Finance Business Partner

About This Role

Job Purpose

The Finance Business Partner - Commercial serves as the financial architect and strategic advisor for our commercial operations, with primary responsibility to provide guidance for product costing, pricing strategy, and profitability optimization. This role is the critical financial link between Finance, Operational and Commercial teams, translating commercial ambitions into financially sound strategies while ensuring sustainable profit delivery.

As a trusted business partner, you will work operationally embedded with the Commercial Director and sales teams, providing real-time financial guidance on pricing decisions, promotional investments, product launches, and customer profitability. You will drive commercial excellence through rigorous cost management, data-driven pricing analytics, and proactive identification of margin enhancement opportunities.

This is not a traditional Finance role - we seek a hands-on, commercially-minded finance professional with strong project/product financial management experience who thrives in a dynamic commercial environment and can influence business decisions through financial insights and process rigor.

Key responsibilities:

Cost Management

• Own and maintain comprehensive product cost structures
• Drive cost optimization initiatives
• Manage cost baseline integrity
• Support procurement and supply chain

Key Accountabilities:

• Cost variance explanations provided within agreed business days post month-end
• Standard cost accuracy maintained >95%

Pricing Strategy & Execution

• Maintain and optimize pricing architecture
• Drive pricing discipline and opportunities
• Pricing governance and approval
• New product launch pricing

Key Accountabilities:

• Price list accuracy maintained 100% across all channels
• 100% of new product launches have approved financial business cases
• Net price realization maintained at agreed % of list price (or improvement target)

Profitability Management and Analysis

• Product profitability ownership
• Customer and channel profitability
• Promotional effectiveness analysis
• Margin management

Key Accountabilities:

• Monthly product profitability reporting delivered at agreed business day post-month-end
• Promotional ROI analysis completed for 100% of major campaigns
• Gross-to-Net % maintained within ±% of budget targets
• Portfolio margin improvement initiatives deliver X% annual uplift

Commercial Reporting, Analysis and Business Insights

• Monthly and quarterly financial reporting
• Variance analysis and commentary
• Forward-looking financial planning
• Ad-hoc analysis and decision support

Key Accountabilities:

• Monthly commercial financial pack delivered by agreed business day post-month-end
• Variance commentary provided for all material (>X%) deviations
• Forecast accuracy maintained within ±X% of actuals for revenue and margin
• Flexibility to work on some urgent requests

Strategic Commercial Partnership and Leadership

• Embedded business partnering internally and externally (i.e. BDA negotiations)
• Commercial strategy enablement into financial metrics
• Cross-functional project leadership
• Financial education and capability building

Key Accountabilities:

• Commercial stakeholder satisfaction score >85% (measured quarterly)
• Participation in 100% of major commercial initiatives and customer negotiations
• Lead 2-3 cross-functional improvement projects annually
• Deliver financial training to commercial teams at least quarterly

Educational and Experience:

• Bachelor's degree in Finance, Business OR related field
• Strong academic foundation combined with practical experience in cost accounting, managerial accounting, and financial statement analysis
• Minimum 5 years of progressive finance experience
• At least 3 years in commercial finance, product finance, or business partnering roles
• Proven track record managing product/project P&Ls or cost structures
• Strong commercial partnership experience - must have worked directly with sales/commercial teams
• Product financial management experience is essential (NOT pure FP&A roles)
• Should be flexible to travel when required

Industry Experience

• FMCG / Consumer Goods
• Retail / Distribution
• Manufacturing with commercial orientation
• Experience in UAE or GCC markets is highly advantageous