Planning Analyst

Gas Networks Ireland operates and maintains Ireland’s €3bn, 14,725km national gas network,which is considered one of the safest and most modern renewables-ready gas networks in the world.

Almost 725,000 Irish homes and businesses trust Ireland’s gas network to provide efficient and reliable energy to meet their heating, cooking, manufacturing and transport needs.

The gas network is the cornerstone of Ireland’s energy system, securely supplying more than 30% of Ireland’s total energy, including 40% of all heating and almost 50% of the country’s electricity generation.

Gas Networks Ireland is aiming to deliver a repurposed, resized and fully decarbonised gas network by 2045. Its “Pathway to a Net Zero Carbon Network” envisions transforming the existing gas network into two separate systems carrying 100% renewable gas, one dedicated to biomethane and the other to green hydrogen, with the potential to carry approximately 30% biomethane and 70% green hydrogen, as well as offering significant long term energy export opportunities.

The Role:

The Planning Analyst is responsible for the ongoing management of financial models, assisting in the delivery of the budget, forecasting and corporate plan process. Reporting into the Planning & Budgeting Manager, the Planning Analyst will also ensure alignment with the relevant Price Controls.

Duties and Responsibilities:

Planning

• Assist the Planning & Budgeting Lead and Planning & Budgeting Manager in preparing financial budgets, forecasts and plans to primary financial statement level, with particular emphasis on the income statement.
• Generate high quality templates to capture projected operating expenditure.
• Oversee the collection of operating costs for corporate budgets.
• Develop depreciation forecasts for both budget and corporate plans.
• Assist in generating budgeting, planning and forecasting presentations.
• Engage with relevant Finance teams to understand the movement in the cost base, ensure forecasts are in line with month end results and provide detailed commentaries on actuals vs forecast.
• Assist in delivering submissions to the Economic Regulator in collaboration with the Business Partnering Team.

Business Partnering

• Liaise with the extended Finance team to obtain high quality financial information, analysis and interpretation of financials in a timely manner.
• Develop and maintain working relationships with Business Unit Managers and the Finance Team by providing value add financial insights and advice.
• Support the GNI Business Partnering team in the coordination and delivery of both the annual budget and quarterly forecast processes for Asset Delivery & Asset Management, monitoring performance of results against the same.
• Assist in ensuring that financial concerns or issues in relation to opex/capital projects and opex costs are well understood and addressed by the Business.
• Ensure that costs are capitalised in line with IFRS, work with other functions to ensure all assets are commissioned in the correct licensed entity and in a timely manner.

Knowledge, Skills and Experience:

• Relevant third level degree and at least 2-3 years relevant experience.
• A recognised accounting qualification (ACA; ACMA; ACCA) or equivalent.
• Financial planning and business partnering experience desirable but not essential.  In areas such as the development of annual budgets, forecasting and variance analysis.
• Strong Excel experience.  Knowledge of models and data analytics tools an advantage.
• Capable of working on own initiative and also part of a team.
• Proven ability to create and develop good working relationships to facilitate the accomplishment of work goals, coupled with the ability to gain commitment from others
• Excellent analytical skills and be able to identify and analyse problems and potential improvements, and propose and implement solutions.
• Experience with identifying improvement opportunities, generating ideas and implementing solutions.
• Ability to set up ongoing procedures to collect and review information as needed.
• Proactively identifying new areas of learning and using newly gained knowledge and skill on the job.
• Ability to set own high standards of performance and delivering desired results.

Applications, including current Curriculum Vitae, should be emailed to the following address stating the job title and reference number in the subject line of your email: recruit@gasnetworks.ie
The closing date for receipt of applications for this vacancy is the 10^th of January 2025.

Please note that applications submitted after this closing date will not be accepted.

Gas Networks Ireland is an equal opportunities employer
We are committed to providing a diverse and inclusive place of work and have a robust strategy and framework called ibelong to enable this. We are an equal opportunity employer and through our recruitment process we welcome and encourage applications from interested and suitably qualified individuals regardless of gender, age, racial or ethnic origin, membership of the traveller community, religion or beliefs, family or civil status, sexual orientation/gender identity or disability. 

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