Trade and Operations Accountant/Analyst

Synthomer is a leading supplier of high-performance, highly specialised polymers and ingredients that play vital roles in key sectors such as coatings, construction, adhesives, and health and protection – growing markets that serve billions of end users worldwide. Headquartered in London, UK and publicly listed there since 1971, we employ c.3,500 employees across our 5 innovation centres of excellence and more than 28 manufacturing sites across Europe, North America and Asia. Around 20% of our sales volumes are from new and patent protected products.

At our innovation centres of excellence in the UK, Germany, China, Malaysia and Ohio, USA we collaborate closely with our customers to develop new products and enhance existing ones tailored to their needs, with an increasing range of sustainability benefits. Since 2021, we have been proud holders of the London Stock Exchange Green Economy Mark, which recognises green technology businesses making a significant contribution to a more sustainable, low-carbon economy.

Are you a commercially minded analyst with experience in finance, trading or business analytics? Do you enjoy working with data, understanding market dynamics and turning insights into business decisions?

We're looking for an ambitious and analytical professional to join our Strategic Sourcing Operations (SSO) team as an SSO Trading and Operations Accountant.

Despite the title, this is not a traditional accounting role. It is a unique opportunity to operate at the intersection of trading, procurement, supply chain and commercial finance, helping the business understand how market movements, pricing decisions and raw material flows impact profitability.

You will work closely with Trading, Procurement, Operations, Treasury and Finance teams to deliver insightful analysis, reporting and business support across a global operation. This role would suit someone with a strong numerical background and a minimum of 2 years' experience in a finance, commercial finance, business analytics, trading or related analytical role. Experience gained through graduate schemes, analyst programmes would be highly relevant.

What You'll Be Doing

• Analyse trading activity, market positions and profitability across raw material transactions.
• Monitor commodity price and foreign exchange exposures and report on their financial impact.
• Produce daily, weekly and monthly commercial performance reporting for key stakeholders.
• Develop and maintain Power BI dashboards and reports, turning complex data into meaningful business insights.
• Support month-end reporting, management accounts and profitability analysis.
• Investigate trends, variances and data discrepancies across SAP and other business systems.
• Work closely with Trading, Procurement, Operations and Supply Chain teams to understand commercial performance drivers.
• Support budgeting, forecasting and business planning activities.
• Monitor trading controls, delegations of authority and governance requirements.
• Deliver actionable analysis that supports business decision-making and drives performance improvements.
• Reconcile and validate data across SAP, trading and operational systems to ensure reporting accuracy.
• Support analysis of procurement activity, market trends and supply chain performance.
• Assist with the monitoring of financial controls, policies and compliance requirements across SSO activities.

What We're Looking For

Essential

• Degree educated in a highly numerical discipline such as Mathematics, Economics, Finance, Data Analytics, Trading or a related field.
• Minimum 3 years of professional experience within finance, commercial finance, business analytics, trading or a related analytical function.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with the ability to interrogate complex datasets and identify meaningful trends.
• Hands-on experience using Power BI to analyse data, develop dashboards and generate actionable business insights.
• Advanced Excel skills and confidence working with large and complex datasets.
• Genuine interest in commercial business operations, trading, procurement, supply chains and market analytics.
• Experience analysing business performance and communicating findings to stakeholders.
• Excellent attention to detail and a naturally inquisitive mindset.
• Strong communication skills with the confidence to engage and build relationships across multiple business functions.
• A proactive attitude, strong work ethic and a genuine hunger to learn and develop.

Desirable

• Experience supporting trading, procurement, supply chain or manufacturing environments.
• Understanding of P&L reporting, management accounting or financial analysis.
• Experience using SAP or other ERP systems.
• Exposure to commodity markets, foreign exchange exposure or supply chain operations.
• Experience working within a global or multi-site organisation.

Why Join Synthomer?

This role offers a unique opportunity to develop expertise across:

• Commercial Trading Analytics
• Procurement & Supply Chain Intelligence
• Power BI & Business Intelligence
• Financial Performance & Profitability Analysis
• Commodity & Foreign Exchange Exposure Reporting
• Cross-Functional Business Partnering

You'll gain visibility across the full commercial lifecycle, helping to understand how procurement decisions, market movements, product flows and operational performance impact profitability. This is an excellent opportunity for a high-potential professional looking to build a career in commercial finance, trading analytics, procurement analytics, business intelligence or supply chain finance within a global organisation.

What You'll Gain

• Exposure to senior stakeholders across Trading, Procurement, Supply Chain, Treasury and Finance.
• Hands-on experience analysing real-world commodity, procurement and market data.
• Development of advanced analytical, reporting and Power BI skills.
• Broad exposure to commercial decision-making and strategic sourcing activities.
• A clear pathway into commercial finance, trading analytics, procurement analytics or strategic sourcing.
• The opportunity to make a tangible impact on business performance from day one.

Who Will Succeed in This Role?

The successful candidate will be intellectually curious, highly analytical and motivated by understanding how businesses make money. They will enjoy working with data but also be interested in the commercial story behind the numbers. They will be eager to learn about global trading, procurement, market dynamics and supply chain operations, and will thrive in a role that combines financial analysis, business partnering and commercial insight.

Location & Working Pattern

• Primary office location: Harlow, Essex
• Frequent travel to our London Victoria headquarters required
• For the right candidate, the role could be based on a hybrid split between Harlow and London Victoria
• 4 days per week in the office expected

If you're commercially curious, data-driven, highly numerate and excited by the idea of combining analytics with real-world business decision-making, we'd love to hear from you.

🌍 Global Benefits Overview

• 💰 Competitive, market-aligned compensation

• 🎯 Discretionary global bonus scheme

• 📈 Discretionary Long-Term Incentive Plan (LTIP) – for senior positions

• 🚗 Company car or car allowance – varies by region and role

• 🩺 Healthcare – tailored to regional locations

• 👶 Parental leave and family support – maternity, paternity, adoption (aligned with regional policies)

• 🏡 Working options – flexibility where it matters, based on role and business needs

• 📚 Learning & development opportunities – training, online platforms, buddy/mentorship programs, Internal Synthomer University with L&D offers

• 💙 Wellbeing support – employee assistance program (EAP), mental health resources, wellbeing initiatives

• 🌱 Retirement / pension contributions – plans vary by country

• 🤝 Culture of Inclusion – where everyone can thrive

• 🏆 Performance culture, global reward & recognition programmes