Head of Finance (12 months Maternity Cover) in Bristol

ELEMIS are looking for a Head of Finance to cover maternity for a 12 month period. This role reports to the Director of Financial Planning & Control, and leads a team of four Management Accountants. The role will suit someone technically strong on reporting and controls to lead the core financial engine of the organisation. The day to day activities will help to ensure reporting excellence, balance sheet integrity, tax and statutory compliance support, and audit readiness across all global entities, while modernising processes and strengthening financial control. You will lead the Management Accounting function, embedding discipline, transparency, and data integrity to support a best-in-class, unified, and proactive global finance operation. This is a full time role (37.5 hours per week), on a 12 month fixed term contract, located in our Filton Offices.

Key Responsibilities

• Mandate & Reporting Excellence
  • Deliver high-quality, audit-ready monthly management accounts with clear, insightful narrative analysis.
  • Own and continuously enhance the global month-end close process, ensuring accuracy, timeliness, and a structured “no-surprises” reporting environment.
  • Harmonise reporting packs, accounting treatments, and review controls across all entities to eliminate inconsistency and rework.
  • Establish structured reporting frameworks that provide leadership with clarity across P&L, Balance Sheet, and key financial drivers.
• Team Leadership
  • Lead, mentor, and professionalise the financial control team (of 4 qualified management accountants, including one senior MA), building strong technical capability and accountability.
  • Embed clear accountability for balance sheet accounts, reconciliations, and reporting deliverables, driving a culture of precision and control.
  • Strengthen technical accounting knowledge and review discipline to elevate output beyond transactional processing.
  • Develop a resilient team structure with defined roles, progression pathways, and continuity of expertise.
• Balance Sheet, Cash & Financial Control
  • Implement a rigorous monthly reconciliation framework with defined ownership, ageing review, and escalation protocols to ensure full balance sheet control.
  • Deliver transparent reporting across receivables, payables, inventory, provisions, and accruals to support active cash management.
  • Strengthen balance sheet and cash focus alongside P&L delivery, supporting liquidity oversight and capital efficiency– via regular bank recs and balance sheet recs.
  • Eliminate historic reconciling items and embed a continuous review process to prevent control weaknesses and balance sheet build-up.
• Matrix Reporting & Data Integrity
  • Develop a reporting structure that seamlessly maps legal entity accounting to regional and channel management views.
  • Ensure the General Ledger operates as the authoritative financial dataset, eliminating reliance on offline reconciliations and shadow reporting.
  • Rationalise and standardise the global Chart of Accounts to enable consistency, comparability, and reporting clarity.
  • Embed strong validation and review controls to protect the integrity of financial data across ERP and reporting systems.
• Audit, Tax & Corporate Compliance
  • Experience of managing and setting up legal entities, including multi-currency group consolidations, with understanding of tax and reporting requirements.
  • Maintain continuous audit preparedness through robust documentation, reconciliations, and structured review processes across all entities.
  • Oversee preparation and review of statutory tax packs and supporting schedules, partnering with external advisors to ensure timely and accurate filings.
  • Compile accurate financial data and supporting analysis for annual insurance renewals and risk assessments across the Group.
  • Provide technical accounting guidance and support on emerging finance matters, complex accounting issues, and corporate initiatives as required.

Skills, Knowledge and Expertise

• Fully qualified accountant (ACA, ACCA, or CIMA), ideally within FMCG, retail, or consumer brands.
• Strong background in management accounting, reporting, consolidation, compliance and financial control, with experience leading audits and managing multi-entity reporting (UK & US preferred).
• Technical knowledge of FRS 102 and UK GAAP.
• Adopts a continuous improvement mindset, challenges the status quo, demonstrated experience improving controls and streamlining processes that have meaningful impact.
• Demonstrates willingness to operate with flexibility and respond to business demands, adjusting your own priorities and directing the work of the team to meet deadlines.
• Ability to share and present information at all levels and to non-financial stakeholders.
• Ability to nurture and develop the capability of the team.
• Advanced Excel and ERP system experience (SAP, NetSuite, or equivalent), working knowledge of Microsoft Dynamics 365 and SAP Concur is helpful.

Benefits

• Hybrid working: We work three days per week in office (Filton location) and two days per week from home.
• Flexitime: We operate with core hours (10am - 4pm), which means you can be flexible on your finish and start time.
• Generous Staff Discount on all your favourite ELEMIS products and spa treatments, as well as discounts on L'OCCITANE Group products (including L'Occitane, Erborian and more).
• Excellent well-being policies including enhanced Maternity & Paternity policies, Income Protection, Life Assurance and more.
• Generous Holiday Allowance, increasing with length of service.
• Company Pension Scheme.
• Healthcare Cash Plan (with Dental).
• Employee Assistance Programme for all Associates and their families.
• Cycle to Work Scheme, Season Ticket Loan, Length of Service Awards.
• Much, much more!