Highlands is a Kenyan company manufacturing and marketing non-alcoholic beverages, with a history spanning 69 years. A Pioneer of the East African beverages industry, Highlands has been transformed from a small family factory to a category leader with an "own-brand" portfolio that spans the major beverage categories and consumer segments of the market.Key duties and responsibilities A.Business Performance Management Support the preparation and delivery of weekly, monthly, and periodic business performance reviews. Monitor and analyse business performance against budgets, forecasts, and key operational targets. Evaluate revenue, gross margin, contribution margin, EBITDA, and other key financial and operational drivers. Conduct variance analysis to identify underlying trends, risks, opportunities, and performance gaps. Partner with functional teams to develop and track action plans aimed at improving business performance and achieving strategic objectives. Provide timely, data-driven insights and recommendations to support management decision-making. Expected Output: Robust business performance visibility, early identification of risks and opportunities, and actionable insights that support improved operational and financial outcomes. B.Operational Cost Analytics Monitor and analyse key manufacturing and operational cost drivers across the business. Evaluate cost per litre, labour productivity, overtime utilisation, casual labour efficiency, and other workforce cost metrics. Track operational efficiencies, material usage, waste, losses, and process variances to identify improvement opportunities. Support cost optimisation and productivity improvement initiatives through robust financial analysis and performance tracking. Assess the financial impact and return on investment of operational improvement projects and business initiatives. Provide insights and recommendations to support sustainable cost management and operational excellence. Expected Output Enhanced cost visibility, improved operational efficiency, and data-driven recommendations that support productivity improvement and sustainable profitability. C.Commercial Finance Support Analyse customer, channel, route, and product profitability to identify opportunities for revenue growth and margin improvement. Support pricing reviews, promotional evaluations, and commercial investment decisions through robust financial analysis. Monitor trade spend utilisation and evaluate the return on investment of promotions, activations, and other commercial initiatives. Track commercial performance trends, market dynamics, and key business drivers to provide actionable insights and identify growth opportunities. Develop and support business cases for new products, customers, channels, and strategic commercial investments. Partner with Commercial teams to enhance decision-making through data-driven analysis and performance visibility. Expected Output: Enhanced commercial visibility, improved quality of business decisions, and sustainable revenue and profitability growth through effective financial and operational insight. D.Planning Track promotional performance, commercial spend utilization, and return on investment for sales and execution initiatives across modern trade channels. Support evaluation of discounts, activations, visibility programs, and customer initiatives to assess commercial effectiveness and execution impact. Monitor performance of promotional and execution initiatives and provide recommendations for continuous improvement and optimization. Support governance, reporting visibility, and tracking relating to commercial investments, promotional activities, and in-market execution initiatives. Support promotion planning processes including pre-promotion analysis, promotion performance tracking, and post-promotion evaluation to assess commercial effectiveness, execution impact, and return on investment. Expected Output Robust and reliable financial plans, improved forecast accuracy, and forward-looking insights that support effective business planning and strategic decision-making. E.Business Intelligence and Reporting Develop, maintain, and continuously improve business performance dashboards, scorecards, and management reports to support operational and strategic decision-making. Ensure the accuracy, integrity, and consistency of business data through effective validation, reconciliation, and governance processes. Analyse financial and operational data to generate actionable insights, identify trends, and highlight opportunities and risks across the business. Support the automation and continuous enhancement of reporting processes, tools, and data visualization capabilities to improve efficiency and decision support. Provide ad hoc analysis and management information to support business reviews, strategic initiatives, and executive decision-making. Partner with cross-functional teams to enhance reporting capability and promote a data-driven performance culture across the organization. Expected Output Accurate, timely, and insightful business intelligence that enhances performance visibility, strengthens decision-making, and drives operational and commercial excellence. F.Business Partnering Build strong collaborative relationships with Commercial, Manufacturing, Supply Chain, Procurement, HR, and other business functions to support the achievement of strategic and operational objectives. Provide independent financial insight and constructive challenge to business assumptions, plans, and investment decisions. Partner with functional leaders to identify opportunities for improving profitability, productivity, cost efficiency, and overall business performance. Support cross-functional projects, strategic initiatives, and business transformation programmes through robust financial analysis and decision support. Promote a culture of accountability and fact-based decision-making by translating complex financial and operational data into clear, actionable insights. Assist business leaders in understanding the financial implications of operational decisions and in developing practical solutions to business challenges. Expected Output Strong cross-functional partnerships that drive informed decision-making, enhance business performance, and support the delivery of the Company's strategic and financial objectives. Working relationships Internal Relationships: Business Controller: to support business performance reviews, financial analysis, cost management, forecasting activities, and the delivery of strategic financial insights. Head of Finance to provide operational and commercial performance visibility, support decision-making, and contribute to the delivery of the Company's financial and strategic objectives. Commercial Team: to support customer, channel, route, and product profitability analysis, pricing evaluations, trade investment reviews, and commercial performance reporting. Manufacturing Team: to monitor production costs, cost per litre, labour productivity, operational efficiencies, waste analysis, and manufacturing performance. Supply Chain & Logistics: to support inventory analysis, working capital management, stock movement reporting, operational cost visibility, and supply chain performance tracking. Procurement Team: to support procurement spend analysis, supplier performance evaluation, cost-saving initiatives, and sourcing decisions through financial insight. Senior Leadership Team: to provide accurate management information, business performance dashboards, strategic analysis, and data-driven recommendations that support executive decision-making. External Relationships: Distributors & Trade Partners: to support trade execution tracking, promotional visibility, outlet performance analysis, and market intelligence gathering. Merchandising & Field Execution Agencies: to support execution compliance reporting, POSM tracking, activation monitoring, and field visibility initiatives.Knowledge, experience and qualifications required Education Bachelor's Degree in Finance, Accounting, Economics, Statistics, Business Analytics, Mathematics, or a related business discipline from a recognized institution. Professional Qualifications CPA (K), ACCA, CFA, or equivalent professional qualification (Part Qualified or Qualified) will be an added advantage. Additional training in Financial Modelling, Data Analytics, Business Intelligence, or Performance Management will be desirable. Experience Minimum of three (3) to five (5) years' relevant experience in Finance, Commercial Finance, Business Analysis, Financial Planning & Analysis (FP&A), Business Controlling, or Operations Finance within a dynamic business environment. Experience in FMCG, manufacturing, distribution, or other fast-paced commercial environments will be an added advantage. Demonstrated experience in financial modelling, budgeting, forecasting, variance analysis, and business performance reporting. Proven ability to analyse large and complex datasets and translate them into meaningful business insights and actionable recommendations. Experience working cross-functionally with Commercial, Manufacturing, Supply Chain, and Operations teams to support business planning and decision-making. Proficiency in ERP systems, advanced Microsoft Excel, and Business Intelligence tools such as Power BI will be highly desirable.