What Does A Commercial Analyst Do?

WHAT DOES A COMMERCIAL ANALYST DO?

Published: August 5, 2024 – The Commercial Analyst analyzes historical and forecasts profitability for Brand SKUs, recommends improvements in costing methods, and leads audits to report variances between actual production costs and bill of materials. This role involves collaborating with operations, sales, and marketing teams to implement actions, and providing stakeholders with monthly variance analysis and insights to explain trends. The analyst also develops and delivers reports to senior management, analyzes business KPIs, and supports special projects to improve overall business performance.

A Review of Professional Skills and Functions for Commercial Analyst

1. Commercial Analyst Duties

Dashboard Maintenance: Assist with the setup and maintenance of dashboards in Tableau to track and measure KPI performance of Supply.
Performance Analysis: Provide business commentary on performance against targets, understanding key drivers of over/underperformance, and identifying key insights to support critical business decisions across all supply channels.
Competitor Insights: Develop insights from competitor data to understand market competitiveness in price, availability, and inventory assortment.
Data Management: Create table views and data sources within BigQuery and Snowflake, to be consumed by BI tool, Tableau, for reporting.
Commercial Reporting: Act as the key link between the Global Markets Team and Finance to ensure the accurate reporting of commercial initiatives and general performance.
ROI Monitoring: Monitor return on investment for all commercial initiatives currently in place and assist with the development of business cases for new commercial initiatives that will drive the growth of supply.
Business Case Preparation: Assist the business owners in preparing business cases, and estimating ROI of potential new investments/strategic initiatives.
Analytics Projects: Deliver analytics projects to understand emerging trends affecting performance, drive key insights, and support critical business decision-making.
Report Preparation: Assist in the preparation and presentation of reports and business cases to the board, shareholders, and senior management.
Adhoc Project Ownership: Actively participate and take ownership of ad-hoc projects as they arise.
Power Marketing Support: Support CCO in conducting power marketing transactions.
Financial Modeling: Create and manage complex financial models used for the decision-making process.
Product Pricing: Structure and price different products including call options, swaps, tolls, and other deal transactions.
Economic Analysis: Conduct economic analyses of energy markets

2. Commercial Analyst Details

Business Partnering: Provide business partnering support to operational stakeholders and senior management
Budget Management: Assist to manage group budget process, including modelling, consolidation and presentation
Trend Analysis: Provide analysis and commercial advice on trends, and make value-add recommendations
Performance Reporting: Perform monthly analysis, reporting and commentary on performance
Commercial Insights: Providing commercial insights on key customers and product lines
Strategic Support: Support strategic decision through financial modelling and scenario modelling
KPI Analysis: Conduct operational and KPI analysis
Performance Monitoring: Monitor and drive business performance
Budget Preparation: Preparation of operational budgets/forecasts and performance reports
CAPEX Analysis: Complete CAPEX evaluation analysis and feasibility
Process Improvement: Identify and execute process improvement opportunities
Data Integrity: Work with purchasing to maintain the integrity of data within the system
Pricing Support: Provide support to the Pricing Manager for any pricing quotes/tenders
Ad Hoc Reporting: Preparation of ad hoc reports and analysis

3. Commercial Analyst Responsibilities

Board Pack Preparation: Assist with the preparation of the monthly board pack and the information requirements of the Sorted Group investors.
Budget and Planning: Support the production of the annual Budget and 3 Year Plan and periodic reforecasting of revenue performance.
Revenue Variance Analysis: Revenue variance analysis, reporting on actual versus budget and forecast.
Revenue Model Management: Oversee the maintenance and development of the revenue model.
KPI Analysis: Key Performance Indicator analysis, using historic measures and support in defining/designing new measures.
Business Partnering: Assist Finance team to business partner all departments to support trading, business decision making, and applying commercial finance control.
Operational Information Development: Work with BI to develop and automate the production of operational information for timelier and higher quality analysis.
Profitability Analysis: Analyzing data sets to establish client and Product profitability.
Client Profitability Analysis: Support in analysis for prospective new clients outlining expected profitability and delivery dependence.
Proposal Drafting: Draft proposals and pitch materials for various commercial activities.
Document Management: Manage commercial documents across all projects.
Market Analysis: Analyze and report on pricing, products, market trends, competitors, and suppliers.
Pricing Tool Maintenance: Responsible for maintaining the pricing tool and implementing changes.
Customer Terms Modeling: Create and maintain models to reflect customer terms for reporting to management.

