As a business analyst working in finance within the whisky industry, you’ll understand the business operations of your company and recommend suggestions for improvement in order to assist in the achievement of financial and commercial targets.

As a business analyst working in finance within the whisky industry, you’ll understand the business operations of your company and recommend suggestions for improvement in order to assist in the achievement of financial and commercial targets.

Your role is to generate reports summarising financial data and presenting this information to the senior management of the company. The solutions you suggest could be financial or managerial in nature.

Typically, you’ll make sure that the company is able to address any challenges that may arise and take the correct decisions to resolve problems.

What might I be doing?

You’ll evaluate various company financial reports and identify how the company finances might impact on operations. You might research and recommend improvements to senior management, so you’ll have to be able to present financial data in a clear fashion and make a compelling case for your recommendations.

You’ll work other departments, such as sales and new product development, in order to assist them with forecasting etc.

You’ll also recommend improved systems which will enhance company financial reporting and analysis.

What will be expected of me?

You’ll be exceptionally organised and motivated in order to understand need and make improvements, often within very tight time scales.

While you have a strong financial background, you’ll also have to understand all of the company’s business and operational processes so that your analysis and evaluation leads to realistic solutions based on real world assumptions.

What can I expect?

You can expect a variety of work depending exactly on what your employers wants or needs. Many top managers of whisky companies have some financial background, and your breadth of knowledge of company processes and procedures will set your career up very nicely.

You will be mostly office-based although hours may vary depending on workload and deadlines

What about the pay?

The pay will vary from employer to employer but typically you will start as a graduate with an accountancy qualification, so in excess of £20,000.

What qualifications do I need to get in?

Entry-level financial business analyst jobs will require a a degree in accountancy, finance or business administration.

You will need to be qualified to degree level as a very minimum – with some employers preferring analysts with postgraduate experience in their area of expertise.

What about further training?

You could undertake postgraduate qualifications and become a member of one or more professional bodies such as the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants.

Anything else I might need to know?

If you have excellent communication and documentation skills and who are detail-oriented, analytical thinkers can go far in a financial business analyst career. If you have an interest in statistics, data valuation and business and are good with computers and software programs, you could well become a highly successful financial business analyst.

What qualifications do I need to get in?

Entry-level financial business analyst jobs will require a a degree in accountancy, finance or business administration.

You will need to be qualified to degree level as a very minimum – with some employers preferring analysts with postgraduate experience in their area of expertise.