Head of Finance - IFPL in Newport

About Us: IFPL Group is a specialist aviation business with 30 years’ experience designing and supplying audio, power and lighting solutions for aircraft cabin interiors. We are an evolving and focused team, with expectations on high standards of quality, safety and certification. We’re now in an exciting phase of growth which the Head of Finance role will be an integral part of.

The Opportunity: We are seeking an experienced, commercially minded Head of Finance to lead the finance function of our successful and growing, privately owned manufacturing group. This is an excellent opportunity for either an established Finance Director seeking a hands‑on role within a dynamic business, or an ambitious and experienced Financial Controller looking to take the next step in their career, with a clear opportunity to progress to Finance Director.

Operating within the aerospace sector, our business has experienced significant growth in recent years. We are looking for someone who can combine strong financial management and technical accounting expertise with a proactive, commercially focused approach to improving business performance.

The successful candidate will work closely with the senior management team, providing robust financial control, meaningful management information and constructive challenge to support continued growth and profitability.

Key Responsibilities

• Financial Management & Reporting: Lead, manage and develop the day-to-day activities of the finance team, ensuring effective financial controls, accuracy and timely reporting. Oversee the preparation of monthly management accounts, including detailed analysis of performance against budgets, forecasts and prior periods. Manage the year-end financial reporting process, acting as the principal contact for external auditors and accountants. Ensure compliance with relevant accounting standards, statutory requirements and internal financial policies. Oversee the financial management and reporting requirements of the wider group, including intercompany transactions and reconciliations.
• Taxation, Treasury & Financial Control: Oversee corporation tax, VAT, PAYE and other HMRC reporting and compliance obligations, liaising with external advisers where appropriate. Manage banking relationships, treasury activities and cash flow forecasting, ensuring effective management of working capital. Oversee credit control, customer credit risk and debtor management. Take responsibility for payroll oversight, ensuring accurate and timely processing. Maintain appropriate controls over fixed assets, investments, director loan accounts, intercompany balances and other balance sheet items. Ensure robust financial governance, including appropriate authorisation procedures, reconciliations and segregation of duties.
• Commercial Finance & Business Improvement: Work closely with the senior management team to identify opportunities to improve profitability, cash generation and operational efficiency. Actively challenge costs, expenditure and existing working practices to drive sustainable improvements in EBITDA. Provide financial insight into manufacturing performance, including material costs, labour efficiency, overhead absorption, inventory and work in progress. Support pricing decisions, product profitability analysis, investment appraisals and capital expenditure proposals. Lead budgeting, forecasting and financial planning activities, including scenario analysis to support business decisions. Drive continuous improvement within the finance function, identifying opportunities for process simplification, automation and better use of systems and data. Help develop financial KPIs and reporting that provide greater visibility of business performance and support informed decision-making.

About You

We are looking for someone who combines strong technical accounting skills with commercial awareness, leadership ability and a genuine desire to make a difference. The ideal candidate will have:

• A recognised professional accounting qualification (ACA, ACCA or CIMA).
• Significant experience in a senior finance position, ideally within manufacturing, engineering or another product-based business.
• A strong understanding of manufacturing accounting, including inventory valuation, work in progress, product costing and margin analysis.
• Experience managing and developing a finance team, with a willingness to remain hands‑on when required.
• Sound knowledge of UK statutory accounting, taxation, VAT and financial compliance.
• Experience in cash flow management, budgeting and financial forecasting.
• The confidence to constructively challenge operational and commercial decisions and influence colleagues at all levels.
• A track record of improving financial processes, reporting and internal controls.
• Strong analytical skills, attention to detail and the ability to translate financial information into practical business recommendations.
• Experience of multi-company group structures, ERP implementation, international trading and foreign currency exposure would be advantageous.