Sam H.
About me
| Sam H. | |
| Economics and Related Studies | |
| Economics | |
| Undergraduate | |
| 2014 | |
| United Kingdom |
My employment
| Finance Analyst | |
| Jaguar Land Rover | |
| United Kingdom | |
| Engineering and manufacturing | |
| 2014 | |
| £29000 |
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A day in the life of a Finance Analyst in the United Kingdom
Where I hope to be in 5 years
• To develop my behaviours and technical competencies through the Graduate Scheme.
• To achieve Chartered Management Accountant status through the CIMA professional qualification. JLR are paying for this qualification and allow me generous study leave before exams.
• I will be in my current role for 12 months, and then rotate into another Finance position. These rotations will allow me to understand more of the Finance function within JLR. Each role will require a different skill set to perform. Developing a broad, detailed knowledge and skill base is vital to future upward progression.
• My long term (5+ years) goal is to be a valued and respected Finance Manager at JLR.
My advice to students considering work
1) Understand how specific experiences you have demonstrate the competencies or behaviours that top companies recruit for.
2) Get involved with as many opportunities at York as possible… The ‘Tell me about a time when…’ questions are a lot easier when you have recent and specific examples.
About this sector:
The automotive sector is currently in a period of rapid transformation as a result of the megatrends of climate change and the emergence of the East as globally significant economies. The automotive companies of the future may not only produce cars but instead ‘mobility’ or ‘personal transportation’. The challenge of interpreting the future to deliver a sustainable transportation system to the expanding world population will cascade down to every individual in every function of the automotive sector. To be interested in joining JLR you should not be afraid of uncertainty.
My advice about working in my industry
The automotive sector is currently in a period of rapid transformation as a result of the megatrends of climate change and the emergence of the East as globally significant economies. The automotive companies of the future may not only produce cars but instead ‘mobility’ or ‘personal transportation’. The challenge of interpreting the future to deliver a sustainable transportation system to the expanding world population will cascade down to every individual in every function of the automotive sector. To be interested in joining JLR you should not be afraid of uncertainty.
What I do
I am a Graduate Finance Analyst within the Product Development - Powertrain Finance Team. I am working on budget control for the new range of Ingenium engines to be produced at the £500 million Engine Manufacturing Centre.
I work in a team of four, responsible for the cost management of the new 4 cylinder engines soon to be integrated into new Jaguar and Land Rover vehicles. My role involves constant interaction with Powertrain Engineers as all of the parts are finalised for these engines. This is exciting and daunting at the same time. Many of the documents I work with refer to engine parts in engineering abbreviations… this requires some translation!
I spend a significant amount of time liaising between numerous internal stakeholders to ensure a cost effective and efficient outcome for the business and the programme. My specific duties involve clarifying costs with these stakeholders and ensuring that the relevant information is communicated to senior managers through various reports and meetings.
JLR is investing heavily in training and development for all employees. As I start to study for CIMA as well as attending training for the graduate development programme and further Finance specific courses, I will spend a lot of time out of the office. This provides an exciting challenge to perform the duties and responsibilities of my job in less than a 40 hour week.
Skills I use and how I developed them
Extracurricular skills:
At JLR it is strongly emphasised that every individual is responsible for driving their own personal development and career. Based on this belief, all managers are incredibly supportive of anyone trying to develop their skill set. As a result I am spending a lot of time on development courses ranging from Excel skills to Commercial skills for Finance professionals.
In my particular role a few things are crucial:
• Communication – clear and concise; everyone here is extremely busy so I have to ensure the information I provide is valuable.
• Interpretation of numerical information – I am expected to provide the 'why' behind the numbers.
What I like most
Knowing that my work is contributing to the wonderful vehicles produced under the Jaguar and Land Rover brands, such as the F-Type or Range Rover Evoque. (I’m a car person!)
What I like least
My particular role is currently quite process orientated. The current reality is that I spend a significant amount of my time inputting data into spreadsheets. However, this also provides an opportunity to innovate the processes to allow myself more time to focus on higher value adding tasks.