Pearson
Advanced Specialist, Financial Reporting, Planning and Analysis
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Job Title - Advanced Specialist, Financial Reporting, Planning and Analysis
Description
Support business performance through financial reporting, planning, forecasting and analysis, helping leaders make informed decisions through accurate financial insight and data-driven recommendations. This role aligns with market titles such as FP&A Analyst, Financial Analyst, Financial Reporting Analyst, Finance Business Partner, Commercial Finance Analyst or Management Accountant.
About the Role
As an Advanced Specialist, Financial Reporting, Planning and Analysis within Pearson Finance Services (PFS), you will play a key role in delivering high-quality financial reporting, planning, forecasting and performance analysis to support Corporate Functions.
You will own core planning and performance management activities, producing accurate, decision-ready financial insight while helping stakeholders understand business performance, risks, opportunities and future outlook.
Working closely with Finance and business teams, you'll support month-end reporting, budgeting, forecasting and financial analysis while continuously improving processes, controls and reporting capability through automation, standardisation and AI-enabled tools.
This is an excellent opportunity for a finance professional who enjoys combining technical finance expertise with business partnering, analysis and continuous improvement.
What You'll Do
Financial Reporting & Analysis
- Deliver month-end financial reporting, rolling forecasts, annual budgeting and ad-hoc financial analysis
- Produce accurate, timely and decision-ready financial outputs supported by clear commentary and insight
- Develop and maintain driver-based financial models to explain performance and support planning decisions
- Perform detailed variance analysis to identify risks, opportunities and performance drivers
Planning & Forecasting
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- Support annual planning, forecasting and performance management cycles
- Partner with stakeholders to align assumptions and improve planning accuracy
- Contribute to financial narratives that support decision-making across Corporate Functions
- Analyse financial and operational performance trends and recommend actions
Business Partnering
- Build strong relationships with Finance and business stakeholders
- Provide financial guidance and support business decision-making
- Translate complex financial information into clear, actionable recommendations
- Support executive-level reporting and performance reviews
Process Improvement & Automation
- Drive standardisation, simplification and continuous improvement across finance processes
- Leverage automation and AI-enabled tools to improve efficiency and reporting quality
- Design and improve dashboards, KPIs and self-service reporting solutions
- Work with Finance Systems, Data and BI teams to enhance reporting capability
Governance & Controls
- Maintain robust governance, controls and audit trails across reporting and planning activities
- Ensure financial and operational data remains accurate, reconciled and reliable
- Support data quality improvement initiatives and reporting integrity
- Contribute to development of best practice across planning, reporting and financial management activities
What We're Looking For
Essential Experience & Skills
- Relevant accountancy qualification (or equivalent finance experience)
- Experience within Financial Reporting, FP&A, Management Accounting or Commercial Finance
- Strong planning, budgeting, forecasting and performance reporting experience
- Proven ability to produce clear financial analysis, insight and commentary
- Experience partnering with senior stakeholders across multiple teams
- Advanced Excel skills including PivotTables, Power Query and financial modelling
- Strong variance analysis and performance management capability
- Experience working with ERP and financial reporting systems (Oracle preferred)
- Demonstrated ability to improve processes, controls and reporting efficiency
- Excellent communication skills with the ability to explain financial information clearly to non-finance stakeholders
- Strong attention to detail, ownership and accountability
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Nice to Have
- Experience with AI-enabled reporting or finance automation tools
- Experience building dashboards and self-service reporting solutions
- Exposure to Power BI, Tableau or similar reporting platforms
- Knowledge of KPI development and reporting governance frameworks
- Experience working within a global organisation
Location & Working Pattern
Hybrid – Belfast
This role follows a hybrid working model, with an expectation of two days per week in our Belfast office and the remainder working remotely.
You'll work closely with Finance and business stakeholders across multiple teams and geographies, supporting a global organisation while benefiting from the flexibility of hybrid working.
Why Join Pearson?
At Pearson, we're transforming learning for millions of people around the world. As part of Pearson Finance Services, you'll play an important role in helping business leaders make informed decisions through accurate reporting, insightful analysis and forward-looking financial planning.
You'll join a collaborative team that embraces innovation, automation and continuous improvement while offering excellent opportunities for professional growth and career progression within a global organisation.
Whether you're looking to deepen your FP&A capability, strengthen your reporting expertise or broaden your business partnering experience, Pearson provides the scale, support and development opportunities to help you achieve your goals.
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