Commercial Finance Business Partner

Commercial Finance Business Partner role. This is tailored for a finance team that supports reseller/channel businesses and acts as a strategic business partner to Sales, Vendor Management, Operations, and Commercial teams.

Job Description

Job Title

Commercial Finance Business Partner Reseller Group

Reports To

Head of Commercial Finance / Finance Director

Role Purpose

The Commercial Finance Business Partner is responsible for providing financial leadership and decision support to the Reseller Group. The role partners with Sales, Vendor Management, Procurement, Operations, and Leadership teams to drive profitable growth, improve commercial performance, maximise vendor incentives, and support strategic decision-making.

The individual will act as a trusted advisor to business leaders, providing financial insights, performance analysis, forecasting, and commercial challenge to optimise revenue, margin, working capital, and return on investment.

Key Responsibilities

Business Partnering & Commercial Support

• Partner with Reseller Business Leadership to drive profitable revenue growth.
• Provide financial insights and challenge business decisions to improve performance.
• Support sales teams in evaluating large deals, bid proposals, and commercial agreements.
• Assist business leaders in developing strategic business plans and growth initiatives.
• Influence commercial decision-making through robust financial analysis.

Financial Planning & Forecasting

• Lead monthly forecasts and annual budgeting processes for the reseller business.
• Develop revenue, gross margin, operating profit and cash flow forecasts.
• Monitor business performance against plan and identify risks and opportunities.
• Support long-range planning and strategic investment decisions.

Revenue & Margin Management

• Analyse revenue, gross profit and profitability across customers, vendors and product categories.
• Identify margin leakage and opportunities for improved commercial returns.
• Support pricing decisions and discount governance processes.
• Monitor deal profitability and post-deal performance.

Vendor Program & Incentive Management

• Partner with Vendor Management teams to maximise vendor rebates, incentives, MDF and programme benefits.
• Ensure accurate forecasting and accounting of vendor income.
• Monitor achievement of vendor programme targets.
• Provide visibility of rebate opportunities and risks to business leadership.

Commercial Analysis & Decision Support

• Prepare business cases for new products, partnerships, investments and acquisitions.
• Provide scenario modelling and sensitivity analysis.
• Evaluate customer, product and vendor profitability.
• Support strategic reviews and commercial negotiations.

Performance Reporting

• Develop and maintain commercial performance dashboards.
• Present financial performance to senior leadership.
• Analyse key business drivers and recommend corrective actions.
• Deliver monthly business reviews highlighting trends, risks and opportunities.

Working Capital & Cash Management

• Partner with operations and finance teams to optimise:
• Inventory
• Accounts Receivable
• Vendor Funding
• Cash Flow
• Monitor stock holding and inventory turns.
• Support initiatives to improve cash conversion cycles.

Governance & Controls

• Ensure compliance with financial controls, policies and governance requirements.
• Support audit and compliance activities.
• Maintain accuracy and integrity of commercial financial reporting.
• Ensure proper recognition of revenue, margins and vendor income.

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

• Revenue Growth
• Gross Margin %
• Operating Profit
• Vendor Rebate Achievement
• Forecast Accuracy
• Working Capital Improvement
• Inventory Turns
• Cash Conversion Cycle
• Business Case Realisation
• Return on Investment (ROI)
• Budget Adherence

Qualifications

Essential

• Qualified Chartered Accountant (CA), CIMA, ACCA, CPA or equivalent.
• Bachelor's Degree in Finance, Accounting, Commerce or Business.

Preferred

• MBA Finance or equivalent postgraduate qualification.
• Experience in technology distribution, IT reseller, hardware/software, telecommunications or channel-based businesses.

Experience

• 8 to 15 years of Finance experience.
• Strong Commercial Finance and Business Partnering background.
• Experience supporting Sales, Vendor Management or Commercial functions.
• Experience in:
• Revenue forecasting
• Margin analysis
• Pricing and profitability
• Business case development
• Financial modelling
• Vendor incentive programmes

Key Skills

Commercial Acumen

• Pricing Strategy
• Margin Management
• Contract Evaluation
• Deal Review & Approval

Financial Expertise

• Financial Modelling
• Budgeting & Forecasting
• Scenario Planning
• Business Case Evaluation

Analytics & Tools

• Advanced Excel
• Power BI (Advantage)
• ERP Systems (SAP, Oracle, Dynamics)
• Financial Reporting Tools

Business Partnering

• Stakeholder Management
• Executive Communication
• Influencing & Negotiation
• Strategic Thinking

Leadership Behaviours

• Results-Oriented
• Data-Driven Decision Making
• Continuous Improvement Mindset
• Ability to Challenge Constructively
• High Integrity and Accountability

Success Profile

The successful candidate will be a commercially minded finance leader who can translate financial data into business actions, influence senior stakeholders, and drive sustainable profitable growth across the reseller business while maintaining strong financial governance and control.

This version is suitable for a Senior Manager / Finance Business Partner level. For your role as a Finance Head, I would recommend positioning it as "Senior Commercial Finance Business Partner Reseller Group" with ownership of Revenue, GP, Vendor Rebates, Working Capital and Strategic Planning across the reseller P&L.