| Detail | For this role |
|---|---|
| Department | Finance and Accounts |
| Level | Manager |
| Reports to | Head of FP&A |
| Direct reports | FP&A Analyst |
| Experience | 5 to 8 years in FP&A or financial analysis |
FP&A Manager job description template
Copy this job description, replace the text in square brackets and post it on your careers page or a job portal.
Job title: FP&A Manager
Department: Finance and Accounts
Reports to: Head of FP&A
Location: [City], [office, branch or site]
About the role
An FP&A Manager runs budgeting, forecasting and management reporting for a business or function. They build models, prepare the monthly pack, analyse variances and turn numbers into insight for decisions. The role reports to the Head of FP&A or finance leadership and often leads a few analysts. A good FP&A Manager delivers forecasts the business trusts, explains why results moved and gives leaders clear options, not just data. They connect finance to the plans behind the numbers.
Key responsibilities
- Run the budget and rolling forecast for the assigned business or function.
- Build and maintain financial models for revenue, cost, margin and cash.
- Prepare the monthly management pack with variance analysis against budget and forecast.
- Analyse profitability by product, customer and channel and flag margin issues.
- Support business cases for new products, capex and pricing.
- Track operating drivers and build scenarios for demand and cost changes.
- Partner with department heads to hold spend to plan and find savings.
- Standardise reporting templates and improve the monthly reporting process over time.
- Present findings and recommendations to finance and business leaders.
- Guide analysts, review their models and outputs, and raise reporting standards.
Requirements
- MBA in Finance, CA or CFA
- Strong modelling and analysis skills
- Advanced Excel and a BI tool
- 5 to 8 years in FP&A or financial analysis
KRAs and KPIs for a FP&A Manager
Key result areas for the appraisal form, each with a KPI you can measure every month or quarter.
| Key result area | How to measure it |
|---|---|
| Forecast accuracy | Forecast within 5 to 7 percent of actual revenue and profit each quarter |
| Reporting | Management pack delivered within the agreed days after close every month |
| Variance insight | Every major variance explained with a driver and an owner action |
| Decision support | Business cases delivered within the agreed turnaround |
| Budget cycle | Assigned budget completed within the group calendar |
| Model quality | No material error found in delivered models during review |
Skills and tools
Tools used day to day: Advanced Excel, Power BI, SAP, Anaplan, Financial modelling.
Reporting line and career path
Next roles: Head of FP&A, Finance Manager, AVP Finance
Interview questions for a FP&A Manager
- How do you build a forecast the business will commit to?
- Walk me through how you analyse a variance in operating profit.
- How do you keep a financial model clean enough for others to use?
- How do you decide what belongs in the monthly pack?
- Describe a business case you built and the decision it drove.
- How do you push back on an optimistic budget from a department?
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What does an FP&A Manager do?
An FP&A Manager runs budgeting, forecasting and management reporting for a business or function. They build models, prepare the monthly pack, analyse variances and profitability, and support business cases. They report to the Head of FP&A or finance leadership, often lead analysts and turn numbers into insight for decisions.
What is the difference between an FP&A Manager and an Accounts Manager?
An Accounts Manager records transactions and closes the books. An FP&A Manager looks forward: budgets, forecasts, variance analysis and business cases. Accounting is about accurate history and compliance; FP&A is about planning and helping leaders decide what to do next.
What qualifications does an FP&A Manager need?
Most FP&A Manager roles ask for an MBA in Finance, a CA or a CFA with strong modelling and analysis skills and five or more years in FP&A or financial analysis. Advanced Excel and a business intelligence tool are expected, along with the ability to explain numbers clearly to the business.