Rutherford Cross is delighted to be working exclusively with AGS Airports to appoint a newly created Commercial Finance Analyst position within their existing team. AGS Airports is one of Scotland’s most high-profile businesses, with Aberdeen Airport being the gateway to Europe’s energy capital (and also Europe’s busiest commercial heliport), Glasgow Airport is one of the UK’s busiest regional airports, and Southampton Airport is a vital economic driver for the region, which contributes more £160 million a year to the local economy.

Position Overview

The Commercial Finance Analyst will play a critical role in partnering with the commercial team of AGS airports with a primary focus on the Aeronautical activities across Aberdeen, Glasgow and Southampton airports. The role sits within the business planning & analysis team and acts as a key interface between finance and the wider business. The role offers a combination of financial aspects, such as performing month-end activities to ensure income is accounted for accurately, as well as business partnering elements in supporting the commercial team that underlying performance and variances are completely understood and that trends are reflected in financial forecasts.

The role is an important contributor to the AGS group finance function and is trusted to produce accurate reporting and understanding of commercial reporting and is a key interface between finance and commercial teams.

Responsibilities

Finance Business Partnering & Commercial Modelling

• Support the Aero team with overall control environment for income, all commercial reporting and continuous improvement of financial performance
• Manage monthly reporting requirements by providing trend data and explanation of variances
• Support the Commercial Finance Manager with the development of models to support negotiations with airlines, act as subject matter expert on the details of airline deals and financial impact
• Develop and maintain analysis spreadsheets / benchmarks which can be used throughout the three airports
• Work with the marketing team to monitor marketing costs, challenge the business and ensure these are captured accurately in forecasts

Budgeting & Forecasting

• Prepare the monthly forecast for passenger numbers and aeronautical income and work with the commercial team to ensure trends are understood and reflected in forecast months
• Prepare the annual budget for passenger numbers and aeronautical income
• Maintain forecasting models for passengers and aeronautical income and work with Commercial Finance Manager to implement ongoing improvements
• Provide further analysis to back up the suggested forecasts and budgets and break down performance so that underlying drivers are properly understood

Accounting & Reporting

• Perform the month-end process for aero income for all three airports, including variance analysis to explain monthly results
• Prepare monthly reporting of the shareholder pack for aero and collaborate with airport teams to provide relevant and insightful commentary
• Maintain up-to-date records of all aero deals and ensure they are accurately and promptly reflected in the system. Work directly with Commercial and Traffic Charging teams to ensure correct reporting and income calculation
• Work with Central Finance to ensure monthly income is complete and act as an escalation contact to resolve any long-standing issues
• Liaise with internal and external auditors

Qualifications and Experience

The Commercial Finance Analyst will require:

• University degree with relevant background, part-qualified or proven track record in a similar role
• Strong analytical skills, good attention to detail, ability to work to a high level of accuracy
• Demonstrable experience and knowledge of MS Office applications, with Microsoft Excel in particular
• The ability to build strong, open, and communicative working relationships across all areas of the business is essential
• Flexible attitude and ability to effectively organise work independently
• Experience in working and delivering to tight timetables and ability to problem-solve

To find out more on remuneration and the role, please contact the Rutherford Cross advisor Ally Deas by emailing [email protected] for a confidential discussion.