Senior Manager, FP&A - Product Margin Planning

INTRODUCTION

At Burberry, we believe creativity opens spaces. Our purpose is to unlock the power of imagination to push boundaries and open new possibilities for our people, our customers and our communities. This is the core belief that has guided Burberry since it was founded in 1856 and is central to how we operate as a company today.  

We aim to provide an environment for creative minds from different backgrounds to thrive, bringing a wide range of skills and experiences to everything we do. As a purposeful, values-driven brand, we are committed to being a force for good in the world as well, creating the next generation of sustainable luxury for customers, driving industry change and championing our communities.

JOB PURPOSE

As the Senior Manager, FP&A for Product Margin Planning, you will be responsible for leading and overseeing key aspects of Burberry Group-wide gross margin analysis, forecasting and reporting.  In this capacity, the role will oversee a range of Product Margin planning activities previously carried out across different parts of Finance into a core Gross Margin Centre of Excellence within the Financial Planning & Analysis (FP&A) function to drive consistency and efficiency.

The role will provide critical financial insights to support strategic decision-making, drive margin improvement and ensure accurate group-wide margin in tandem with corporate-wide initiatives to drive efficiencies in these areas.

RESPONSIBILITIES

Product/Gross Margin Analysis & Reporting:

• Develop and maintain Product Margin models and reporting, including variance analyses against budget, forecasts and prior periods.  Emphasis will be on “upstream” aspects of gross margin planning as they relate to merchandising, pricing and product development to project and monitor Product Margin.  As necessary, assist in the analysis & reporting of Initial Margin, Achieved Margin and financial Gross Margin.
• Provide in-depth analysis of Product Margin drivers, including pricing, cost of goods sold (COGS), planned product mix and other relevant factors.
• Collaborate with key partners to identify levers, risks and opportunities on Product Margin performance and company/channel-level inventory positions.
• Prepare and present clear and concise financial reports and presentations to senior management and relevant stakeholders.

Forecasting & Budgeting:

• Lead the development and consolidation of Product Margin forecasts and budgets, and as necessary assist in the planning of Initial Margin, Achieved Margin and financial Gross Margin.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to gather relevant data and assumptions for forecasting.
• Develop and maintain robust forecasting models and methodologies for gross margin.
• Analyse forecast variances and provide insightful explanations to drive performance improvement.

Business Collaboration:

• Collaborate with relevant business unit leaders and stakeholders to best understand, measure and report on drivers of gross margin performance and provide value-added reporting and analysis to drive margin efficiency across core value chain.
• Proactively identify and communicate financial risks and opportunities to relevant partners.
• Provide financial guidance and support for strategic initiatives related to gross margin improvement.

Process Improvement:

• Continuously evaluate and improve FP&A processes relating to Gross Margin analysis, forecasting, and reporting, with an aim to improve ways of working and streamline overall Gross Margin planning process.
• Support the development of a comprehensive, end-to-end gross margin planning centre of excellence within the broader FP&A team.
• Drive and implement new best practices and unlock ways to utilise financial systems and tools more effectively.
• Develop and maintain tracking of key performance indicators (KPIs) to monitor Gross Margin performance.

Team Leadership:

• Foster a collaborative and high-performing team environment across the broader FP&A team

Ad-hoc Analysis & Projects:

• Conduct ad-hoc financial analysis and provide support for various projects as required.
• Contribute to the development of gross margin models and presentations to support strategic decision-making.

PERSONAL PROFILE

• Bachelor's degree in Finance, Accounting, Economics, or a related field. Professional accounting qualification (e.g., ACA, ACCA, CIMA) a plus.
• Significant experience (7+ years) in financial planning and analysis, with a strong focus on Gross Margin analysis and reporting. Experience in global and multi-channel retail a strong plus.

Technical Skills:

• Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel and other Microsoft Office Suite applications.
• Experience with financial planning and analysis systems (e.g., Oracle Hyperion, SAP BPC, Anaplan) desirable.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with the ability to interpret complex financial data and provide insightful recommendations.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to present financial information clearly and concisely to both financial and non-financial audiences. 
• Proven ability to lead and develop a team (if applicable).
• Strong understanding of business operations and drivers of profitability.
• High level of accuracy and attention to detail.

FOOTER

Burberry is an Equal Opportunities Employer and as such, treats all applications equally and recruits purely on the basis of skills and experience.