Finance Analyst

Finance Analyst Reporting to: Financial Controller Location: Leicester (with occasional on-site interaction as required) Role Overview An established organisation is seeking a Finance Analyst to support the Finance function by delivering accurate, timely, and insightful financial analysis to support business decision-making. The role focuses on management reporting, cost analysis, KPI dashboards, and data analytics, working closely with Finance, Operations, and Production teams. It is well suited to someone with a strong analytical mindset who enjoys working with ERP-derived data and translating complex information into clear commercial insight. Key Responsibilities Financial Analysis & Reporting * Assist in the production of monthly management accounts, including variance analysis and commentary. * Prepare and analyse cost of goods sold (COGS) and margin information for month-end reporting. * Perform detailed cost analysis, including product costing, job costing, and investigation of variances. * Support the Financial Controller with financial analysis, periodic returns, and audit requirements. Costing, WIP & Operational Insight * Analyse costing data from the ERP system to ensure accuracy, completeness, and integrity. * Liaise with Production and Operations teams to establish accurate work-in-progress (WIP) figures. * Maintain costing data throughout the month to support timely reporting and forecasting. * Investigate anomalies and discrepancies in operational and financial data, providing clear explanations and recommendations. Data, Analytics & KPI Reporting * Design, build, and maintain Excel-based reports and KPI dashboards to support financial and operational decision-making. * Extract and manipulate data from ERP and other business systems using Excel, SQL, and Power Query. * Produce regular reporting, including weekly sales and orders, reconciling operational data to the general ledger. * Improve the automation, reliability, and presentation of management information and analytics. Business Partnering & Continuous Improvement * Work closely with stakeholders across the business to understand reporting requirements and provide analytical support. * Contribute to improvements in data quality, reporting processes, and financial controls. * Support ad-hoc analysis and project work within the Finance team as required. Skills & Experience Essential * Strong analytical skills with high attention to detail and accuracy. * Advanced Excel capability, including pivot tables, formulas, and data handling. * Experience analysing financial and operational data within a manufacturing or similar environment. * Ability to interpret ERP system data and translate it into meaningful commercial insight. * Confident communicator, able to explain financial information clearly to non-finance stakeholders. Desirable * Experience using SQL / T-SQL for data extraction and analysis. * Practical use of Power Query or similar data transformation tools. * Costing or management accounting experience within a production environment. * Exposure to KPI development, dashboarding, or business intelligence reporting. Personal Attributes * Curious, proactive, and improvement-focused. * Highly organised, able to manage multiple analytical tasks concurrently. * Comfortable working with large and complex datasets. * Commercially minded with a strong problem-solving approach