Commercial Finance Manager

Job Introduction

Sodexo Justice Services has been operating in the United Kingdom since 1993. We operate five prisons in the UK and have a reputation for operating excellent, ethical, innovative and rehabilitative services. Our vision is to become a strategic partner of our clients by designing, managing and delivering quality of life services which make a meaningful difference to offenders by changing lives for the better.
SJS (Sodexo Justice Services context:
Circa £135m turnover, well established and highly regarded business service with core client, Ministry of Justice.  Growth this year of 25% revenue through acquisition of major contract.  Further growth aspirations being pursued.
 

As Commercial Manager you will lead the Finance and Commercial work stream on tenders ensuring allcostings and financial responses arerobust, competitive and compliant with competition rules and delivered within the required deadlines.
 
You’ll also provide finance cover to existing prison estate and mobilisations of new contracts and deputise for the Head of Commercial Finance when required.

Role Responsibility

·        Provide expertise in financial modelling  and financial analysis for bid related work and ad hoc projects
·         Ensure that detailed costs are built from the bottom up and that all assumptions are “owned” by the operational management team
·         Prepare meaningful sensitivity analysis on pricing assumptions to help inform operational decision making
·         Responsible for the accurate completion of client financial templates required in the bid submission and for raising and responding to clarification questions throughout the bidding process, and for production and submission of investment appraisals to the UK and Group Investment Committees
·         Work extensively with HR in the analysis of TUPE data with to identify a range of potential staff options and their financial impact. Model different approaches to the treatment of TUPE and potential redundancies, presenting  a suite of options to senior management
·         Provide operational resilience to the existing prison estate and during mobilisations where a finance lead is required
·         Deputise for the Head of Commercial Finance where required

The Ideal Candidate

Experience and Qualifications:

·         Qualified Accountant with comprehensive PQ experience
·         Strong reporting and data management/ organisation skills.
·         Outstanding track record in influencing decision making within a Business and improving performance with substantial positive profit impact.
·         Strong interpersonal and influencing skills for managing senior level relationships and difficult performance management conversations.
·         Substantial analytical skills able to understand complex performance issues and advise and able to prioritise action plans to resolve
·         Client (Customer) and / or Supplier contact evidenced by the ability to make and influence profit material decisions on behalf the business.
·         Exposure to range of investment appraisal techniques and a thorough understanding of how to assess project risk is a distinct advantage.
·         Strong commercial acumen, willing and able to challenge accepted practices and processes.
·         A proven ability to innovate and implement.  Experience of project and programme control and able to demonstrate tangible delivered improvements in business performance.
·         The ability to combine strategic and analytical perspectives with a pragmatic approach.  Also the ability to keep focus on day-to-day performance whilst simultaneously pursuing longer-term opportunities.
 
Capabilities:
 
·         Relationship Management - Is highly effective at building and maintaining win- win business partner relationships internally and with clients. Able to develop and maintain a strong, positive yet challenging relationship with the broader Bid team and able to actively input into non-financial decision making and acting as a business partner
·         Resilience Sustains - momentum when faced with challenges. Balances competing demands and responds well to changed priorities.
·         Impact and Influence - Communicates effectively and inspires people at all levels. Gains the commitment of others to drive towards and achieve a high performance culture.
·         Analysis and Decision Making - Incisive and strong willed in focusing on achieving business goals. Able to analyse the cause of a problem and identify solutions.
·         Planning and Organisation - Consistently completes deliverables within deadline, within budget, and beyond expected quality, even under adverse conditions.
·         Continuous Improvement - Seeks to continuously improve outputs for the benefit of the business. Constantly raises the standard and quality of work, benchmarking against best practice

Package Description

4-6 months FTC

About the Company

Sodexo UK & Ireland employs around 36,000 people and delivers On-site Service Solutions to clients at over 2,300 locations including offices, hospitals, schools, defence sites, prisons, sporting events and visitor attractions.  Sodexo is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and vulnerable adults. All roles will require applicants to undergo screening appropriate to the post, including checkswith past employers and the Criminal Records Bureau (UK) and/ or Disclosure Scotland (Scotland)