BeforeManaged a team of analysts.
We’d askHow many, and what did the team deliver?
AfterLed a team of 3 analysts producing the monthly reforecast and board pack across 5 trading companies
CV example
FP&A manager CV example (UK and Ireland)
At manager level the question changes from “can you produce the numbers?” to “what did the business decide because of your team's work?” Show the size of what you lead, the plans you own and the bids, cases and decisions they fed.
From vague to specific
Each stronger line comes from answering one question. The facts are the candidate’s, not invented.
BeforeOwned the budgeting process.
We’d askWhat did you change, and what was the result?
AfterMoved the annual budget from a top-down spreadsheet to a driver-based model, cutting the cycle from 14 weeks to 9
BeforePartnered with senior stakeholders.
We’d askWho, and which decision did your work support?
AfterPriced 2 contract bids with the commercial director; both were won, together worth £18m of annual revenue
What recruiters look for
- Forward-looking work: five-year plans, KPIs, business cases for new products and analysis of new markets.
- Exposure to bids and pitches, and the value you added beyond the role's duties.
- Management responsibility shown with figures, not adjectives.
- Impact in gross and percentage terms, including the money you were responsible for and any savings.
Common mistakes
- Claiming the business's results as your own. Say what you built or led, and what decision it fed.
- Writing about the team without saying what you did yourself.
- Giving roles from several years ago as much space as your current one. A line or two is enough.
Tom Gallagher
FP&A Manager, ACMA, CGMA
Leeds, UK · name@example.com · 07700 900000
Profile
FP&A manager in a logistics group, leading a team of 3 and owning the budget, rolling forecast and five-year plan. CIMA member since 2019.
Experience
FP&A Manager, Kestrel Freight Group2022 – Present
UK logistics group, £340m revenue, 2,100 employees, 5 trading companies
- Led a team of 3 analysts producing the monthly reforecast and board pack across 5 trading companies
- Moved the annual budget from a top-down spreadsheet to a driver-based model, cutting the cycle from 14 weeks to 9
- Priced 2 contract bids with the commercial director; both were won, together worth £18m of annual revenue
- Built the five-year plan used in the group's 2025 refinancing and presented it to the lenders with the CFO
Senior FP&A Analyst, Kestrel Freight Group2019 – 2022
- Built the weekly depot KPI dashboard in Power BI, used by 40 depot managers
- Prepared the business case for 2 new cross-dock sites, approved by the board in 2021
Management Accountant, Holme Valley Foods2016 – 2019
Food manufacturer, £90m turnover
- Ran month-end and the management accounts for 2 production sites
Qualifications
- ACMA, CGMA (CIMA), member since 2019
Education
- BSc Economics, University of Sheffield, 2015, 2:1
Skills
Excel (driver-based models) · Power BI · Oracle NetSuite · Budgeting and long-range planning · Business cases · Team leadership