4. Commercial Analyst Job Summary

Economic Outlook Analysis: Maintain a broad appreciation and understanding of the economic outlook and performance trends for the Canadian economy, nationally and by region.
Industry Impact Assessment: Leverage knowledge into potential impact (risks and opportunities) on the Canadian Alcohol Beverage industry.
Business Performance Insights: Develop a strong understanding and derive insights into Corby’s (and competitors) national and regional business performance trends for Spirits, Wine, and RTDs.
Commercial Strategy Support: Support the Director of Commercial Strategy and Sales Operations with detailed commercial analysis and insights to support the evolution of the annual commercial strategy.
Performance Reporting: Develop and maintain commercial performance reporting. Responsible for monthly commercial performance reporting. Listing status and national/regional performance vs KPIs. National and regional performance of commercial OKRs.
Forecast Reporting: Preparation and deployment of national/regional forecast report to support Integrated Business Planning/SandOP processes.
Commercial Objectives Monitoring: Commercial Objectives and PMP - National and regional performance of commercial OKRs. Highlighting risks and opportunities by region, by brand.
Innovation Forecasting: Developing a draft forecast for innovation/new product launches, establishing expected distribution and volume aspirations. Validated through collaboration with key regional stakeholders.
Strategic Initiatives Reporting: Develop reporting, monitor progress, and provide insights against key strategic initiatives and commercial imperatives established in Corby’s commercial strategy.
Special Projects Leadership: Lead and/or participate in special projects/ad hoc analysis. For example, in the development and execution of commercial charters and business initiatives.

5. Commercial Analyst Accountabilities

Performance Analysis: Provide monthly analysis and commentary on performance of COGS, Margin, Vendor Rebates, and Promotional income across all categories.
Stakeholder Insights: Deliver actionable insights and recommendations to senior stakeholders.
Forecasting and Planning: Prepare quarterly forecasts and yearly detailed build of Annual Operating Plan in collaboration with the Merchandise Team.
Financial Modelling: Financial modelling of outcomes of vendor negotiations including COGS efficiencies and developing reports and dashboard to track ongoing progress.
Category Liaison: Liaise with the Category Management Team to ensure accurate reflection of vendor agreements in financial results.
Expense Management: Management of Merchandising Operating Expenses and FTE Reporting.
Gap and Risk Identification: Assist with understanding and identifying the gaps and risks between vendor invoicing and collection.
Process Improvement: Drive process and reporting improvements in BPandA and Merchandising functions, including building new tools for analysis.
Project Support: Provide ad-hoc project support and initiative analysis.
Performance Fundamentals: Collaborate with the brand marketing and regional sales teams to establish ‘performance’ fundamentals by SKU for all priority brands.
SKU Optimization: Collaborate with Supply Chain on the analysis and recommendation to support annual SKU optimization and rationalization.
Shipment and Depletion Monitoring: In collaboration with stakeholders in Supply Chain, Brand Marketing, and Regional Sales, monitor shipment and depletions of allocated products.
Risk Highlighting: Highlight risks to budget and in conjunction with the Director of Commercial Strategy and Sales Operations, coordinate a plan to resolve.

6. Commercial Analyst Functions

Core Commercial Data Understanding: Develop a comprehensive understanding of the core commercial data
Commercial Reports Maintenance: Support the Commercial Analytics team in the creation and maintenance of key commercial reports
Insight Dashboards Development: Support the development and maintenance of engaging insight dashboards to enable the commercial teams to self-serve in analytics and allow quick access to core KPIs and insight
Commercial KPI Tracking: Track commercial KPI’s and identify and report on standout movements and trends in conversion, margin, stock turn, and revenue growth vs both the budgeted and forecast numbers
Actionable Recommendations: Provide actionable recommendations on insights generated from the vast data sets which will help inform and optimize commercial strategy
Commercial Reports Production: With support from the Senior Commercial Analyst, produce and deliver regular (weekly/monthly/quarterly) commercial reports for the use of senior business personnel, identifying new ways of reporting where there is opportunity for further value to be added
Deep Dive Analytics: Support deep dive analytics on day-to-day and larger initiatives and present findings and recommendations to the wider Commercial and Data functions
Relationships Development: Develop strong relationships with all sub-functions within the data function, sharing learnings to maximize the access and value of insights across the business
Stakeholder Education: Educate key stakeholders within the commercial teams on using the dashboards and reports built and how to utilize the data effectively
Monthly Input Review: Review of monthly input from other Group Companies
Brand Budget Visibility: Creating more visibility around brand budgets
Standardized Reporting Creation: Helping to create standardized reporting across all brands
Brand Reporting Process Improvement: Improving the brand reporting process

