Interim Operations Financial Controller in Chesterfield

Interim Financial Controller | Manufacturing

Sheffield | £70,000-£78,000 equivalent salary or £325-£375 per day | Initial 6 months, with potential to extend to 12 months

Some interim assignments keep the wheels turning. Others give you the chance to change how the whole operation runs.

This is an opportunity to do the latter.

A new Finance Director is embarking on a transformation programme, bringing fresh energy, new ideas and a clear ambition to improve how finance supports the wider business.

They're looking for an experienced, commercially minded manufacturing finance professional to become a key part of that journey - working at the heart of a food production operation, getting close to the people, understanding what drives performance and turning opportunities for improvement into tangible results.

For the right person, six months could be enough to leave a lasting mark. And if the programme continues for longer, there's the potential to build on that impact.

Your site. Your influence. Your results.

Forget spending your days behind a desk explaining last month's numbers after the event.

You'll be embedded in the operation, working alongside site leaders and getting to grips with the realities behind the financial performance.

Why are production costs moving? What's driving the variances? Where are margins being squeezed? Could processes be more efficient? And, crucially, what can be done about it?

You'll bring the financial understanding, commercial curiosity and constructive challenge to help answer those questions - and turn the answers into action.

This is where your understanding of manufacturing finance really comes into its own. Materials, labour, overheads, stock, production costs and variances aren't just lines in a report. They're the levers that influence performance, profitability and the decisions made every day.

Your job is to help the business see those levers more clearly and use them more effectively.

A transformation with your name on it

The incoming Finance Director wants a finance function that does more than account for performance. The ambition is to improve it.

You'll have a supportive, engaged line manager who wants you to contribute ideas, challenge existing ways of working and take ownership of improvements. This isn't about arriving with all the answers on day one. It's about bringing the experience, energy and initiative to find them.

You'll have the trust to get on with things, the opportunity to build relationships across the site and the backing to turn good ideas into better ways of working.

And unlike assignments where your contribution can disappear into a much bigger programme, here you'll be focused on one manufacturing site. You'll be close enough to the operation to see what changes, measure the difference and know what your work has achieved.

Imagine looking back after six months and being able to point to stronger controls, better visibility of costs, improved processes and operational decisions informed by your work. If the assignment extends, you'll have even more opportunity to build on those foundations.

What you'll take ownership of

• Financial Control and Reporting: Maintain robust financial control and deliver accurate, timely reporting that supports the site and wider finance function.
• Manufacturing Costing: Apply your understanding of production costs, materials, labour and overheads to improve visibility of the true cost of manufacturing.
• Variance Analysis: Investigate movements against budget, forecast and standard costs, identify root causes and help operational teams act on the findings.
• Operational Business Partnering: Build credibility with site stakeholders, understand their challenges and translate financial information into practical recommendations.
• Process Improvement: Identify opportunities to strengthen controls, simplify processes and improve the quality of financial information.
• Transformation Support: Work alongside the new Finance Director as the wider transformation programme takes shape, contributing ideas and helping embed better ways of working.

These responsibilities reflect the priorities of the assignment; the precise scope will evolve with the needs of the site and transformation programme.

Who will thrive here?

You understand that manufacturing finance is about much more than producing a set of accounts. You know how operational decisions flow through to cost, margin and profitability, and you're comfortable getting close to the detail to understand why the numbers look the way they do.

You'll likely bring:

• Manufacturing Or FMCG Experience: A strong understanding of the financial dynamics of a production environment.
• Costing and Variance Expertise: Practical experience investigating manufacturing costs, explaining variances and identifying opportunities to improve performance.
• Strong Financial Control: The technical grounding to maintain accurate reporting and robust controls.
• Stakeholder Confidence: The ability to build relationships with operational colleagues, ask challenging questions constructively and bring people with you.
• A Self-Starter Mindset: Energy, pace and a hands-on approach, with the confidence to work autonomously and take an idea through to implementation.

You could be an experienced Financial Controller, Finance Manager or senior manufacturing accountant looking for an interim assignment where you can combine technical expertise with genuine operational impact.

The practical details

Location: Sheffield

Contract term: Initial six months, with potential to extend to 12 months

Package: £70,000-£78,000 equivalent salary, or £325-£375 per day

Working Pattern: Site-based, with some flexibility around attendance to be discussed

Ready to make your next assignment count?

If you enjoy getting under the skin of a manufacturing business, turning financial insight into operational improvements and working with leaders who genuinely welcome ideas, this could be an excellent next move.

Let's talk about how you could make a measurable difference in your first six months.