Senior Finance Analyst - Distribution Centre Operations

At M&S, we're transforming our Fashion, Home & Beauty business to create a bigger, more profitable and truly omnichannel operation, with ambitious plans to double online sales over the long term. Delivering this transformation relies on a supply chain that is faster, smarter and more efficient than ever before. At the heart of this journey is Lichfield, our brand-new automated distribution centre, a major investment that will help redefine how products flow through our network and reach millions of customers.

We're looking for a commercially minded Senior Finance Analyst to partner our operations teams during one of the most exciting periods of change in our supply chain. From mobilisation and go-live through to stabilisation and ongoing optimisation, you'll play a critical role in helping shape the financial performance of one of the most advanced logistics operations in UK retail.

This is a fantastic opportunity for someone who enjoys getting close to the operation, understanding what drives performance, and turning data into meaningful insight that influences business decisions.

Our warehouse support teams are in the office all week as we believe that skills are developed through collaboration, and that spending time together makes us more creative and connected.

What you'll be doing

As Senior Finance Analyst, you'll work closely with site leadership and operational teams, helping to drive performance, improve controls and support key strategic decisions.

Your responsibilities will include:

• Partnering senior operational stakeholders to provide meaningful financial insight, challenge assumptions and drive accountability across warehouse performance, productivity, service and cost.
• Supporting the mobilisation and launch of the new Lichfield distribution centre, establishing finance processes, reporting, controls, reconciliations and visibility of key risks and opportunities.
• Owning budgeting, forecasting and periodic reporting processes, continuously improving the quality, speed and automation of finance outputs.
• Analysing warehouse economics, connecting volumes, labour, automation, productivity, inventory and operational performance to financial outcomes.
• Supporting peak planning, capacity management and operational decision making through scenario modelling, root-cause analysis and performance forecasting.

Who we're looking for

We're looking for a commercially curious finance professional who enjoys partnering with the business, solving problems and driving continuous improvement.

• A professional accounting qualification (ACA, ACCA, CIMA or equivalent)
• Strong business partnering or operational finance experience, ideally gained within logistics, warehousing, supply chain, retail, FMCG, manufacturing or other high-volume environments.
• Strong analytical capability with experience of budgeting, forecasting, modelling and performance analysis.
• Experience improving reporting, controls, processes or ways of working through operational change, transformation or systems implementation.
• Excellent stakeholder management skills with the confidence to influence and challenge non-finance audiences.
• Advanced Excel skills, with experience of Power BI or similar reporting tools desirable.

What’s in it for you? 

Working at M&S means being part of something bigger - helping to deliver quality, value and service to millions of customers every day. We’re inclusive, fast-moving and always evolving, with a strong sense of purpose and a focus on doing the right thing.

Here are just a few of the benefits that make working here even more rewarding:

• 20% colleague discount on all M&S products and many third-party brands for you and someone in your household, available once you’ve completed your probation
• Competitive holiday allowance with the option to buy more
• Discretionary bonus schemes linked to your performance and ours 
• Strong pension and life assurance to help plan for the future
• Tailored induction and training to support your development from day one
• Exclusive perks and savings through our M&S Choices portal
• Market-leading family policies, including parental, adoption and neonatal leave
• 24/7 wellbeing support, including virtual GP access and mental health services
• One paid volunteer day a year to support a cause that matters to you

Everyone’s welcome 

We are ambitious about the future of retail. We’re disrupting, innovating and leading the industry into a more conscientious, inspiring digital era. We’re transforming how we work together and offering our most exciting opportunities yet. Marks & Spencer strives to be an inclusive organisation, trusted and admired by our colleagues, customers and suppliers. Join us and make change happen.

We are committed to building diverse and representative teams, where everyone can bring their whole selves to work and be at their best. We support each other and work together to win together.

If you feel you'd benefit from any support or reasonable adjustments during any stage of the recruitment process, please don’t hesitate to let us know when completing your application. This information will be picked up by our team, so we can try and put steps in place to help you be at your best through this process.

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