Head of Financial Planning & Analysis (FP&A)

Salary – Negotiable (Depending On Experience)

Closing date – Wednesday 22nd July 2026

NATS is the UK’s leading air navigation service provider, handling over 2.4 million flights each year. We provide air traffic control services from two control centres and at airports around the UK. We also provide a wide range of commercial products and solutions internationally. Our people are at the heart of our purpose to advance aviation and keep the skies safe.

Job Purpose

This role leads a team in the provision of high‑quality financial analysis, insight and reporting, supporting decision making and performance delivery. It is responsible for the creation, management and review of business plans, monthly management reporting and wider FP&A deliverables ensuring outputs are robust and well‑governed.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead activities, including business planning, forecasting, performance reporting and strategic financial analysis, ensuring high‑quality outputs and constructive review and evaluation of financial and operational performance.
• Own the monthly management reporting process, delivering timely, accurate and insightful reporting that supports executive decision‑making and business performance management.
• Lead order intake reporting and commercial performance analysis, including joint ventures and subsidiaries, ensuring robust integration and providing clear insight into pipeline, delivery and commercial performance.
• Develop and enhance commercial reporting and pricing models, partnering with Finance Business Partner – Major Bids to maintain and enhance the pricing model, ensuring outputs support effective commercial decision making.
• Drive forecasting and re‑forecasting processes across the business, identifying performance trends, risks, opportunities and actions to improve financial outcomes.
• Provide independent, customer‑focused objective challenge to business leaders, ensuring financial decisions are supported by robust analysis and aligned to strategic objectives.
• Deliver high‑quality financial insight to senior management, supporting strategic decision‑making and value creation through clear, actionable financial reporting.
• Oversee the production of financial information required for external reporting and regulatory disclosures, including Airport Disclosures.
• Oversee the financial components of Remuneration Committee reporting, ensuring outputs are accurate, robust and aligned with governance requirements.
• Partner closely with senior finance colleagues including Business Partnering, Finance Operations and Financial Control to drive performance.
• Lead and develop the FP&A team, including the Senior FP&A Analysts and Assistant Analysts, driving high performance, continuous improvement and capability development.
• Work with the Head of FP&A, NERL to mitigate single points of failure and ensure resilience across the FP&A function, maintaining delivery to required timelines and quality.

Qualifications, Professional Knowledge and Skills

• The job holder should be a Qualified Accountant (ACA, ACCA or CIMA) with a breadth of experience across a range of financial positions and significant post‑qualification experience of delivering at an appropriately senior and strategic level.
• Strong knowledge of long‑term contract accounting (EACs, IFRS 15) and other relevant accounting standards commonly used.
• Strong knowledge of intercompany, intragroup and intra‑business area accounting processes (e.g. overhead apportionment).

Behaviours

• An accomplished, credible and respected professional with well‑developed communication, stakeholder management and influencing skills, comfortable working collaboratively across boundaries.
• A conscientious, customer‑focussed approach to all forms of reporting, with the ability to be proactive and produce accurate results within a high‑pressure environment and to short timescales.
• Strong ability to challenge the business and provide valued insight to inform and influence decisions at all levels of the organisation.
• Strong team working skills as well as the capability to co‑ordinate multiple workstreams to tight deadlines under pressure and prioritize conflicting demands and provide flexibility in approach.
• High levels of personal integrity and professionalism are integral to the role.
• Bring a continuous improvement focus to the role and a focus on delivering excellence.
• This role will support delivery of the wider finance vision, which seeks to shape the future of aviation as a trusted business partner focused on efficiency, collaboration and innovation.
• Contribute to and challenge technical discussions at various levels of seniority within the organisation.
• Be able to represent the FP&A team in the support and delivery of projects, working with other members of the Finance Team or wider business as required.

Communication Skills

• Produce excellent reports that provide accurate financials and valued insight to aid in senior level decision making.
• Strong written skills with the ability to produce effective written reports of a high standard for the intended audience.
• Strong communication and persuasion skills, able to clearly explain complex financial issues at all levels within the wider organisation.
• Be able to confidently communicate both on a one‑to‑one basis and to groups via presentations.
• Able to grasp non‑financial aspects of the business to ensure they are presented appropriately and related to financial elements as required. Be able, and comfortable, in debating with larger teams to ensure financial integrity is maintained.

IT Skills

• Excel skills to an advanced level, including development and review of complex financial models, use of advanced functions (e.g. INDEX/MATCH, SUMIFS, LOOKUPS), scenario modelling and ensuring models are controlled, auditable and fit for purpose.
• SAP/BPC – Strong transactional expertise, knowledge of the underlying data structuring and management.
• Specific Tools (SAC/Salesforce/Power BI) – Manage the delivery of dashboards and other reports from inception and then manage the maintenance going forward.
• Microsoft Word and PowerPoint – Excellent skills in these applications, with the ability to distil complex financial information into simple to read and understand outputs.

Additional Vacancy Information

• This will be a 15 Month Fixed Term Contract.
• Interviews are expected to take place week commencing 3rd August 2026.
• We are proud to offer a fantastic total reward package to help you thrive both personally and professionally.
• We have adopted agile working to provide greater flexibility and increased choice over working arrangements, with the opportunity for this role to work in our modern office facilities as well as remotely.

If you share our passion to advance aviation and keep the skies safe – we would like to hear from you whatever your age, sex, race, faith, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, visible or invisible disability. Individuals that bring different perspectives, skills, life experiences and backgrounds help us to be at the forefront of our industry.

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