Lead Finance Business Partner

Scope:

To lead the Finance Partnership with the Business to achieve the strategic and operational goals of the business area through the strategy and performance cycle.  The Lead Finance Business Partner will proactively engage with senior business leaders; providing advice, guidance and support, enabling and influencing decision making to achieve optimal performance.  As the Lead Finance Business Partner will be accountable for a segment of the business unit (e.g. brands, imed area, site, small country) providing advice, guidance and support; enabling and influencing decision making to achieve optimal performance.  They will be viewed by customers as a business expert with a specialism in Finance who actively shapes specific business initiatives.  They will be leading members of a global network of Finance Business Partners, Finance Business Managers and Business Analysts, sharing best practice and delivering valued support to the Business with global consistency and efficiency.

Job Responsibilities:

The role broadly includes the following key components:

• Business Strategy & Decision Support: To support key business & investment decisions through ensuring dynamic resource allocation, targeted at value-creating opportunities, advising and guiding senior business leaders, using an excellent knowledge of customer requirements, balanced with an understanding of internal culture and climate
• Business Performance: To drive financial performance and business activity, to deliver and communicate performance and business planning reports, and to advise senior management on key drivers
• Continuous Improvement, Governance and Coaching: To take a lead in driving continuous improvement in Finance processes and capabilities and to lead financial risk management and financial governance in area of accountability
• Business Strategy & Decision Support
  • working proactively with the business to understand future financial information needs and producing efficient solutions to meet these needs (Business Case Development, Benefits tracking, KPIs etc)
  • Assessing the relevant input required to lead others during difficult decisions
  • Negotiating and communicating effectively across teams and business units and with external parties to achieve a positive outcome
  • Being actively involved in review and development of short & long-term strategy in  area of accountability
  • [R&D Business decisions to be supported, material in both value and impact, would include: Strategic change programmes, Investment propositions (including large scale capital programmes), Sourcing strategies and capacity decisions, Commercial and/or Procurement decisions, Drug Project Milestones]
• Business Performance
  • Having joint accountability with the business for the accuracy of forecasts and, using a good understanding of the business model and financial drivers, to challenge and influence the key cost drivers
  • Developing reliable operational and financial forecasts ensuring resources are allocated to maximise value creation for AZ
  • Leading the financial planning cycle in area of accountability; setting stretching but attainable performance targets and incentives, aligned to strategy and operational plans
  • Highlighting sensitivities & risks and delivering timely, accurate and granular reporting and commentary of [global] performance, linking business drivers to actual spend and forecast
  • Proactively driving efficiencies including seeking cross functional process solutions
  • Exploring needs with internal customers and suppliers and utilising this information to improve business results showing significant commercial and business acumen
  • Post deal management on agreements in area of accountability, able to analyse and interpret financial statements, understand complex company valuations and contribute to deal-related commercial analysis
  • Direct preparation of all presentations for key business and finance review meetings.
  • Working closely with Project / Capacity Managers to model and plan for volatile cost and resource demands
• Continuous Improvement, Governance and Coaching
  • Initiating changes to improve working practices and processes in Finance and communicating these amongst the Finance Business Partnering network
• Communicating governance and compliance standards and statutory regulations to non-specialists in a way that is understandable and relevant and relays the risk of commercial decisions effectively
• Leading insightful and proactive risk management processes to ensure the organisation’s regulations, rules and processes are adhered to, highlighting areas of concern and promoting continuous improvement in the robustness of the processes, sharing best practice across the business
• Developing the professional capability of the Finance team and the financial understanding of non-finance managers

Measures:

• Delivery of operating unit and functional scorecard
• Focus and 360 survey results
• Feedback from finance networks and business customers
• Quality of business cases and decisions support materials
• Timely, accurate and insightful performance reporting
• Conformance with key process deliverables and timelines

Minimum Criteria:

• Successful business partnering experience
• Experience of working in a global pharmaceutical organisation / deep understanding of the drug development life cycle and/or commercial aspects
• Exceptional communication and presentation skills, including oral & written.
• Excellent interpersonal skills.
• General people and management experience
• Successful track record of developing others and strong coaching skills
• Demonstrable knowledge of global and corporate business context

Date Posted

Closing Date

AstraZeneca embraces diversity and equality of opportunity.  We are committed to building an inclusive and diverse team representing all backgrounds, with as wide a range of perspectives as possible, and harnessing industry-leading skills.  We believe that the more inclusive we are, the better our work will be.  We welcome and consider applications to join our team from all qualified candidates, regardless of their characteristics.  We comply with all applicable laws and regulations on non-discrimination in employment (and recruitment), as well as work authorization and employment eligibility verification requirements.