7. Commercial Analyst Job Description

Commercial Models Management: Build and manage commercial models, reporting, and insight to provide key performance indicators and commercial analysis to support business performance
Data Analytics and Decision Support: Use data analytics to problem solve and provide decision support for strategic and operational improvements and changes
Revenue and Cost Forecasting: Forecast and track the company’s revenues, cost of sales, and margins
Performance and Market Analysis: Analyse how these perform against ongoing sales performance, portfolio performance, and ongoing industry charges and market changes
Reporting and Data Solutions: Develop and maintain ongoing reporting to the business, and support the operational business with smart data solutions
Relationship Building and Collaboration: Build effective relationships with key business partners, work closely with commercial and sales teams to develop and implement price or promotion changes
Product and Promotion Management: Ensure products/promotions are rolled out with the appropriate controls, training, and reporting in place to ensure the performance of any products/promotions and manage risks
Profitability Management: Routinely review, own, and manage the profitability of products and promotions
Rate Competitiveness: Ensure deemed and variable (tariff) rates remain appropriate, competitive, and above fixed price offerings
Financial Forecast Integration: Feed pricing and promotion considerations into the financial forecasting process
Market Pricing Monitoring: Responsible for monitoring the profitability of prices in the market and recommending price changes to balance competitiveness and achievement of the business plan
Business Planning and Budgeting: Annual business plan and budget preparation
Operational Optimization: Identify and implement opportunities to commercially optimize operating assets
Customer Billing Administration: Administering customer billing models and reviewing customer invoices
Commercial Support: Support commercial leads responsible for each business line

8. Commercial Analyst Overview

Pricing Program Performance Analysis: Understand performance of existing pricing programmes across geographies, industries, solutions, and use cases.
Profitability Monitoring and Modeling: Monitor and model product-level and deal-level profitability.
Pricing Policy Management: Key stakeholder in defining and managing pricing policy.
Pricing Benchmarking and Analysis: Pricing benchmarking and analysis, providing guidance to senior management.
Price Book Creation and Maintenance: Creation and maintenance of price books and supporting materials.
CPQ Product Catalogue Management: Manage product catalogue and pricing schedules in CPQ.
Packaging and Commercial Integration: Packaging and Commercial Integration.
Product Bundling Recommendations: Make recommendations for product bundling and industry-specific packaging/pricing.
Technology and Commercial Risk Analysis: Able to understand and work with technology teams, understanding how solutions work and how that translates into commercial risks and opportunities.
Financial Metrics and Budget Analysis: Analyzing, evaluating, and communicating financial metrics, budgets, and operations results for operating and non-operated assets.
Detailed Report Preparation: Detailed report preparation for internal and external customers.
Corporate Governance Support for Joint Ventures: Support corporate governance functions for joint venture assets, including document preparation and action implementation.
Commercial Agreement Management: Support preparation, tracking, and monitoring of commercial agreements.
Cross-functional Collaboration: Effectively work with operations, engineering, shared services, accounting, project development, and business development.

9. Commercial Analyst Details and Accountabilities

Revenue Opportunity Identification: Identifies and investigates opportunities to obtain new revenue aligned with corporate strategic objectives.
Lead Identification System: Develops a systematic approach to identify leads, contacts, and opportunities for new business across all engineering sectors and regions aligned with the corporate strategic direction of the business.
Investigative Skills: Strong investigative skills to ensure all information is obtained to form accurate conclusions.
Client Relationship Building: Establishes, maintains, and builds relationships with new potential clients, contacts, and stakeholders, identifying ways to better utilize these ties in favor of ByrneLooby.
Strategic Information Gathering: Ability to strategically obtain valuable information, market insight, and analysis to assist in commercial decision-making.
Market Intelligence Analysis: Ability to analyze key market intelligence and present findings clearly and concisely to enable smart and efficient decisions.
Business Opportunity Tracking: Provides regular updates on new business opportunities that are identified, collated, tracked, and followed up.
Trend and Insight Identification: Identifies trends, key insights, metrics, knowledge, and opportunities for new business.
Effective Communication: Confident to communicate internally and externally to all levels of seniority.
Task Administration and Initiative: Maintains the administration of tasks, makes appropriate judgments and decisions, and exercises initiative.
Report and Document Production: Produces high-quality reports, documents, and presentations.
Marketing Support: Assists and supports the marketing team in creating material tailored to new business opportunities/clients.
Strategic Marketing Recommendations: Assists the marketing team with recommended strategies based on new business opportunities/initiatives identified.
Strategic Partnership Development: Ability to identify and develop strategic partnerships to target new businesses in new regions.
Team Coordination: Works closely and maintains effective working relationships with other members of the Shared Services team to ensure effective coordination and cooperation.
Continuous Skill Development: Demonstrates commitment to the job and continuously develops skills.

