About this role
WPP is the trusted growth partner for the world’s leading brands.
We unite cutting-edge media intelligence and data solutions, world-class creativity, next-generation production, transformative enterprise solutions and expert strategic counsel in a single company – powered by exceptional talent and our agentic marketing platform, WPP Open, to help our clients navigate change, capture opportunity and deliver transformational growth.
We have been building the world's most valuable brands for 50 years and have global reach across 100+ markets, with deep local expertise.
Our people are the key to our success. We're committed to fostering a culture of creativity, belonging and continuous learning, attracting and developing the brightest talent, and providing exciting career opportunities that help our people grow.
For more information, visit WPP.com.
Why we're hiring:
The FP&A Director – Planning & Cash Flow plays a critical leadership role within the WPP FP&A team, providing senior financial insight and governance to drive informed decision-making across the organisation. Based in London as part of the wider global FP&A team, this position leads planning and cash flow activities end-to-end, including building and owning key models and reporting templates, and partnering with senior stakeholders to challenge assumptions, align business drivers, and deliver accurate, timely, decision-useful outputs for management and board-level reporting.
Lead end-to-end planning. Drive cash flow excellence. Make a global impact at WPP.
What you'll be doing:
As our FP&A Director – Planning & Cash Flow, you will play a pivotal role in shaping WPP's financial strategy and performance. Your responsibilities will include:
Strategic Planning & Modelling Leadership:
Lead the development and execution of best-in-class financial planning, budgeting, and forecasting processes, ensuring accuracy, transparency, and efficiency across all deliverables.
Design, build, and maintain sophisticated financial models that drive strategic decision-making, providing in-depth business performance analysis and critical scenario planning.
Champion best practices in planning and modelling across the FP&A team and key stakeholder communities.
Cash Flow Excellence:
Oversee and deliver comprehensive monthly cash flow reviews, providing clear performance commentary, identifying risks/opportunities, and driving actionable insights.
Lead all periodic cash flow projections, including critical long-range modelling, collaborating closely with Group Treasury to align assumptions and optimise inputs.
Clearly articulate key cash performance drivers through structured analysis and proactive engagement with Operating Companies (OpCos) and finance teams.
Advanced Data Analysis & Reporting:
Oversee the robust compilation and analysis of large datasets for all financial reporting, budgeting, forecasting, and variance analysis, identifying critical trends, issues, and improvement opportunities.
Own and continuously enhance all routine and ad-hoc reporting, guaranteeing the accuracy, usability, and timeliness of financial data.
Create compelling data visualisations to effectively communicate complex financial insights to senior stakeholders.
Influential Stakeholder Partnering:
Cultivate strong, collaborative relationships with stakeholders across WPP, acting as a trusted financial advisor and influencing informed decision-making.
Facilitate strategic workshops across diverse functions and markets, gathering critical inputs, rigorously challenging assumptions, and building consensus for robust, realistic projections.
High-Impact Management & Board Reporting:
Prepare and present high-impact monthly management reports, quarterly trading analysis, and comprehensive board reporting materials. Synthesize complex financial information into clear, actionable insights.
Craft compelling financial narratives and visualisations that effectively communicate performance, trends, and strategic recommendations, always adhering to strict deadlines and maintaining impeccable consistency.
Performance Monitoring & Action:
Lead in-depth variance analysis against forecasts and budgets, meticulously identifying root causes, explaining deviations, and proactively recommending corrective actions.
Define and continuously monitor key financial and operational KPIs, tracking progress against targets and proactively surfacing critical insights to stakeholders.
Team Leadership & Process Optimisation:
Lead, mentor, and develop a high-performing team of FP&A analysts, fostering a culture of analytical rigor, continuous improvement, and excellence in stakeholder-ready outputs.
Drive continuous improvement of FP&A processes and procedures, identifying and implementing efficiencies to enhance overall effectiveness and impact.
What you'll need:
Requirements
- Fully qualified accountant (e.g., ACA, ACCA, CIMA, CPA, or equivalent).
- Significant and demonstrable experience in FP&A and financial analysis, including direct ownership of planning cycles and a strong history of engaging with senior-level stakeholders.
- Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel, encompassing complex financial modelling, sophisticated data manipulation, and compelling visual representation of data (e.g., pivot tables, dynamic charts, interactive dashboards).
- Robust financial analysis and modelling skills, with deep expertise in budgeting, forecasting, and comprehensive variance analysis.
- Exceptional ability to communicate complex financial information and insights clearly and concisely to senior stakeholders, often under tight deadlines.
- Proven capability to work both independently and collaboratively within diverse, global teams and across various cultures.
- Unwavering integrity, meticulous attention to detail, and a commitment to accuracy in all financial deliverables.
- Advantageous Skills & Technologies:
- Practical experience with ERP systems such as Workday, Maconomy, or Microsoft D365.
- Familiarity with consolidation systems, ideally SAP Financial Consolidation (BFC).
- Proficiency in data visualisation tools, such as Power BI.
- Who you are:
- You're open: We are inclusive and collaborative; we encourage the free exchange of ideas; we respect and celebrate diverse views. We are open-minded: to new ideas, new partnerships, new ways of working.
- You're optimistic: We believe in the power of creativity, technology and talent to create brighter futures or our people, our clients and our communities. We approach all that we do with conviction: to try the new and to seek the unexpected.
- You're extraordinary: we are stronger together: through collaboration we achieve the amazing. We are creative leaders and pioneers of our industry; we provide extraordinary every day.
- What we'll give you:
- Passionate, inspired people – We aim to create a culture in which people can do extraordinary work.
- Scale and opportunity – We offer the opportunity to create, influence and complete projects at a scale that is unparalleled in the industry.
- Challenging and stimulating work – Unique work and the opportunity to join a group of creative problem solvers. Are you up for the challenge?