Budget Specialist

Position Overview:
The Marketing Budget Specialist supports the Marketing Budget Controller and Marketing Director in consolidating, reviewing, and managing Marketing Allowances, Investments, and Operating Expenses during planning cycles. The role partners with budget owners to ensure accurate forecasts, assess the financial impact of business decisions, and strengthen budgetary control.

As the main contact for Marketing business owners, the Specialist supervises planned versus actual spend, builds strong relationships with Marketing and Finance teams, and demonstrates accountability in managing departmental investments. The role also keeps leadership informed of key variables, process limitations, and root causes, providing timely analysis and corrective recommendations ahead of each financial cycle.

Job Responsibilities:

Corporate Planning Submissions

• Work closely with budget owners within function to ensure accuracy, completeness and predictability of budget

• Challenge assumptions and perform necessary financial analysis (e.g. trends, reasonableness, efficiency, risk and opportunities)

• Work closely with Financial Planning & Analysis Team in managing Marketing budget requirements and spending for consideration to financial forecast and business performance management

Business Partnership

• Work closely with Business Owners and, when necessary, coach and guide them (i.e., adherence to Goods Receipt-Invoice Receipt and procurement processes – echoing the need for timely entries and compliance)

• Conduct periodic review with budget owners to raise awareness of the importance of providing quality financial data

• Perform and behave as a Team Player, building strong relationships with key stakeholders. Champion Territory Approach and, the empowerment of the Field Organization but, at the same time constructively challenging to evolve its financial planning capabilities and accuracy.

Financial Advisory

• Provide advisory to budget owners in managing the spending and phasing forecast

• Track budgets and spendings to ensure that there is no possible over spendings or spendings without approvals. Ensure measures are in place to effectively execute M&S programs without risk of control issue and/or fraud.

• Consult the Marketing Budget Controller to enable decentralization of Marketing plans and expenditure, for both Marketing Investment and Operating Expense Spends, ensuring balance of appropriate governance measures are in place and, efficient processes to enable Commercial Business Units to implement its strategies.

Period Closing Monitoring and Reporting

• Provide periodic reports on spending status and where necessary highlight areas of concern to management for corrective action as necessary

• Take proactive approach in reviewing monthly close process to align and achieve management target

• Assist on review of Accruals to facilitate closure or settlement, further enhancing budget predictability.

Other ad hoc

• Perform other ad hoc analysis as requested by the Marketing Budget Controller or Marketing Director, and necessitated by business requirements

Job Qualifications:

• University degree in Accounting or related field.

• Minimum of 3 years experience in financial planning, reporting, and budget management (at least 1 year in budget ownership)

• Proven background in financial analysis, including sensitivity analyses and ROI tracking for marketing investments.

• Strong analytical skills with solid business acumen; able to connect details to the bigger picture.

• Intermediate to advanced MS Excel skills (VLOOKUP, Pivot Tables, advanced formulas)

• Background in SAP and Business Warehouse (BW) is highly preferred

• Strong English communication skills, with effective presentation and influencing ability.

• Collaborative, people-oriented style with creativity, flexibility, and customer focus.

• Demonstrated ability to manage deadlines under time pressure while maintaining accuracy.

• High learning agility and adaptability to evolving business environments.