Interim Finance Director in Blackburn

Finance Director (Temporary Contract – 12 to 24 months): Onsite in Blackburn. Remuneration Package: £80K to £100K (plus retainer bonus) dependant on experience.

General All-Purpose Plastics (GAP) Limited is a leading privately owned company that delivers market leading, high-quality products and services through our extensive network of more than 100 distribution depots across the UK. With over 1,000 employees, we pride ourselves on our commitment to innovation and excellence as we continue to grow. Established in Lancashire in 1993, GAP has flourished year after year, becoming a trusted trade supplier of low-maintenance PVC-U & Aluminium building products to both residential and commercial markets across the country. Our growth and success are due to our valued trade customers and our dedicated team here at GAP, whose commitment and expertise are the cornerstone of our operations.

We are seeking an experienced Finance Director to join our dynamic finance team. This is a key strategic hire, offering a unique opportunity to join a stable, high-growth business at a pivotal stage of its journey. As Finance Director, you will report directly to the Managing Director and play a critical role in shaping the financial strategy of the business. You will be a hands-on leader while contributing to the broader commercial direction of the company. We are a high-volume complex business with multi-site retailers (110 branches), manufacturing (5 sites), web sales (3 websites), and logistics (2 sites).

Given that we process an average of 2,000 invoice lines per hour, your expertise in analysing large data sets and reconciling high transaction volumes will be essential. You will manage over 26,000 SKUs, which involve 5 to 10 operational steps before reaching our customers. Therefore, proficiency in handling high-volume, complex stock and cost management and an ability to understand complex processes is crucial.

The ideal candidate will be ACA/ACCA/CIMA qualified, have proven experience in a FD role within a manufacturing and retail operation. You will have strong commercial acumen and ability to influence strategic decisions with a strong background in driving process improvements for businesses with a turnover of at least £100 million across various sites, handling complex stock holdings and movements effectively and consolidated accounts.

• Take full responsibility for the payroll team and the timely and accurate processing of the payroll.
• Take responsibility for the legal aspects of the business, e.g. customer litigation.
• Take full responsibility for the credit control team, escalated credit control issues and credit decisions.
• Reconcile, analyse, and interpret large data sets, including sales, cost of sales, margin, stock, debtors, and creditors.
• Full control of the budgeting process, P&L, Balance sheet and Cashflow.
• Make the final decisions on all bonus schemes.
• Review acquisition opportunities and present them to the board.
• Take full control of the acquisition process if we decide to acquire a company.
• Raise finance when needed.
• Review the financial accounts and consolidation.
• Provide insightful and balanced recommendations to the board on the financial viability of all aspects of the business.
• Provide financial advice on commercial decisions in the business.
• Provide dividend proposals and work out the tax planning element of the proposals.

• ACA/CIMA/ACCA Qualified.
• Minimum of 5 years' experience in a FD role.
• Proven success track record as a FD ideally in a manufacturing & retail organisation.
• Confident, a self-starter, with the ability to operate in a dynamic environment and encourage/develop others.
• Demonstrates an engaging, can-do, highly visible leadership demeanour.
• Communication skills to take an active role in the Executive team.
• Good judgement, showing logical decision making and critical thinking skills.
• Commercial acumen in areas of improving business performance at both strategic and operational levels.
• Proven ability to partner with internal and external customers, partners and stakeholders in a manner that results in mutually positive outcomes and credibility.

• Experience producing management accounts for a £100m+ business.
• Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel, including pivot tables, VLOOKUP, and complex formulas.
• Experience in preparing consolidated accounts for businesses with a turnover of £100m or more.
• Proficiency in handling and analysing large data sets with strong skills in reconciling high transaction volumes.
• Experience of litigation processes.
• In-depth knowledge and understanding of accounting, budgeting and auditing principles and procedures in a similar senior level post.
• Ability to translate complex financial information for non-Finance managers.

Life assurance and 33 days of holiday entitlement, including bank holidays, with no Christmas or New Year shifts as we close during the holiday season. Our people are our most important asset and we would love to hear from you if you embody our values of People, Customer Service, Quality and Innovation.

We are an equal-opportunity employer. Diversity and inclusion are essential to us and we encourage a culture where everyone can be themselves at work. We value and actively seek out a richly diverse range of talent. Our policies ensure that every job applicant and employee is treated fairly and with equal opportunity to succeed.

To Apply: We would love to hear from you if you are a motivated individual seeking a challenging role in a dynamic environment. Please send your CV and a cover letter detailing your relevant experience and why you are the perfect fit for this role to geoff.atherton@gap.uk.com. Join us at GAP Limited and become a crucial part of a team that drives success and innovation!