Commercial Finance Analyst

Unilever is currently hiring for Commercial Finance Analyst

Reports to: Commercial Director

Scope: Southern Africa

Location: Johannesburg /Durban

Terms & Conditions: Full time, Permanent

ABOUTUNILEVER

With 3.4 billion people in over 190 countries using our products every day, Unilever is a business that makes a real impact on the world. Work on brands that are loved and improve the lives of our consumers and the communities around us. We are driven by our purpose: to make sustainable living commonplace, and it is our belief that doing business the right way drives superior performance. At the heart of what we do is our people – we believe that when our people work with purpose, we will create a better business and a better world. 

At Unilever, your career will be a unique journey, grounded in our inclusive, collaborative, and flexible working environment. We don’t believe in the ‘one size fits all’ approach and instead we will equip you with the tools you need to shape your own future.

JOB PURPOSE

Find your purpose at Unilever. You will lead innovations, big and small, that will make our business win and grow. You will learn from brilliant business leaders and colleagues in a truly global and diverse culture to ultimately become a better you. This role plays a key role in the company’s corporate management accounting systems (incl governance and controls, budgeting, planning & reporting and management of business performance.)

WHAT WILL YOUR MAIN RESPONSIBILITIES BE

Position Overview: The Finance Analyst will play a critical role in supporting the Commercial Finance Director by providing financial insights, reporting, and analysis to drive business performance and strategic decision-making.

Key Responsibilities:

• Leadership:

  • Demonstrate visible leadership in Finance and engage in industry forums to enhance the organization's reputation.

  • Lead teams in delivering people agenda activities, including mentoring, recruiting, and talent management.

• Information Management & Reporting:

  • Responsible for the stewardship of financial forecasts, including submission and review of financial trade-off decisions.

  • Lead the preparation and execution of presentations and performance reviews with senior stakeholders.

• Performance Reporting:

  • Accountable for internal validation and sign-off.

  • Provide timely guidance on the accounting implications of business decisions. 

• Business Partnering:

  • Provide financial decision support to the country leadership teams, ensuring alignment of business targets and reward systems.

  • Drive Return on Marketing Investment (ROMI) savings through analytics and effective resource management. 

• Continuous Improvement:

  • Lead the digital, simplification and process improvement initiatives.

Experiences & Qualifications

• Professional qualification in accountancy – CA or CIMA (or other finance professional qualification) preferably or nearing completion of professional qualification.

• Strong analytical capabilities with bias to drive action

• Ability to manage upwards

• Ability to steer conversations and influence

• Understanding or ability to quickly grasp financial principles in the end-to-end, identify and drive relevant value-creating choices and decisions

• Ability to handle and work under pressure and to meet tight deadlines

Skills

• Proficiency in financial forecasting and reporting tools.

• Ability to analyze complex financial data and provide actionable insights.

• Strong organizational skills and attention to detail.

• Leadership skills – able to lead, motivate, inspire

• Strong communication and influencing skills

• Ability to present complex information in a simplified manner and clearly explain Finance concepts to non-Finance stakeholders.

• Strong Analytical skills and ability to communicate analytical findings both verbally (in meetings) and in written form (through formal presentations)

• Strong initiative and ability to work under pressure

• Ability to work under pressure and late hour over the month end reporting period

• SAP, GCUT, Ifinance experience

Leadership

• You are energized by delivering fantastic results. You are an example to others – both your results and your resilience. You are constantly on the lookout for better ways to do things, engaging and collaborating with others along the way.

• As an individual you are the one responsible for your own wellbeing and delivering high standards of work. You must also focus on the Consumer and what they need. You are humble and have your head up, looking around to interpret evidence and data smartly, spot issues and opportunities to make things better.

• Critical SOL (Standards of Leadership) Behaviors

  • PASSION FOR HIGH PERFORMANCE: Takes personal responsibility and accountability for execution and results. Has an owner’s mindset, using data and insight to make decisions.

  • PERSONAL MASTERY: Sets high standards for themselves. Actively builds own wellbeing and resilience.

  • CONSUMER LOVE: Whatever their role, always looks for better ways to serve consumers. Invests time inside and outside to understand the needs of consumers.

  • PURPOSE & SERVICE: Has humility, understanding that leadership is service to others, inside and outside Unilever.

  • AGILITY: Explores the world around them, continually learning and developing their skills.

Unilever is an organisation committed to equity, inclusion and diversity to drive our business results and create a better future, every day, for our diverse employees, global consumers, partners, and communities. We believe a diverse workforce allows us to match our growth ambitions and drive inclusion across the business. At Unilever we are interested in every individual bringing their ‘Whole Self’ to work and this includes you! Thus if you require any support or access requirements, we encourage you to advise us at the time of your application so that we can support you through your recruitment journey.