets.
• Basic understanding of financial principles and retail metrics is preferred.
• Excellent communication skills to present technical findings to non-technical stakeholders.
• Ability to work collaboratively in a team environment.
• Experience in off-price or discount retail is highly desirable.