Head of Finance in Stretford

A global, multi-million revenue business in the tech and retail sector is recruiting for a Divisional Head of Finance to lead a team. This newly created role will oversee the day-to-day finance operations of its largest division while maintaining an active role in several group-wide transformation projects including the use of AI in back-office functions supporting front-line customers.

Reporting to the Group Director of Finance, the role will lead:

• Business Partnering & Stakeholder Management
• Provide detailed analysis and commentary on financial performance, variances, and trends working with the FP&A team to understand Gross Margin deviations from budget/forecast.
• Ownership and preparation of monthly departmental overheads reports including detailed variances to budgets and forecasts and regular business partnering to budget holders.
• Support the FP&A team in the preparation of budgets and forecasts for all operating and capital expenditure costs.
• Act as a key business partner to the senior management team, providing financial insights and analysis to support decision-making.
• Ownership of the accounting and financial control for all trading entities and holding companies including ensuring all Balance Sheet reconciliations are completed and reviewed on a monthly basis.
• Management of the month-end reporting cycle ensuring timely cut-off procedures are in place, transactions are accounted for correctly, journals are appropriately approved, and supporting documentation is maintained as evidence.
• Overseeing the preparation of the Group’s consolidation including any acquisition accounting, impairment reviews, and intercompany eliminations.
• Maintain, develop, and own the staff costs and overheads costs models. These are monthly reporting, rolling forecasts, and budget models.
• Ensure proper cost allocation across entities to reflect true profitability.
• Maintain strong internal controls to ensure accurate recording of capital expenditure, carrying out project assessments to ensure adherence with IFRS.
• Ensure the timely and accurate production of the Group’s monthly management accounts, including timely submissions to investors, banks, and regulators.
• Lead the annual external Group audit process and preparation of the UK statutory accounts, liaising with external auditors and providing necessary documentation.
• Lead, mentor, and develop the divisional finance team, fostering a culture of high performance and continuous improvement.
• Set clear objectives for team members, conduct regular performance reviews, and provide training and development opportunities.
• Foster a collaborative working environment and support cross-departmental collaboration on financial matters.
• Drive continuous improvements in financial reporting processes, cost accounting systems (D365/SAP), and data integrity for better decision-making.
• Drive automation and process improvements to increase efficiency and reduce manual tasks.

Ideal Candidate

The ideal candidate will be ACA qualified with exposure to a large global group of businesses (£500m+), ideally Private Equity backed. Prior experience of being a part of continuous improvement projects, with elements of Artificial Intelligence, will also be preferable.

Benefits

In return, the business offers a fantastic opportunity to build and shape the finance function in a supportive and collaborative environment where CPD is at the heart of the business.

Career Progression

Progression to Finance Director is also a realistic objective for this role.