Finance Business Partner (Customer Development)

Who are we?

At Unilever, we share one simple purpose: To make sustainable living commonplace. Through our powerhouse brands such as Dove, Axe and Magnum, we are creating a bright future for our business and our planet – And you can be part of it. We believe that companies with purpose last, people with purpose thrive and brands with purpose grow. We meet everyday needs for nutrition, hygiene and personal care with brands that help people feel good, look good and get more out of life.

Business context and main purpose of the job

The Finance Business Partner Customer Development (CDF) Belgium plays a key role in the Benelux MCO organization (Turnover 1.3bln). You will be part of the Customer Development Finance team, report to the Finance Director Customer Development Belgium and will be based in Citydox, Brussels.

As CDF you are a business partner to the entire customer development organization in Belgium. You will be co-accountable for the results of Belgium (0.3m) and you will play a key role in driving increased value for the business through cross category customer development value projects and interventions. Ready to learn? Every day will have a new challenge and given your daily interactions with CD you will be as close to “earning” money as you can be as a financial in Unilever!

What will your main accountabilities be?

• Drive value creation in (annual) negotiations in cooperation with Sales Directors and Lead Account managers.
• Co-ownership of Customer Development performance – drive strategic and financial interventions in (cross category) customer P&Ls. Pro-actively optimize TMI investments and drive opportunities / manage risks from (annual) deals.
• Lead (annual) deal implementation: work with operations teams to ensure correct invoicing and automated deal track of contractual obligations (provisions vs. pay-out).
• Continuously improve operational processes for all CD teams (i.e. correct provisioning / prevent price claims / contractual agreements in the FC) together with Operations teams.
• Coordinate IBP (Integrated Business Plan) to ensure a proper pricing plan for Belgium in the following year.
• Strengthen governance where value is at stake (i.e. Promo investments, Rebate control) across customers.
• Agile business partner to customer development where value is at stake, new customer and/or channel opportunities, customer mergers & acquisitions and Middle Europe projects.

Key working relationships

• Finance Director CDF: Present progress and key messages from project work. Escalate major risks and issues for support with mitigation and resolution.
• Sales Directors & Key Account Managers: Work with customer development leaders to define scope and objectives. Use financial insight to influence decisions.
• Customer teams: Attend customer meetings to drive major value topics
• Operations: Work with different teams for operational excellence: pricing team for TMI, FET for Forecast and I&A for data & insights.

Experience and skills you should have

• Experience in managing a large and complex set of stakeholders
• Experience in presenting to and communicating with senior Finance and non-Finance stakeholders
• Experience in driving P&L improvements (e.g. closing gaps vs. target) and holding others accountable (particularly peers and senior leadership)
• Finance Business partnering and Category/Customer experience. Customer Controlling experience is a pre.
• Ability to present complex information in a simplified manner

• High degree of flexibility and ability to quickly understand new topics
• Resilience (ability to cope with time pressure and challenges)
• Strong analytical skills, Excel modelling skills and attention to detail
• Strong engagement, presentation and communication skills
• Financial academic level or equivalent experience.
• Preferred: French and English speaking, nice to have additional Dutch speaking.

Competencies we are looking for

• Analysis and Decision Making - Assimilates and analyses information effectively in order to make informed decisions quickly: you are able to focus on essentials and drive a direction with a 80-20 impact mindset.
• Accelerating business growth - Is results focused and agile in approach to achieve goals and ultimately accelerate business growth. Adopts a structured and logical approach from planning to delivery; produces exceptional results and is resilient under pressure
• Big Picture Thinking - Understands Unilever’s customer development vision, aims and objectives and own role within it; thinks broadly, is commercial in their approach and is digitally savvy/utilizes technology to achieve efficiencies and improvements
• Innovation and Change Orientation - Constantly identifies opportunities to improve and differentiate; considers the impact of change on others.
• Consumer obsessed - Works closely with stakeholders to define and meet consumer needs; stays abreast of future trends, consumer needs and wants and the Belgium retailer landscape.
• Influencing Skills and Learning Agility - Verbal and written communication is clear and effective; listens and learns from others; shares information, knowledge and experience with others.

EXCITED ABOUT THE ROLE?

To apply, you must do so online. Please do not forget to upload your CV and a motivation letter.

Unilever is an organisation committed to equity, inclusion and diversity to drive our business results and create a better future, every day, for our diverse employees, global consumers, partners, and communities. We believe a diverse workforce allows us to match our growth ambitions and drive inclusion across the business. At Unilever we are interested in every individual bring ing their ‘Whole Self’ to work and this includes you! Thus if you require any support or access requirements, we encourage you to advise us at the time of your application so that we can support you through your recruitment journey.