UK Finance Director - Food Manufacturing

A unique opportunity for a Finance Director has arisen at Agrial Fresh Produce, creator of the Florette brand of salad products, located at our Head Office in Lichfield, WS13 8NF. As a part of our Board of Directors, the role will closely business partner with our Managing Director, and will control the financial and risk strategy of our Business Unit UK (BUUK). The BUUK covers two FMCG manufacturing factories in Lichfield and Wigan, as well as our integrated farm in Colchester. The Finance Director will be responsible across the BUUK for the annual production of statutory accounts and 3-year strategic and financial plans to ensure we have a financially sustainable and profitable business with appropriate controls.

Working closely with the Agrial Group in France, the Finance Director will ensure that BUUK consistently achieves goals and objectives to integrate closely with Agrial's Fresh Produce Division within the larger cooperative group. The role will also be in charge of the annual budgetary process, audit control, Working Capital Management, Financial Reporting to Group, tax planning and reviews, IT Infrastructure Responsibility, as well as the roll out and implementation of our ‘FlorIS’ ERP System across the UK.

Working hours: Monday to Friday, 08:30 - 17:00

Pay: Competitive with Director level benefits - Company Car or Allowance, Private Health Care for your family, Director-Level Annual Bonus.

Main Responsibilities

• To control the financial and risk strategy of the BUUK, produce annual accounts, management information and budgets, identifying levers to enhance business performance and keep control of costs and comply with regulatory requirements.
• Overall control of the annual statutory accounts and the audit process for all companies in the BUUK, including reviews and presentations of the consolidated weekly and monthly accounts.
• Management of the annual budgetary process whilst working with all departments to ensure that a realistic and achievable budget is presented to Group. Thereafter, ensuring that this budget is monitored closely with all Directors, managers/budget holders on a monthly basis and obtaining explanations for all significant variances.
• Responsible for the annual production of 3-year strategic and financial plans, with overall responsibility for BUUK Financial Reporting to Group including bi-yearly consolidations and inter-company reporting.
• Managing the Working Capital Management, Treasury management, and cash flow monitoring, in addition to the monitoring of daily cash levels, foreign currency requirements, hedging and borrowing levels of the BUUK.
• Review of corporation tax and tax planning by liaising with Tax Advisors to ensure that the BUUK not only complies with all UK Tax reporting requirements, but also minimises the overall tax liability and maintains beneficial cash flow.
• Overall responsibility for Product costings, Project Appraisals, Cost vs. Benefit Analyses, as well as the involvement in tender processes to consolidate the larger Commercial and Business Operations to ensure performance and sales.
• All other ad-hoc duties as well as those that are listed in the attached Job Description on the Agrial Careers site.

Skills and Experience Required

• Financially Qualified with notable post-qualified experience at a senior level - CIMA / ACA / ACCA
• Proven experience of managing whole business accounts at Director level or a similar senior level within Finance.
• Previous experience at a senior finance level within the FMCG / Food Production / Fresh Produce industry.
• Understanding of financial reporting into a larger Company Group within an international setting is desirable.
• Worked with bespoke ERP systems and understanding of multi-site IT Infrastructure is desirable.
• Exceptional influencing skills is essential, supported by strong interpersonal, leadership, and communication skills.
• Ability to speak/understand French is an advantage, but not essential nor required for the role.

What You Will Get In Return

• A competitive annual salary, Director-level bonus scheme, company car/allowance, and a range of employee benefits you’d expect from a market leading business, including:
• Life Assurance: 4x your basic salary paid to your nominated beneficiary.
• Employee Assistance Programme and BUPA: Providing a Remote GP service along with a 24/7 helpline for financial, legal, medical and life issues, as well as access to BUPA Membership for you and your family.
• Annual leave entitlement: 33 days annual leave per annum inclusive of UK Bank Holidays which increases with service, as well as the option to purchase up to 2 additional working weeks of holiday per annum.
• Learning and Development: Personalised induction and regular learning and development courses and schemes: From L2 to L7 Funded Apprenticeships, Leadership Development Programme, First-Aid and MHFA Training, and many more!
• Benefits Platforms: Employee discount platform for multiple retailers and access to salary finance schemes for bicycles, gyms, and financial assistance.
• Other: Recognition awards, Regular Employee Engagement days, attendance incentives, an annual volunteering day, and a free staff transport service to and from site covering Lichfield, Burton on Trent, Cannock, Rugeley, and Burntwood.

About Us

Florette is one of three UK food manufacturing factories within Agrial Fresh Produce Ltd, which is an autonomous part of the larger 17,500 employee strong French co-operative group, Agrial. The business operates mainly under its recognisable Florette salad brand and we are one of the UK’s leading producers in the industry. Under the well-known Florette brand, our site processes and distributes pre-packed, ready to eat, fresh salad bags and bowls to some of the UK’s most well-known supermarkets and retailers, as well as your favourite restaurants and fast food vendors. In total, we sell on average around 600,000kg of products every week.

Agrial has operations across 11 countries, with 100 industrial sites, and a 2024 turnover of €7.1bn across 5 food divisions which comprise of Beverage, Dairy, Meat, Fresh Produce & Agricultural operations.

We have a recipe for success through our EPIC values and working together as one team.

Next Steps

We’re looking for positive and driven people to join our professional team, who are passionate about driving change and innovation across all areas of operation. If you have the skills or experience we are looking for, and want a fresh challenge then we would love for you to join us on our journey! Please apply directly or alternatively contact Will Kaye, Recruitment Advisor for a totally confidential and informal discussion about the role.

This role is available exclusively with the Florette Recruitment team and will not be made available through Recruitment Agency suppliers. Agrial Fresh Produce reserve the right to close this vacancy once we have received sufficient applications. Therefore, if you are interested, please submit your application as early as possible.

VISA Sponsorship: This role is only open to applicants who have the permanent right to work in the UK. We are unable to provide or take over visa sponsorship, either now or in the future. Applicants must be able to demonstrate their ongoing eligibility to work in the UK without the need for employer sponsorship.

Agrial Fresh Produce Ltd is an Equal Opportunities employer. In addition, as part of Responsible Recruitment, Agrial Fresh Produce Ltd believes in the Employer Pay Principle. No worker should pay for a job – the costs of recruitment should be borne not by the worker but by the employer. We are committed to supporting the mental health and wellbeing of all of our staff.

We encourage applications from persons with experience of poor mental health and are committed to supporting our employees to fulfil their potential and perform at their best in work.