Lead Finance Data Analyst

Job Description

The Role

Lead Finance Data Analyst

Location: Warrington (Hybrid - 3 days per week onsite)

Salary: Competitive + excellent benefits Contract: Permanent

Shape the future of Finance at United Utilities

United Utilities is on an exciting journey. As we modernise our Finance function, we’re moving away from manual, fragmented reporting and legacy BI tools and towards a modern, automated, insight‑driven data ecosystem that powers real‑time decision‑making across the business.

This newly created role sits right at the centre of that transformation.

As our Lead Finance Data Analyst, you’ll play a pivotal role in redefining how Finance partners with Operations and the wider business. You’ll help shift the team from traditional reporting to becoming a true strategic performance partner — surfacing cost intelligence daily, driving financial discipline, and embedding data‑driven decision‑making across the organisation.

If you’re energised by transformation, passionate about modern data practices, and excited by the opportunity to build something new, this is a rare chance to make a real, lasting impact.

What we offer:

• 26 days annual leave, increasing to 30 days after four years, plus 8 bank holidays
• Competitive pension with up to 14% employer contribution (21% combined) and life cover
• Up to 20% performance‑related bonus
• £5,000 car allowance
• Comprehensive company‑funded healthcare plan

What you’ll be doing

Lead the transformation of Finance data & reporting

• Drive the end‑to‑end modernisation of Totex financial reporting, replacing manual processes with automated, scalable, governed data solutions.
• Design and implement modern data pipelines that integrate SAP data with BI and analytics layers.
• Champion the adoption of AI‑assisted analytics tools (e.g., Microsoft Copilot, Claude) to accelerate insight delivery and boost analytical capacity.
• Reduce reliance on Excel by building reusable data models and self‑service reporting capabilities.

Deliver high‑quality insight & analytics

• Build automated dashboards and reporting products that give Finance and Operations daily visibility of Totex cost performance.
• Conduct advanced financial analysis including variance, trend, scenario and predictive modelling.
• Develop a semantic data layer and consistent reporting framework aligned to the chart of accounts.
• Translate complex data into clear, compelling insight for senior leaders and non‑technical audiences.

Partner with Operations to drive performance

• Embed financial KPIs and cost metrics into operational routines and decision‑making.
• Create operational scorecards and dashboards that put cost performance front and centre.
• Build financial literacy and a cost‑conscious culture across the Totex business.

Lead transformation projects & drive change

• Own and deliver transformation workstreams with autonomy and credibility.
• Lead change management activity to ensure new tools, processes, and ways of working are adopted successfully.
• Contribute to the long‑term design of the Finance Performance & Optimisation operating model, with potential to build and lead a team as the function grows.

Strengthen data governance & architecture

• Shape the Totex Finance data architecture, ensuring data quality, lineage, and governance.
• Work closely with IT and data engineering teams to align with enterprise data strategy.
• Document models, definitions, and pipelines to support auditability and knowledge transfer.

What you’ll bring

Essential technical expertise

• Expert level SQL for complex data extraction, transformation, and analysis.
• Strong proficiency in a major BI tool Power BI strongly preferred (data modelling, DAX, governed reporting).
• Hands‑on experience using AI tools to accelerate analysis and insight generation.
• Proven leadership of transformation projects and ability to influence senior stakeholders.
• Strong project management skills with the ability to deliver at pace.

Additional desirable skills

• Experience with ETL/ELT tools (dbt, Azure Data Factory, Databricks, etc.).
• Familiarity with SAP FI/CO data structures.
• Strong data modelling capability (dimensional models, semantic layers).
• Collaborative, curious, and comfortable challenging the status quo.
• Passion for continuous learning in data, AI, and finance technology.

Qualifications & experience

• Degree in a quantitative, analytical, or finance‑related discipline.
• Significant experience in a senior data analyst, analytics engineer, or data scientist role.
• Experience working on large‑scale data transformation or finance modernisation programmes.

Why join United Utilities?

You’ll be joining at a pivotal moment with the autonomy, visibility, and support to shape the future of Finance. You’ll work with modern tools, forward‑thinking leaders, and a business that genuinely values innovation and continuous improvement.

If you want to make a meaningful impact, accelerate your career, and help build a Finance function fit for the future, we’d love to hear from you.