LNG Finance Business Manager

Job Description

Centrica Energy Marketing & Trading (EM&T) is the trading arm of Centrica. We trade LNG, gas, power and energy attributes - and connect independent producers, suppliers and corporate off-takers in the wholesale energy markets.

We are recruiting for an experienced Finance Manager to work within our commodity trading business focused on creating value by improving the quality of decisions and ensure delivery of the highest financial benefit at an acceptable level of risk. The role will work closely with our LNG business ensuring the provision of robust financial reporting and analysis, planning and forecasts.

This is a London (close to Marble Arch) based role.

The Job role:

Commercial/ Business Partnering

• Commercial acumen: Build relationships with the commercial LNG team to enable collaboration, challenge and an understanding of the business
• Build commercial relationships: Provide support to the commercial teams through financial analysis including risk vs economics’ assessment and how activity affects working capital
• Self-starter: Reporting to the EM&T Finance Director, the successful candidate should be autonomous in their approach to assisting the business
• Collaborate with other teams: Work closely with internal Finance teams (Product Control, Treasury, Group Technical Accounting, Risk) and Operations teams (Commercial & Settlement Operations, LNG Operations, Credit and Market Risk) to understand treatment of new deals with reference to key metrics (balance sheet impact, PnL recognition, return on capital etc)
• External stakeholder management: Provide support to the external Auditors and wider Centrica Group stakeholders regarding existing activities and new deals to ensure thorough understanding on both sides of treatment, authoring/providing input to technical accounting papers
• Assess impact on Financials: Evaluate the IFRS implications of proposed portfolio changes and commercial activity on P&L and Balance Sheet
• Due Diligence on new deals: Support the business with the completion of investment submissions to the board
• Understand the strategic impact of decisions that are being made across the portfolio, in the context of the wider market
• Analytical review: Develop deep understanding of key drivers of revenue and costs, cashflow, and risks and opportunities and be conversant with the translation of commercial issues into financial impacts
• Support the wider finance team and business by providing robust, insight and analysis to drive improvements in financial performance
• Continuous improvement: Support Transformation activities through assessment of the existing MS Excel forecast, financial data tools, suggesting ideas for improvement and driving the design and delivery of changes
• Change management: Identify performance improvement interventions and design means of implementing associated changes. Facilitate relevant parts of the business to implement changes.

Financial Planning and Analysis

• Understand the commercial strategy: Liaise with the business to understand upcoming drivers and risks in the portfolio prior to compiling quarterly and long-term shape forecasts
• Budget and forecasting: Work closely with the EM&T Finance Managers to deliver the budget and forecasts, ensuring effective partnering with the business as necessary
• Model complexities: Support for the financial forecasting models, ensuring they are optimized for efficiency and accuracy and to clearly articulate the drivers behind movements in the P&L, Balance Sheet and Cash Flow, ensuring hedge positions are aligned with Product Control
• Maintain robust models: Ensure integrity of planning models and that spreadsheets meet best practice criteria
• Provide review and guidance on forecasts, validating the reasonableness of assumptions and challenging the business on stretch
• Working capital, liquidity and ROCE: Have a strong understanding of the business working capital utilisation, monitoring positions over key reporting periods and helping the business to manage their positions accordingly
• Translate financial business performance into clear reporting content (for inclusion in board specific reporting (FPR) etc)
• Risk management and sensitivity: Highlight key risks and opportunities and prepare scenario analysis as required
• Undertake bespoke reporting and demonstrate the usefulness of reports and analysis.

Management Reporting

• Ensure the financials reflect the commercial substance: Support the Product Control and Financial Control teams during the month-end reporting process, providing challenge to the numbers
• Ensure the integrity of forecasts: Analysis of the business financial performance vs. latest forecast, including identification and follow up of issues to be investigated
• Liaise with the appropriate Traders and senior management to support understanding of the realised P&L and meet on an on-going basis to monitor and review P&L performance of portfolio
• Be the first port of call for all finance matters: Identifying follow up actions to improve performance and deal with all finance related queries.

The Person:

• Qualified accountant, or possess a comparable qualification
• A curious mindset with experience of challenging the status quo to create value
• An understanding of the complexities of LNG, its accounting intricacies and the impact of its physical nature on the financials would be highly beneficial
• Working knowledge of risk management and audit processes
• Understanding of commodity markets, energy trading products and structured contracts and their impact upon working capital
• Knowledge and demonstrable experience of working with IFRS derivatives and their accounting requirements (IFRS9 (Financial Instruments)/IFRS13(Fair Value Measurement))
• Awareness of and experience in applying the key aspects of own use accounting as prescribed by IFRS9
• Ability to pro-actively develop positive and highly effective working relationships, influencing management on delivery and relevant strategy
• Strong ability to summarise complex matters and communicate effectively to influence a range of audiences
• Ability to identify, assess and analyse organisation wide operational risks and control
• Develops understanding of the business in order to translate operational drivers into accurate forecasts
• Communication of analysis and insight across the business
• Building financial models, creating robust forecasts and budgets.

At Centrica we embrace diversity and actively seek to attract individuals with unique backgrounds and perspectives. To build a more sustainable future, we need the best team – a team with a diverse mix of people and skills, where everyone feels welcome and able to succeed. We are dedicated in helping to close the diversity gap and would love to see more females, people of colour and LGBTQ+ employees, as well as those from a variety of cultures and ethnicity to veterans and the differently abled. Supporting diversity and inclusion is a big part of who we are, we are not looking for people to fit into our culture but to add to it!

PLEASE APPLY ONLINE by hitting the 'Apply' button.

Applications will ONLY be accepted via the ‘Apply’ button.

This role is being handled by the Centrica recruitment team and NO agency contact is required.