At a Glance
- Tasks: Join us as an Operational Finance Business Partner, driving strategic decisions and supporting multiple sites.
- Company: We're a leading UK manufacturer known for quality, innovation, and sustainability, with a family-oriented culture.
- Benefits: Enjoy competitive salary, study support, generous holidays, pension, and a supportive work environment.
- Why this job: This role offers growth opportunities, hands-on experience, and the chance to make a real impact.
- Qualifications: Manufacturing experience, strong Excel skills, and a background in costings are essential.
- Other info: This is a newly created position with clear progression routes and leadership opportunities.
The predicted salary is between 36000 - 60000 £ per year.
This company is a leading UK-based manufacturer with a global footprint and a long-standing reputation for quality, innovation, and sustainability. Still proudly family-owned, the business operates a fully integrated production model across several UK locations. Its facilities range from advanced manufacturing sites to inspiring showrooms and despite its size and scale it maintains a close-knit, values-driven culture where people are empowered, supported, and encouraged to grow.
About the Role: This is a newly created position, reporting directly to the Finance Director, with a dotted line to the Operations Director, a recent hire with an impressive, progressive background. Given that the finance team has historically had limited commercial resources, this role presents an excellent opportunity for value addition in both the short and long term across multiple sites. Initially, responsibilities will focus on the largest and most complex site (with a £40M turnover and the highest SKU count). You’ll be partnering with production, supply chain, sales, involved heavily in costings, and essentially driving numbers to support strategic decisions, and working on several short- and long-term projects. Looking ahead, the progression route is clear: once tangible results are achieved, there will be scope to expand this role, potentially replicating the model across other sites, with the incumbent taking the lead.
Candidate Requirements:
- Have manufacturing experience to demonstrate your expertise and value in partnering with production sites.
- Significant experience in costings, WIP, stock, all things production are essential.
- Have worked in an autonomous role, as you will be shaping this position with guidance from the FD and Operations Director.
- Possess strong Excel skills and experience with ERP systems; any experience or involvement in system implementation would be highly desirable.
- Drive long-term improvements by building and leading a team, supporting operational leaders across multiple sites.
- Qualified, qualified by experience or part qualified considered; study support will be provided.
This position has a very competitive salary attached, to be discussed on application, with a strong progressive future. Benefits are advanced including holidays and pension, the culture is very family oriented and the business has impressive leaders to learn from.
Contact Detail:
Hawthorn One Recruiting Team
StudySmarter Expert Advice 🤫
We think this is how you could land Operational Finance Business Partner
✨Tip Number 1
Familiarise yourself with the company's values and culture. Since this is a family-owned business that prides itself on a close-knit environment, demonstrating your alignment with their values during conversations can set you apart.
✨Tip Number 2
Network with current or former employees if possible. Understanding their experiences and insights about the operational finance landscape within the company can provide you with valuable information to discuss during interviews.
✨Tip Number 3
Prepare to discuss specific examples of how you've driven improvements in manufacturing settings. Highlighting your past successes in costings and production will showcase your ability to add value in this new role.
✨Tip Number 4
Brush up on your Excel and ERP skills. Given the emphasis on these tools in the job description, being able to demonstrate your proficiency and any relevant experience with system implementations can give you an edge.
We think you need these skills to ace Operational Finance Business Partner
Some tips for your application 🫡
Tailor Your CV: Make sure your CV highlights your manufacturing experience and expertise in partnering with production sites. Emphasise your significant experience in costings, WIP, and stock management, as these are essential for the role.
Craft a Compelling Cover Letter: In your cover letter, explain why you are interested in this specific position and how your background aligns with the company's values of quality, innovation, and sustainability. Mention your autonomous work experience and how you can shape the role.
Showcase Your Excel and ERP Skills: Since strong Excel skills and experience with ERP systems are crucial for this role, be sure to include specific examples of how you've used these tools in previous positions. If you have experience with system implementation, highlight that as well.
Highlight Leadership Potential: Discuss any past experiences where you have built or led a team, especially in a manufacturing context. This will demonstrate your ability to drive long-term improvements and support operational leaders across multiple sites.
How to prepare for a job interview at Hawthorn One
✨Showcase Your Manufacturing Experience
Make sure to highlight your previous roles in manufacturing during the interview. Discuss specific projects where you partnered with production sites and how your contributions led to improvements in efficiency or cost savings.
✨Demonstrate Your Financial Acumen
Be prepared to discuss your experience with costings, WIP, and stock management. Use examples from your past roles to illustrate how you've driven financial decisions that supported operational goals.
✨Emphasise Autonomy and Initiative
Since this role requires shaping the position, share instances where you've successfully worked autonomously. Talk about how you identified opportunities for improvement and took the initiative to implement changes.
✨Excel Skills Are Key
Given the importance of strong Excel skills, be ready to discuss your proficiency. You might even want to prepare a few examples of how you've used Excel to analyse data or support decision-making in previous roles.