A Look at Financial Analyst Jobs
All major business decisions are made with finance in mind. The role of a financial analyst is to provide financial support to clients and fellow colleagues that will help them make sound business decisions and set strong forecasts for the future.
The exact nature of the role itself will vary depending on the size of the organisation, with larger ones, the analyst will be dealing with strategic analysis whereas in smaller business, the analyst might also look after preparing and collecting accounts.
They will be asked to set financial budgets for the long term and short term plans of an organisation and will need to advise on decision making in regards to financial implications before decisions are made. All the plans, advice and practices will be scrutinised to ensure they are inline with financial regulations and legislation which the analyst will be expected to keep up to date with as changes are made.
Financial analysts will also be required to monitor and interpret cash flow while predicting any upcoming future trends that will affect business decisions. They will look at existing processes and try to streamline them so that value added analysis and insight can be incorporated. As well as looking at their own organisation, analysts will need to look at competitors in the market and identify market trends that can be used to push their own business forward.
Good communication is key within the role as the analyst will be expected to liaise with auditors to ensure the correct monitoring is carried out and talk to external contacts such as solicitors, bankers and statutory organisations. When it comes to personal skills a financial analyst will be expected to be very results driven. This means that they will be expected to not only be proactive but hit all deadlines while remaining calm under pressure. An analyst will need to have very clear views on how to prioritise things and be able to drive relevant changes.
There are many industry sectors that a financial analyst can work within including Telecommunications, Consumer Products, Media, Retail, Business Services, Professional Services, Pharmaceutical, Advertising, Public and Not for Profit.
