Fred. Olsen Travel Limited
Head of Financial Planning and Analysis

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Fred Olsen Travel
Fred Olsen Travel was established in 1988 with family values at its heart and knowledgeable staff across the board. As one of the UK’s most established travel companies, Fred. Olsen Travel provides outstanding customer service, choice and value for money through our distinct specialisms, covering land, river and sea to go along with the multiple high street travel agencies dotted around East Anglia and the South Coast. Fred. Olsen Travel is also the UK general sales agents for Star Clippers, Amadeus River Cruises and National Geographic Lindblad Expeditions.
Our Mission
Our mission is to be a world class provider of travel products and services with a reputation for outstanding customer service, unrivalled choice, exceptional quality and value for money.
About the Role
We are seeking an experienced Head of Financial Planning & Analysis (FP&A) to lead our financial planning, forecasting, budgeting and performance reporting activities. Reporting to the Managing Director and forming part of the Senior Leadership Team, this is a highly influential role that will provide strategic financial leadership and insight across the organisation.
As Head of FP&A, you will be responsible for overseeing departmental budgeting, forecasting and financial performance analysis, ensuring the business has robust financial information to support decision-making and sustainable growth. You will act as a trusted business partner to executive and operational leaders, helping to identify risks, opportunities and performance trends while driving financial accountability across the organisation.
This is an exciting opportunity for a commercially focused finance leader who enjoys transforming data into meaningful business insight and influencing strategic outcomes at the highest level.
Key Responsibilities
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- Oversee departmental budgeting, forecasting and financial performance analysis
- Ensure the business has robust financial information to support decision-making and sustainable growth
- Act as a trusted business partner to executive and operational leaders
- Help identify risks, opportunities and performance trends
- Drive financial accountability across the organisation
Qualifications and Skills
The successful candidate will have:
- An accountancy qualification, such as AAT, CIMA, ACCA or an equivalent financial qualification.
- Strong numerical and analytical skills, with the confidence to interpret complex financial data and present meaningful insights.
- Excellent problem-solving abilities, with a proactive approach to identifying issues, evaluating options and recommending solutions.
- Experience analysing financial and operational performance to support informed business decisions.
- A proven understanding of database systems and the ability to work with data to produce accurate and insightful reporting.
- Strong Microsoft Excel skills.
- Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to influence and challenge constructively at all levels.
- A highly organised approach, with excellent attention to detail and the ability to manage multiple priorities effectively.
Experience within the travel industry would be advantageous; however, this is not essential. We welcome applications from candidates across a range of sectors who can demonstrate strong financial planning and analysis expertise, commercial acumen and a desire to make a positive impact within a growing organisation.
Job Details
- Position Type: Full-Time
- Hours: 35 hours per week (Monday - Friday 9:00am - 5:00pm)
- Location: Head Office (Fred Olsen House, 42 White House Road, Ipswich, Suffolk, IP1 5LL)
- Work Pattern: Hybrid work pattern of 3 days in the office and 2 days at home


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Employee Benefits
Fred. Olsen Travel offers a wide range of exciting employee benefits including but not limited to Axa Health Private Medical, Life Assurance, Enhanced Maternity & Paternity Pay, Discounted Travel, Cruise Concessions plus retail discounts and cash back incentives through our Boost Benefits scheme.
Our Values
- Customer Driven: We strive to look through the lens of each customer to ensure we continuously put their needs and expectations at the heart of everything we do.
- Valuing Diversity: We believe differing views and experiences make us stronger. By working to create a representative and inclusive business, we can deliver the right solution to our customers in the right way.
- Investing in people: We believe that by continuously seeking to grow personally and professionally develop our people, we can improve our future today.
- Winning Together: We deliver our best outcomes and results when we all pull in the same direction, creating a positive team spirit where people feel valued, support each other and share in success together.
- Doing the right thing: We pride ourselves on doing what is right and building trust in every situation with our people, customers and community.
Equal Opportunity Employer
As an equal opportunity employer, we celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. We want to ensure that you feel supported throughout the application process and provide reasonable adjustments where necessary and requested. If you require any reasonable adjustments as part of your application and interview process, please do not hesitate to let us know.
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