Finance Systems Business Analyst
Finance Systems Business Analyst (SAP FICO) - Permanent - £ - Hybrid in Central London
This is a business-facing role for someone who has built their career around finance process improvement, systems analysis, and change delivery; and who knows SAP well enough to work confidently across it, without being a pure SAP specialist.
Our client is a global manufacturing business currently operating on SAP ECC and preparing for a transition to SAP S/4HANA. They are not looking for a traditional SAP FICO consultant. They already have technical SAP resource. What they need is someone who understands finance and operational processes deeply, can analyse and improve them, and can bridge the business and the technical teams who deliver change.
The role sits at the intersection of finance operations, business analysis, and systems delivery. You will work directly with Finance, Controlling, and Credit Management stakeholders, owning the analysis, process design, and change workstreams that drive improvement across the SAP landscape.
What you will be doing:
•Analysing and documenting current-state finance and controlling processes; identifying inefficiencies, gaps, and improvement opportunities.
•Leading business requirements gathering and systems analysis across finance change initiatives, from demand intake through to delivery and testing.
•Designing and mapping future-state processes, working with stakeholders to agree scope and outcomes before anything is built.
•Writing clear, structured functional specifications and requirements artefacts that technical and MSP delivery teams can work from.
•Planning and coordinating test activity across UAT cycles; defining scenarios, managing defect resolution, and driving business sign-off.
•Owning data analysis, data quality assessment, and data cleansing workstreams in support of system changes and migration activity.
•Supporting automation opportunities across finance processes, identifying where manual effort can be reduced and working with technical teams to deliver it.
•Managing change effectively; keeping stakeholders informed, engaged, and ready for new ways of working.
•Contributing to the S/4HANA readiness programme, including process simplification, data migration preparation, and testing strategy.
•Working with the Managed Service Provider and offshore delivery teams; translating requirements clearly so that handoffs are clean and builds land correctly.
SAP coverage:
You will need solid working knowledge across SAP FICO; GL, AP, AR, Asset Accounting, Controlling, banking and period close. Familiarity with other modules (MM, SD, PS or similar) is a genuine advantage, particularly where they integrate with finance processes. You do not need to be a configurator. The technical build sits with the MSP; your job is to define what gets built and why.
What we are looking for:
•A career background in finance systems analysis, business change, or finance transformation; not a SAP consultant who has picked up some BA skills.
•Strong process analysis and process mapping capability; comfortable with AS-IS / TO-BE, gap analysis, and structured requirements documentation.
•Solid experience of structured systems analysis methodology and end-to-end project delivery, including testing coordination and UAT management.
•Hands-on involvement in data management and data cleansing activity; understanding of what good data governance looks like in a finance context.
•Experience identifying and supporting automation of manual finance processes.
•SAP FICO knowledge at a level where you can engage credibly with technical teams, write functional specifications, and understand the impact of system changes on finance operations.
•Participation in multiple end-to-end SAP projects, including at least one major S/4HANA transformation or implementation.
•Comfortable working in a global organisation with onshore, offshore, and third-party delivery partners.
•Strong stakeholder management; able to work with senior Finance leaders and translate their needs into structured, deliverable requirements.
•Relevant qualifications in business analysis (BCS, CBAP or similar) are a strong plus; Prince2, Agile or equivalent delivery credentials are also valued.
Our client is an Equal Opportunity Employer. They celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, colour, religion, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, or protected veteran status and will not be discriminated against on the basis of disability.