10. Commercial Analyst Essential Functions

Commercial Planning Improvement: Improve commercial planning, addressing shopper, category, retailer, and market needs.
Data-Driven Recommendations: Make recommendations to the wider team based on data from various sources, such as brand, partner, wholesale, GFK, retail, and strategic insight.
Commercial Range Planning Facilitation: Facilitate improved commercial range planning, addressing consumer, category, retailer, distributor, and market needs.
Financial Model Analysis: Analyze and build financial models to support key commercial decisions.
Sales Performance Data Analysis: Conduct sales performance data analysis for specific activity plans at a brand, category, or SKU level.
Partner Wholesale and Retail Reporting Integration: Responsible for the development and integration of partner wholesale and retail reporting.
Data Set Enhancement: Create a more robust data set to inform the commercial range planning teams.
Pricing Strategy and Costing System Development: Responsible for the pricing strategy and the development of the costing system by product range or machine routing.
Profitability Analysis and Margin Improvement: Conduct profitability analysis by customer or specification and implement margin improvement initiatives.
Finance and Sales Team Support: Support the finance and sales teams by providing reporting and analysis.
Sales Forecasting Support: Support the commercial team with sales forecasting.
Commercial Lending Task Completion: Complete activities and tasks for existing commercial lending facilities.
Credit Decision Making: Review customer circumstances and needs and make credit decisions.
Customer Service Provision: Provide high-quality, timely customer service.

11. Commercial Analyst Role Purpose

Business Case Creation: Creating business cases and commercial models to support prospects and customers as they choose to adopt your solution
Data Integration: Combining forecasts and other data from regulators, government bodies, and partners to support discussions with potential next-stage investors
Business Modeling: Business modeling to support decision making by the board and senior team
Process Improvement: Striving to continuously develop and improve ByrneLooby processes
Health and Safety Compliance: Adhering to company and external Health and Safety procedures
Analysis Management: Managing analysis requirements for all functions in the business, supporting new tenders and acquisitions
Financial Modeling: Producing financial models for existing functions, new projects, and acquisitions
Business Analysis: Providing detailed business analysis through data extraction and manipulation techniques
Profit Maximization: Maximizing profitability opportunities and reporting on operational performance, with explanation and commentaries as required
Financial and Commercial Analysis: Assisting in the production of financial and commercial analysis and submitting tenders and bids for new opportunities, whilst also managing and renewing existing commercial contracts
Budget Production: Supporting new budget production and analyzing on a regular basis, providing commentary
Monthly Reporting: Helping with the production of monthly brand reporting
Business Partnering: Partnering with stakeholders to better understand the business/process to drive more informed decision-making

12. Commercial Analyst General Responsibilities

Monthly Reporting: Monthly outlook, outlook vs actual variations, outlook vs target; finance stewards for country IR and DR process ensuring accurate and transparent reporting.
Tracking R and O Movements: Track R and O movements rigorously.
Budget Management: Ensure the spend is within budget and properly charged to the right cost centers.
Spend Monitoring: Highlight any abnormal spend to the country leader and follow through rigorously.
Accruals Review: Establish and review accruals regularly and provide detailed spend reports to country teams for sound cost management.
Credit and Sales Partnership: Partner with Credit and Sales on DSO controls and recoveries.
Risk Highlighting: Highlight any potential risk proactively to the sales leader and country leader.
Inventory Reporting: Support periodic reporting of inventory to drive working capital improvement.
Annual Process Stewardship: Finance steward of annual processes and support country leader and category leads to run these processes smoothly including documentation of key assumptions and finalization of the presentations.
Financial Modeling and Training: Financial modeling and finance training of category leads.
Controllership Collaboration: Work closely with controllership for identifying discrepancies and process compliance (including super-distributor).
COGS Management: Plant costs, Toller costs, and COGS management and monitoring; own COGS metrics.
Business Health Monitoring: Monitor business health through established metrics and benchmarks.
Market Intelligence Reporting: Generate periodic reports on market indices, commodities, and competitor analysis.
Financial Reporting: Create and run standard and ad-hoc financial reports using CFIN and IBP systems.

