Music is Universal
It’s the passionate and dedicated team at Universal Music who help make us the world’s leading music company. From A&R to finance, legal to digital, sales to marketing, Universal Music is the place to grow and develop your career within a truly commercial and innovative business that leads in everything it does.
Everyone is welcome to apply for our roles, and we are determined to ensure that no applicant or employee receives less favourable treatment because of gender, race, disability, sexual orientation, religion, belief, age, marital status, background, pregnancy, or caring responsibilities. We also recognise the importance of diversity of thought within our teams and are fully committed to embracing the talents of people with autism, dyslexia, ADHD, and other forms of neurocognitive variation.
We will always seek to make appropriate adjustments to recruitment, workplaces, and work processes to be fully inclusive to people with different needs and working styles. If you need us to make any reasonable adjustments for you from application onwards, including alternatives to the online form or to disclose a neurocognitive condition, please email UniversalMusicCareers@umusic.com.
The Department/Role
The Global Finance FP&A team is responsible for the review and analysis of UMG’s financial performance at a global, divisional and operating company level, communicating the results and key insights to management through financial reports, analysis and presentations.
The team closely supports the UMG CFO, Group Controller, UMG Board and Investor Relations teams, and works closely with Heads of Finance across the operating companies.
The Group FP&A Analyst, reporting to the Global FP&A Manager, will play a key role in the review and analysis of UMG’s consolidated global results, including revenue, profitability and cash flow performance. The role will also take responsibility for a portfolio of territories, developing a strong understanding of their businesses and acting as a key point of contact within Global Finance for their financial performance, forecasts and other finance-related matters.
Key Responsibilities
- Take primary FP&A responsibility for a portfolio of territories, acting as the Global Finance point of contact and working closely with local Finance teams to review and understand financial performance, forecasts and key business drivers.
- Perform detailed variance analysis and investigations of actual and forecast results against budget, prior forecasts and other relevant benchmarks, identifying and explaining key performance drivers, trends, risks and opportunities across Group, divisional and operating company levels.
- Review and analyse cash flow performance and forecasts, including investigation of material variances and identification of the principal drivers of cash generation and working capital performance.
- Prepare and analyse key monthly financial reports covering Group, divisional and operating company performance, ensuring that significant movements, trends and business drivers are clearly understood and communicated.
- Support the preparation of financial analysis and presentations for the UMG CFO, Group Controller, UMG Board and other senior management, ensuring that key financial messages and business drivers are communicated clearly and accurately.
- Support the Group forecasting, budgeting and longer-term planning processes, including review and challenge of operating company submissions and consolidation and analysis of Group results.
- Support adherence to UMG accounting policies and relevant IFRS requirements, working closely with the Group Financial Reporting team and operating company Finance teams as appropriate.
- Provide additional ad hoc financial analysis support to the UMG CFO, Group Controller and Global Finance EVP as well as other senior stakeholders.
Skills and Experience Required
Must Have:
- A recognised professional accounting qualification (ACA, ACCA, CIMA or equivalent).
- Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills with the ability to interpret complex financial information, identify key performance drivers and draw clear, commercially relevant conclusions.
- Financial modelling and advanced Excel skills, with experience of building and maintaining robust financial models and analytical tools. Experience with macros and/or other automation tools would be advantageous.
- Ability to explain and present financial results, key trends and complex issues in a clear, accurate and concise manner to both finance and non-finance stakeholders.
- Strong interpersonal and business-partnering skills, with the ability to build effective relationships with colleagues across different territories, functions and levels of seniority.
- Attention to detail, with the ability to interpret financial information in the broader commercial context and identify key business drivers.
- Ability to manage competing priorities, take ownership of deliverables and work effectively to tight deadlines in a fast-paced environment.
- Collaborative approach and strong work ethic, with the ability to work effectively both independently and as part of a wider team.
- Proactive and improvement-focused mindset, with the ability to add value through enhanced analysis, development and continuous improvements of processes and reporting.
- An interest in music and enthusiasm for working within the music and entertainment industry.
Nice to Have:
- Experience working within a large, complex multinational organisation and/or a multi-territory finance environment.
- Experience with Hyperion or similar enterprise performance management, consolidation and reporting systems.
Just So You Know…
The company presents this job description as a guide to the major areas and duties for which the jobholder is accountable. However, the business operates in an environment that demands change and the jobholder's specific responsibilities and activities will vary and develop. Therefore, the job description should be seen as indicative and not as a permanent, definitive, and exhaustive statement.