Role Title: Financial Controller (UK Division) for one of the most established traditional food
producers in the UK and based in East London.
Department: Finance
Reporting to: Group Finance Director, with dotted line to Site Manager of UK business
****************************************************************************
Role summary:
---
The role of Financial Controller will provide leadership and insight, supporting the Group Management Team in the integration of what is a strategic acquisition for the Group, while at the same time developing close relationships with the local Management Team, to ensure openness and transparency, while driving improvement and growth with them.
This role will work closely with the Finance Director, the UK Operations Team and the Commercial and Marketing Teams to ensure that appropriate financial controls and procedures are in place across the business, that financial information as reported on a weekly / monthly basis is accurate and insightful, and to support commercial and brand decision-making to ensure an appropriate return on investment is achieved over the medium-term.
The Group is currently assessing the appropriateness of its site in London, and it is likely that at least part of its existing operations will be moved out of East London, to facilitate capacity expansion. As such, this role will be heavily involved in the financial and operational assessment of potential alternatives.
Key Tasks and Responsibilities:
---
Financial Reporting
- Establish and embed relevant management information, in line with Group reporting templates, within agreed deadlines and particularly to alert management to significant trends or issues.
- Provide input to the identification and correction of areas that require financial improvement, and contribute to driving financial awareness throughout the business.
- Establish and embed the annual budgeting and quarterly forecasting process across operations and commercial.
- In conjunction with Group, establish, monitor and achieve cash flow and profit targets.
Operations Finance
- Establish and embed operational performance reporting for the UK site, including appropriate KPIs and appropriate operational performance measurements, ensuring that they are relevant to the site, timely, target-based and provide insight into performance, facilitating accurate decision-making.
- Implement a standard costing system, manage the accuracy and integrity of product BOMs, COPs and stock valuations within the SI system, and establish appropriate daily / weekly variance reporting against standard.
- Provide positive challenge to all operations inputs to product costings and key operational overheads, such as repairs & maintenance, coming from a position of full understanding of factory flow and the production process.
Commercial and Brand
- Work with the Commercial Team to manage the alignment of plant costing to product commercialisation to deliver key internal customer metrics and maximise gross margin.
- Input to, review of, and challenge of customer tenders.
- Review and analysis of customer marketing spend and promotional / marketing spend to ensure an appropriate return on investment is achieved.
Controls
- Ensure that sufficient procedures, internal controls, systems and checks exist to enable accurate financial information to be produced. In particular, ensure that controls over the transactional functions (accounts receivable, accounts payable, pricing, payroll and bank) are appropriate and that a robust reconciliation process is in place in respect of key balance sheet control accounts, including stock integrity and valuation.
- Ensure that a robust process is in place for the monitoring and control of capital spend, and that an appropriate system for recording and controlling fixed assets and depreciation is in place.
- Monitor and control the cost base of the business, ensuring that it is appropriate for its level of operation.
Compliance
- Ensure that the business maintains compliance with statutory, legal and insurance requirements in regard to the areas of responsibility. In particular, ensure that VAT, PAYE and
- taxation requirements are met on a timely basis.
- Liaise with the company's auditors to ensure the smooth and effective completion of the annual audit, and that any matters brought to the company's attention resulting from the audit are dealt with on a timely basis.
Management
- Play an active leadership role in the site management team to deliver the overall site strategy.
- Lead and develop the finance team (currently 2).
- Lead initiatives to increase and develop best practice, ensuring that there is communication across the business and ensure that finance operates as a proactive business partner.
Along with the duties described above, you will be required to be flexible and to undertake such
other work as may be assigned to you from time to time.
Qualification
ACA or CIMA qualified Accountant
Knowledge/Experience/ Qualities
- Experience of a manufacturing (ideally food), FMCG essential
- Demonstrable experience of leading and managing the finance function
- Ability to work in a fast-changing environment and under pressure
- Ability to collaborate across the business and communicate effectively with senior management and third parties in a direct and open manner
- Experience of ERP systems
- Advanced excel user
- 'Hands on' approach to the achievement of objectives
