About this role
Job Description
About the Role The FP&A Specialist (Data Analytics) sits within the Regional FP&A Centre of Excellence (MEDEBA) and supports 19 markets across Mediterranean Europe and Baltics. Reporting to the Regional FP&A Lead, this role combines financial planning expertise with strong technical and analytical capabilities to support forecasting, planning systems, management reporting, and continuous process improvement. Unlike a traditional FP&A business partnering role, this position has a strong focus on data management, financial systems, reporting automation, and planning processes. The successful candidate will work closely with local finance teams and regional FP&A colleagues to ensure the accuracy, integrity, and efficient flow of financial data across forecasting and reporting cycles. This role offers an excellent opportunity for finance professionals, FP&A analysts, controllers, or data analysts with an interest in finance who are looking to develop broader FP&A expertise in a multinational environment.
Primary Responsibilities Financial Planning, Analysis & Reporting
• Partner with finance teams and business stakeholders across multiple markets to support annual budgets, periodic forecasts, and business planning activities. • Coordinate, consolidate, and validate planning inputs, ensuring accuracy and consistency of key assumptions, including sales, pricing, expenses, headcount, and profitability drivers. • Load, maintain, reconcile, and troubleshoot planning and reporting data within financial systems. • Perform variance, trend, profitability, and driver-based analyses to evaluate business performance and identify risks and opportunities. • Prepare and distribute recurring and ad hoc financial reports, translating complex datasets into actionable insights that support decision-making. • Support monthly reporting cycles, forecast submissions, performance reviews, and peak planning periods through timely analysis and business support.
Data Management & Systems Administration
• Maintain financial planning and management reporting systems, master data structures, and planning hierarchies. • Support data uploads, system validations, and integrity checks across planning and reporting platforms. • Serve as a key point of contact for finance users on data-related and system-related queries. • Contribute to the development and maintenance of planning dashboards, reporting solutions, and Power BI visualizations. • Collaborate with regional teams to enhance reporting tools and improve system efficiency.
Continuous Improvement, AI & Automation
• Foster a continuous improvement mindset by identifying opportunities to simplify processes, improve data quality, and reduce manual activities across FP&A operations. • Leverage AI-powered tools, automation, and advanced analytics in day-to-day work to enhance productivity, strengthen financial insights, and improve the quality of planning, reporting, and analysis. • Support the adoption and implementation of digital, automation, and AI-enabled solutions that drive efficiency and innovation across FP&A processes. • Share best practices and contribute to the standardization and continuous evolution of FP&A processes, tools, and ways of working.
What We're Looking For Required Qualifications
• Bachelor's degree in Finance, Accounting, Economics, Business Analytics, Information Systems, or a related field. • 2-5 years of relevant experience in FP&A, Controlling, Financial Analysis, Accounting, Business Analytics, or Data Analytics. • Strong Excel skills, including advanced formulas, data manipulation, and analytical modelling. • Solid understanding of financial statements, P&L structures, and basic accounting principles. • Strong analytical mindset with the ability to work with large datasets and identify key business drivers. • Experience working in multinational or matrix organizations. • Excellent problem-solving, organizational, and prioritization skills. • Fluent English communication skills.
Preferred Qualifications
• Experience with financial planning and reporting tools such as SAP, BPC, Power BI, planning dashboards, or similar systems. • Experience supporting budgeting, forecasting, or management reporting processes. • Background in FP&A, controlling, management accounting, data analytics, or business intelligence. • Familiarity with AI, automation, or process improvement initiatives. • Experience working with Power BI or other reporting and visualization tools.
Success in This Role Successful candidates will:
• Enjoy working with data and analytical problem-solving. • Be comfortable navigating financial systems and large datasets. • Thrive in a dynamic environment with periodic forecasting and reporting peaks. • Demonstrate a strong learning mindset and willingness to build expertise in FP&A processes and planning systems. • Be motivated to develop into broader FP&A and senior specialist roles over time.
What we offer
• Exciting work in a great team, global projects, international environment • Opportunity to learn and grow professionally within the company globally • Hybrid working model, flexible role pattern • Competitive salary & incentive pay • Pension and health insurance contributions • Internal reward system and referral scheme • 5 weeks annual leave, 5 sick days, 15 days of certified sick leave paid above statutory requirements annually, 40 paid hours annually for volunteering activities, 12 weeks of parental contribution • Cafeteria for tax free benefits according to your choice (meal vouchers, sport, culture, health, travel, etc.), Multisport Card • Vodafone, Raiffeisen Bank, Foodora, and discount programmes • Up-to-date laptop and iPhone • Parking in the garage, showers, refreshments, massage chairs, library, music corner
Ready to take up the challenge? Apply now! Know anybody who might be interested? Refer this job!
Required Skills: Budgeting, Data Analysis, Financial Planning, Financial Reports, Management Controls, Stakeholder Management, Variance Analysis Preferred Skills:
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Search Firm Representatives Please Read Carefully Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, NJ, USA, also known as Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC, Rahway, NJ, USA, does not accept unsolicited assistance from search firms for employment opportunities. All CVs / resumes submitted by search firms to any employee at our company without a valid written search agreement in place for this position will be deemed the sole property of our company. No fee will be paid in the event a candidate is hired by our company as a result of an agency referral where no pre-existing agreement is in place. Where agency agreements are in place, introductions are position specific. Please, no phone calls or emails.
Employee Status: Regular Relocation: No relocation VISA Sponsorship: No Travel Requirements: No Travel Required Flexible Work Arrangements: Not Applicable Shift: Not Indicated Valid Driving License: No Hazardous Material(s): n/s Job Posting End Date: 09/21/2026*A job posting is effective until 11:59:59PM on the day BEFORE the listed job posting end date. Please ensure you apply to a job posting no later than the day BEFORE the job posting end date.