Financial Analyst

Gloucester, UK / Hybrid working

About Optimas:

Optimas is a global distributor of integrated supply chain solutions, and engineering support focused on delivering fasteners, components, industrial and safety supplies to our diverse customers around the world. Our local, on-the-ground teams understand the nuances of every community we serve. This allows us to adapt with our customers and partners as needs evolve, leveraging our footprint to remain at your side while providing a highly personalized level of service and support no matter where you find yourself around the globe.

To learn more, please visit our website http://www.optimas.com/

Job Purpose:

We are seeking a commercially minded and analytically driven Financial Analyst to join our global finance team. This role is ideal for someone who enjoys working with data, uncovering insights, and supporting business decision-making, whether your background is in finance, business analysis, or data analytics.

As a Financial Analyst, you will play a key role in planning, analysing, and communicating business performance. You will work with large datasets, build financial models, and deliver insights that help drive strategic decisions across the organisation.

This is not a traditional accounting role. Instead, we are looking for someone with strong analytical capability, curiosity, and a passion for turning data into meaningful business insight. You’ll collaborate closely with stakeholders across finance, operations, and commercial teams, helping to improve performance through better visibility and understanding of key financial drivers.

You will also contribute to enhancing our FP&A processes through improved reporting, automation, and the use of data visualisation tools, enabling faster, smarter, and more informed decision-making.

Role of Department:

The finance department is a critical function responsible for managing the monetary resources of the business to ensure its financial health and sustainability. Its primary roles include accurate financial reporting, monitoring income and expenditure, and producing financial statements to provide visibility into company performance.

In addition, the department supports forward-looking activities such as budgeting, forecasting, and investment planning, while ensuring compliance with financial regulations and maintaining strong internal controls. Finance also delivers key insights and analysis that guide strategic decision-making across the organisation.

Key Result Areas:

• Support the budgeting, forecasting, and long-range planning processes.
• Perform detailed financial analysis, including variance analysis, trend analysis, and performance tracking.
• Develop and maintain financial models to support business planning, scenario analysis, and investment decisions.
• Produce regular management reports, dashboards, and KPIs to provide clear insights into business performance.
• Assist in improving FP&A processes through automation and enhanced use of data and reporting tools.
• Support cash flow forecasting and working capital analysis.
• Collaborate with business stakeholders to understand financial performance and provide actionable recommendations.
• Ensure accuracy, consistency, and integrity of financial data across reporting systems.
• Contribute to continuous improvement initiatives within finance, including process optimisation and system enhancements.
• Assist in the preparation of presentations and analysis for senior leadership.

“The post-holder will be required to undertake such tasks as may be reasonably expected within the scope and level of the role”.

Additional Key Duties:

• Act as a leader within the FP&A and wider Finance Function
• Adhere, embrace and promote the Optimas THREAD principles

Knowledge, Training, Experience & Skills required:

• Proven experience in financial analysis, FP&A, business analysis, or a similar analytical role.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to interpret complex data and translate it into actionable insights.
• Advanced Excel skills, including financial modelling and data manipulation.
• Experience working with financial systems or ERP platforms (e.g. NetSuite) is desirable but not essential.
• Familiarity with data visualisation tools (e.g. Power BI, Tableau) is advantageous.
• Good understanding of budgeting, forecasting, and performance analysis principles.
• Strong attention to detail and commitment to data accuracy.
• Excellent communication skills, with the ability to present financial information clearly to non-finance stakeholders.
• Commercial awareness and an understanding of key business drivers.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities and work effectively in a fast-paced environment.
• A proactive and collaborative approach, with a continuous improvement mindset.

Qualifications:

• A degree in Finance, Economics, Business, Mathematics, or a related field is desirable but not essential.
• Professional accounting qualifications (e.g. ACCA, CIMA, ACA) are not required; relevant experience and analytical capability are equally valued.

Optimas OE Solutions provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability or genetics. In addition to federal law requirements, Optimas OE Solutions complies with applicable state and local laws governing nondiscrimination in employment in every location in which the company has facilities. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation and training.