13. Commercial Analyst Key Accountabilities

Sales Data Analysis: Compiling, analyzing, and reporting sales data for report distribution to internal and external stakeholders.
Customer Information Maintenance: Maintaining Customer Detail and Contract Information.
RFP Analysis: Providing analysis for customer RFPs.
Product Launch Participation: Participating in the launch of new injectable products.
Customer Communication: Communicating with Customers on Future Demand, and Customer Service on Daily Order execution.
Actionable Insights: Providing actionable insights to guide the sales and operations teams on inventory and pricing.
External Reporting: Providing External reporting to key partners.
Sales Potential Analysis: Determining sales potential and making recommendations on price based on market insights and historical information.
Sales Performance Monitoring: Monitoring and evaluating sales performance compared to executed customer agreements.
Market Activity Analysis: Monitoring and analyzing market activity, customer, and market trends.
Sales Plan Development: Contributing to the development of sales plans and objectives.
Commercial Consumption Support: Supporting in building commercial consumption, demand, and trends databases.
Strategic Communication: Clearly communicating findings and conclusions for strategic account and market analysis to internal and external audiences.
Stakeholder Support: Supporting key stakeholders such as Category, Sales, and Marketing Leaders in the development of data-driven strategies and customer presentations by providing relevant data and insights.

14. Commercial Analyst Roles and Details

Profitability Analysis: Analysing and reporting on historic and forecast profitability for Brand SKUs.
Costing Improvement: Assessing costing methods and recommending improvements to ensure more accurate allocation of manufacturing costs to SKUs.
Product Cost Analysis: Providing analysis and insights for actual product costs to assist with assessment of contract manufacturing, outsourcing options, and inbound co-manufacturing.
Audit and Reporting: Leading the audit and reporting variances between actual cost of production versus bill of materials.
Cost Allocation: Leading and analysing basis for costs allocated to contract manufactured products to ensure all costs are known and accounted for correctly.
Process Documentation: Assisting with documenting current costing process processes and methodology.
Team Collaboration: Collaborating with operations, sales, and marketing teams to gain agreement on implementation of actions.
Reporting: Developing and delivering analysis, information, and reports to senior management and other internal stakeholders.
KPI Analysis: Analysing business KPIs and drivers and making recommendations to improve business performance.
Process Mapping: Analysing and mapping processes, data pathways, and information flows.
Variance Analysis: Providing stakeholders with monthly variance analysis and insights to explain variances and trends.
Goal Achievement: Accomplish organizational goals by accepting ownership for the completion of new and different requests and exploring opportunities to add value.
Relationship Development: Develop and maintain professional relationships in support of team goals and objectives.
Special Projects: Support Manager/EM with special projects.
Market Data Analysis: Track and analyze customer and market data to identify insights that can be used to drive key decisions across the organization (market share, growth projections and trends, and market forces, etc.).

15. Commercial Analyst Duties and Roles

Estimating and Scoping Support: Estimating and scoping support for Defence Base Services Contract Change Proposals, survey and quotes, proposals, ad hoc works, and business cases in Estate Upkeep.
Business Stakeholder Interaction: Leads interaction with business stakeholders and subject matter experts to understand and assist in business improvement, including gathering documents and analyzing business needs and requirements.
Training Regional Contract Staff: Provides training to Regional Contract staff in the commercial aspects of the Defence Base Services Contract, including Estate Upkeep Statements of Work, and the preparation and processing of additional works such as surveys, quotes, and proposals.
Commercial Compliance: Ensures Regional commercial compliance with National commercial policy/protocols/procedures, etc.
Benchmarking Data Development: Developing and improving commercial and financial benchmarking data.
Supplier and Subcontractor Support: Supporting the financial and commercial aspects of arrangements with suppliers and subcontractors.
Commercial Knowledge Development: Developing commercial knowledge of the Commercial Analyst (Operational Services).
Query Resolution Support: Providing first-level support for resolving all Regional commercial and contract queries.
Commercial Reporting: Monthly and ad hoc commercial reporting as directed.
Collegiate Relationships: Fostering strong collegiate relationships with estimating and commercial peers in the National Commercial portfolio.
Management Interaction: Interacting with management to improve existing estimating and commercial support business functions.
Market Intelligence Reports: Translating data into executable and effective market intelligence reports.
Business Intelligence and Strategy Analysis: Business intelligence and strategy analysis for a country, country group, and EU region to support Commercial Strategy Development.

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