Finance Analyst

Finance/ Data Analyst

Permanent
Salary: £34,000 - £48,000 + Benefits
Location: Leicester
Study support

We are recruiting for two experienced and commercially focused Strategic Accounts Payable Finance Analysts to join a large, fast-paced organisation undergoing significant finance transformation and process optimisation.

This is an excellent opportunity for analytically minded finance professionals who enjoy investigating operational issues, identifying root causes, and influencing change through data-driven insight.

The Opportunity

Working within a high-volume Procure-to-Pay environment, you will play a key role in improving invoice processing performance, enhancing financial controls, and driving operational efficiencies across the Accounts Payable function.

Using Power BI, Excel, and transactional data analysis, you will investigate why invoices fail to flow through automated processes and provide meaningful insight to support business improvements and cost reduction initiatives.

This role offers strong exposure to senior stakeholders and the opportunity to directly influence process transformation across finance operations.

Key Responsibilities
Process Optimisation & Transformation
Analyse invoice ingestion methods and identify opportunities to improve supplier adoption of automated channels such as EDI and supplier portals.
Monitor Straight-Through Processing (STP) performance and investigate workflow bottlenecks, matching exceptions, and automation failures.
Review invoice volume trends and operational performance data to support resource planning and forecasting.
Financial Integrity & Risk Management
Perform data-led analysis to identify duplicate invoices, VAT discrepancies, and unusual supplier activity prior to payment runs.
Support risk-based supplier reconciliation activity by prioritising high-value and high-risk accounts.
Investigate the root causes behind debit and credit notes, identifying issues linked to pricing, goods receipt, or procurement practices.
Cash Flow & Commercial Value
Track early settlement discount opportunities and identify invoices delayed within approval workflows.
Analyse payment performance and Days Payable Outstanding (DPO) metrics to support effective cash flow management while maintaining supplier relationships.
Deliver actionable insight and recommendations to improve financial efficiency and operational performance.
They are looking for a naturally inquisitive analyst who enjoys solving problems and turning data into meaningful business improvements.

You will ideally have:

Strong Power BI and advanced Excel skills, including the ability to drill into transactional data and identify trends.
Previous experience within Accounts Payable, Procure-to-Pay (P2P), or finance operations.
A strong understanding of how upstream process issues impact downstream financial operations.
Excellent analytical and investigative skills with a focus on identifying root causes rather than simply reporting outcomes.
The confidence to present findings and influence both internal stakeholders and external suppliers.