Finance Director in Brighton

Working Hours: Part-time (3 days per week expected), hybrid

Contract: Permanent

Office Location: Brighton, UK

Gems Sampling delivers the highest standard product sampling campaigns for results-driven brands. Working with some of the most exciting new and established brands such as Coca Cola, Cadbury, Walmart and Kellanova, we are passionate about creating great sampling experiences. Our expertly curated campaigns facilitate memorable experiences at key moments, helping brands engage their target audiences in their natural environments.

Purpose of the role

You will be working alongside the CEO and COO, owning the Finance function and helping ensure we have the right processes and measurement in place to help us scale and operate efficiently. This really is a ‘blank slate’ - an opportunity to build everything from the ground up, encompassing budgeting, forecasting and financial reporting. With a growing share of our revenue coming from the US, ensuring we’re optimising our management of forex exposure is also of high importance. With the business entering its 11th year, we’re also considering the future exit strategy. Preparing for and leading on the financial aspects of that process is a core part of the role.

Key responsibilities

• Systems & process optimisation
• Review, optimise and document financial systems and processes within the business, from ‘deal budgets’ through to accurate monthly management accounts
• Xero, Google Suite, Hubspot & Salesforce are in-use.
• Ensuring that the business has accurate, up-to-date management information
• Lead automation and efficiency improvements within the finance function
• Budgeting, forecasting and performance reporting
• Creating & maintaining budgets and financial plans
• Preparation of monthly management accounts reports including P&L vs budget/forecast and cashflow forecast
• Ensure reports are up-to-date and accessible to other stakeholders
• Investor readiness
• Preparing for and handling investor requests for current and historical financial information
• Leading on financial due diligence processes
• Preparing and presenting financial forecasts for investors
• International compliance & risk management
• Ensuring the company is operating within the required frameworks in its international markets (US, predominantly)
• Managing forex exposure to minimise potential for losses, and ensuring accurate reporting on current positions
• Day to day financial operations
• Manage day-to-day financial operations including AP, AR, banking, payroll, and tax
• Ensuring invoicing is managed efficiently and payments are received in a timely fashion
• Accruing bills and invoices to the correct workstreams & time periods

What success looks like

• Accurate and timely financial reporting, with near real-time availability
• Satisfactory completion of investor financial due diligence
• Improved business visibility through dashboards and KPIs
• Strong cost control and improved margin performance
• Increased automation and reduced manual processes across the business

Must haves

• Ownership owning financial reporting & finance operations
• Experience of trading with/within the US
• Sell-side investment / M&A experience
• High proficiency in Google Suite & Xero

Nice to haves

• Working with Hubspot / Salesforce data models and reporting/dashboard capabilities
• Ability to provide first-line support on contracts and/or data security & privacy matters in relation to supplier and customer contracts
• Drive and determination to succeed. We are growing a business with a vision to sell so your ability to keep this always in mind is key
• A team worker, with the ability to work autonomously on own initiative
• Attention to detail and a genuine desire to deliver meaningful work
• Innovation and creativity. Be able to think on your feet and challenge peoples’ thinking
• Flexible working arrangements. This will suit someone who requires the flexibility to work around other demands on their time, with the option to work from home or from our Brighton office
• Autonomy. This is an opportunity to build out the systems and processes from the ground up, in the way you know works best, provided the business gets the information it needs when it needs it
• Financial reward. The EMI scheme aligns your success with that of the business in the event of an exit
• Holiday entitlement. 25 days annual leave plus 1 extra day for every year of service (pro-rated)
• Pension contributions
• A friendly, motivated team and a supportive working environment
• Open and communicative relationship with management, with weekly 1:1 sessions
• Regular team and company wide social events

Job offer

If interested, please apply via Linkedin Easy Apply. We will aim to contact you following your response, but due to the high volume of applications, this cannot be guaranteed, and we are only able to contact shortlisted candidates.