Financial Planning Analyst

Job Description

Finance Analyst

• Fixed Term Contact, full-time role with competitive remuneration and benefits
• Contract End Date:  March 2027
• Location:  Upper Hutt (Wellington)
• Professional development: This fixed term role is ideal if you want to deepen your FP&A experience, expand your commercial acumen, and build your profile within a global Animal Health organisation by March 2027

As a trusted business partner, our Finance team is committed to financial integrity and functional excellence.

This includes:

• Maintaining the accuracy and reliability of financial information
• Applying strong analytical skills to support planning and forecasting
• Delivering meaningful insights through reporting and performance evaluation

Together, we ensure that financial decisions are grounded in robust analysis, compliance, and a deep understanding of the business.

This role supports the New Zealand business within the APSA Region for our Animal Health company. The position partners closely with the Finance Business Partner (FBP) and Business Unit (BU) teams to enable effective financial decision-making and support the company’s growth objectives.

A critical measure of success is the ability to build strong partnerships with business stakeholders, providing value-added financial insights that support decision making and help achieve financial goals.

What You Will Do

Responsibilities include, however not limited to:

• Support integration of commercial activities, systems, and processes
• Partner with the Finance Business Partner and Business Unit teams to provide financial forecasts, pricing analysis, and evaluation of business opportunities
• Support business reviews by analysing performance against key metrics and highlighting risks and opportunities
• Analyse major variances to forecasts, budget, and prior year results and prepare clear commentary on key drivers
• Liaise with local Finance and BSC teams to consolidate, analyse, and report monthly, quarterly, and annual sales and expenses
• Review rebate processes for each Business Unit and recommend improvements
• Demonstrate customer centricity by understanding stakeholder needs and continuously improving the support you provide
• Drive new ways of working through process review and improvement, including standardisation, simplification, and automation of manual steps
• Support financial controls across the organisation, with a focus on the monthly close process
• Build proficiency in financial applications and systems (e.g. SAP, Nexcast, other database tools)
  Undertake additional tasks, projects, or activities as required by the Finance Business Partner New Zealand

What You Must have

• Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, or related discipline; CPA (or equivalent) is an advantage
• Proven experience in Financial Planning and Analysis (FP&A)
• Strong analytical skills with the ability to interpret complex financial data and generate actionable insights
• Experience in the pharmaceutical or animal health industry preferred but not essential
• Intermediate to advanced proficiency in Microsoft Office, particularly Excel

What You Can Expect

• A fixed term opportunity to work autonomously while being supported and encouraged as part of a trusted, global, leading Animal Health organisation
• The chance to upskill and develop your FP&A and commercial finance experience over the course of the contract
• Flexibility and exposure that will help you broaden your skill set and build your professional experience
• A collaborative team of like-minded professionals in a supportive, knowledge‑sharing environment

We are proud to be a company that embraces the value of bringing talented and committed people together. The fastest way to breakthrough innovation is when ideas come together in an inclusive environment. We encourage our colleagues to respectfully challenge one another’s thinking and approach problems collectively. We are an equal opportunity employer, committed to fostering an inclusive workplace.

Required Skills:

Business Relationship Management (BRM), Business Reviews, Client-Centric, Corporate Financial Planning and Analysis (FP&A), Customer Needs Analysis, Data Analysis, Finance, Financial Analysis, Financial Due Diligence, Financial Planning, Management Controls, Microsoft Business Intelligence (BI), Preparation of Financial Reports, Stakeholder Engagement, Stakeholder Management

Preferred Skills:

Current Employees apply HERE

Current Contingent Workers apply HERE

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:

Temporary (Fixed Term)

Relocation:

VISA Sponsorship:

Travel Requirements:

Flexible Work Arrangements:

Hybrid

Shift:

Valid Driving License:

Hazardous Material(s):

Job Posting End Date:

03/23/2026

*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.