Job Title
- Manager, Cost Strategy & Management
Division
Department
- Financial Planning & Analysis
Section
- Cost Strategy & Management
Job Purpose
- Supports the delivery of cost analytics, financial planning, cost allocation, and management reporting activities across the Group. The role also supports the coordination and execution of Group-wide cost management initiatives and strategic cost optimisation programmes and plays a key part in enhancing cost transparency, supporting strategic decision-making, and driving financial discipline across business units and support functions.
- The candidate will work closely with Group Finance, country finance teams, business stakeholders, and support functions to ensure timely, accurate, and insightful cost reporting and analysis and support delivery of cost initiatives across the organisation.
Key Responsibilities
1. Financial Planning & Cost Analytics
- Perform detailed cost analysis to identify trends, variances, and cost optimization opportunities.
- Assist in tracking operating expenses against approved budgets and highlight key drivers of deviations
- Support monthly and quarterly management reporting processes
- Prepare and track cost targets set for countries which are aligned to Group's financial target.
2. Management Reporting & Dashboard Support
- Prepare recurring management reports, dashboards, and presentations for senior management, showcasing key insights and levers to support Group's overall financial target.
- Consolidate financial and operational data from multiple sources for analysis and reporting purposes.
- Support the automation and enhancement of reporting processes using analytical tools and spreadsheets.
3. PMO & Cost Programme Management
- Track progress of cost initiatives and monitor delivery against agreed targets, timelines, and milestones.
- Coordinate with country finance teams and initiative owners to gather programme updates, risks, dependencies, and action items.
- Assist in preparing materials for programme steering committees, management meetings, and performance reviews
- Support consolidation and tracking of realised versus planned cost savings and productivity benefits.
- Follow up with stakeholders to ensure timely closure of action items and adherence to programme timelines.
- Support continuous improvement and standardisation of programme governance, reporting templates, and tracking methodologies.
4. Stakeholder Management
- Liaise with country finance teams and internal stakeholders to gather financial inputs and clarify reporting requirements.
- Support discussions on cost drivers, reporting outputs, and planning assumptions.
- Provide timely support for ad-hoc management requests and business queries.
Job Specification
Qualifications
- Bachelor's Degree in Finance, Accounting, Economics, Business, or related disciplines.
- Professional Qualification and/or Regulatory, Licensing requirements
- Member of a ACCA/ MICPA/ CPA/ ICAEW/ MIA (added advantage)
Relevant Work Experience
- 1–3 years of experience in finance, FP&A, PMO, management reporting, cost management, or analytics.
- Experience within financial services or banking business model, and end-to-end operations with ability to diagnose key cost driver is an added advantage.
- Experienced in driving cost optimisation initiatives end-to-end (ideation, business case, prioritisation, governance and implementation) with multiple stakeholders.
- Familiarity with project tracking tools, financial reporting systems, or data visualisation tools is advantageous.
- Strong analytical and financial data interpretation skills.
Required Competencies and Skills
Competencies/ skills
- Comfortable working with large datasets and cost driver diagnostics, business case assessment
- Cost planning, budgeting and forecasting (including scenario and sensitivity analysis)
- Benefits realisation, target setting and performance tracking (KPIs, run-rate vs one-off, reporting cadence)
- Regulatory and accounting standards awareness (MFRS/FRS) relevant to cost recognition and reporting
- Financial and management accounting fundamentals (P&L, cost allocation, accruals and controls)
Non-Technical Skills
- Strategic Thinking
- Demonstrates accountability, curiosity, and continuous improvement mindset.
- Analytical problem solving with attention to detail and quality of outputs
- Analytical problem solving with attention to detail and quality of outputs
