Site Financial Controller – Manufacturing Finance Leader in Manchester

Our Business Kraft Heinz is one of the world’s largest food companies, dedicated to making life delicious for consumers across the globe. Our iconic brands are found in millions of homes, bringing people together and creating memorable moments every day. At Kraft Heinz, we’re driven by a passion for quality, continuous improvement, and doing the right thing. We champion great people, embrace diversity, and foster a culture of innovation and accountability.

Kitt Green is Kraft Heinz’s largest manufacturing site in Europe and one of the biggest food processing facilities in the UK. Home to a passionate team and iconic products, including Heinz Baked Beanz and Soups, Kitt Green plays a vital role in delivering high‑quality, trusted brands to millions of consumers every day. We’re proud of our recent investment in advanced Heat Pump technology, a major step forward in energy efficiency and our sustainability journey. Looking ahead, we’re planning significant improvements, further enhancing our commitment to quality and operational excellence. These initiatives reflect Kitt Green’s ongoing focus on innovation, sustainability, and delivering results that matter. If you’re eager to make a meaningful impact and help shape the future of food, Kraft Heinz is the place to grow your career.

Role Summary

We’re looking for an experienced and motivated Finance leader to head up the Site Finance Team at Kitt Green. The Site Financial Controller provides overall financial leadership and stewardship for Kraft Heinz’s largest European manufacturing site, ensuring strong governance, accurate and timely reporting, and high‑quality decision support to drive performance, efficiency, and compliance.

This role leads a team covering the site’s major cost and performance areas, including circa £50m of ZBB costs per annum and circa £50m of Variable Input Costs (including Direct Labour, Material Usage Variance, Utilities and Other VIC), alongside critical compliance deliverables, inventory and product costing governance, and support to capital investment justification and delivery. The Site Financial Controller translates complex data into clear recommendations, champions continuous improvement, and strengthens financial understanding across the site leadership team.

The Site Financial Controller sits at the heart of the site leadership agenda and would suit someone who thrives in a fast‑paced environment, can balance strategic priorities with operational rigour, and enjoys working with colleagues at all levels to deliver results that matter.

Direct Reports

• Manufacturing Finance Lead
• European Operation Finance Lead
• Finance Business Partner
• Finance Analyst – Business Partnering
• Finance Analyst - Manufacturing

Key Responsibilities

Financial Leadership & Business Partnering

• Set the direction for site finance, ensuring the right routines, insights and governance are in place to support the Site Leadership Team in delivering safety, quality, service and cost performance.
• Act as trusted advisor to the Site Director, Heads of Manufacturing and Functional Heads, challenging constructively using facts and data and ensuring decisions are supported by robust analysis.
• Build financial understanding across the site by translating complex data into clear actions and trade‑offs, supporting a culture of ownership and accountability.
• Champion continuous improvement by ensuring finance is an enabler of 90 Day Improvement Plans, Savings Initiatives and Capex projects (from justification through to benefits tracking).

Operational Finance, Cost Control & Monthly Financial Reporting

• Own the site’s end‑to‑end financial performance management, ensuring high‑quality reporting and review routines across both ZBB and VIC, with clear actions to close gaps to AOP/Latest Estimate.
• Ensure timely and accurate month end close, including review of provisions, corrections, allocations and key judgements, and strong balance sheet ownership across the site.
• Oversee cost centre reporting and review meetings with operational and functional leads, ensuring the right level of insight, challenge and follow‑through.
• Ensure robust commentary and story‑telling for key site reporting packs (e.g., MBR / Forecast decks) and align the narrative across Finance and Operations.

Budgeting & Forecasting

• Lead the site planning calendar for Finance, coordinating the annual planning cycle and monthly forecasting routines across ZBB and VIC.
• Ensure strong scenario modelling and risk/opportunity management, proactively surfacing issues early and agreeing mitigation actions with the business.
• Oversee the site’s input to AOP Standard Setting (fixed and variable elements), ensuring assumptions are robust, consistent and well‑governed.

Product Costing, Inventory & Working Capital Stewardship

• Provide governance over product costing processes at site (raw, packaging, SFG/FG as applicable), including discipline around master data changes and master recipes.
• Oversee inventory controls and provisions (including Supply Chain Loss Provisions, blocked/obsolete stock and disposals/recharges), ensuring timely action and clear root‑cause follow‑up with Supply Chain and Operations.
• Ensure working capital levers are visible, measured and actively managed through clear routines.

Financial Compliance & Controls

• Ensure the site operates with strong financial stewardship and compliance with corporate financial policies, internal control requirements and regulatory expectations.
• Own audit readiness and lead responses to audit queries, ensuring documentation is accurate, timely and complete (including Annual Stock Take, fixed asset verification and other control activities).
• Ensure site finance processes are documented, maintained and continuously improved (process maps, SOPs, ways of working).

People Leadership & Team Development

• Lead, coach and develop the Site Finance Team, setting clear priorities, role clarity and development expectations, and ensuring effective coverage and succession planning.
• Build a “Power of We” culture with Operations and Support Functions, breaking down silos and enabling fast, aligned execution.
• Create an environment where finance colleagues can grow their technical capability, business partnering skills, and confidence in challenging constructively.

Expected Experience And Required Skills

• Qualified accountant (CIMA / ACCA / ACA) with significant experience in manufacturing / FMCG or similarly complex operational environment, including leadership responsibility.
• Strong working knowledge of cost accounting, forecasting, planning and performance management in a site‑based setting.
• Proven ability to translate complex analysis into clear decisions and actions with senior operational stakeholders; confident to challenge constructively using facts and data.
• Strong governance mindset with experience of internal controls, audit readiness and timely resolution of queries (inventory, fixed assets, balance sheet ownership).
• Advanced use of Microsoft Office applications, including Excel, Word and PowerPoint; strong ERP capability (SAP or similar).
• Organised, structured, and able to manage competing priorities while maintaining a high bar for quality and timeliness.
• A people leader who coaches performance, builds capability and creates clarity of ownership across the team.
• Curious, positive and proactive; applies continuous improvement mindset to simplify and standardise ways of working (KHMS mindset).

What We Offer

• Recognition & Reward: Competitive salary and benefits, plus recognition for your achievements and contributions.
• Learning & Development: Access to world‑class training, including the Kraft Heinz Management System and a range of technical and personal development courses through our Ownerversity portal.
• Career Growth: Opportunities to develop your skills, take on new challenges and progress your career within a global organization.
• Inclusive Culture: A supportive, diverse and collaborative environment where you can bring your whole self to work.
• Sustainability & Innovation: The chance to be part of the site’s ongoing journey to excellence.
• Community & Impact: Work that matters—helping to feed millions and make a difference in people’s lives.
• Site‑Specific Perks: A variety of salary sacrifice benefits, such as Tusker car scheme, private health cover, childcare vouchers, cycle to work scheme, additional holiday purchase scheme, option to WFH two days each month, access to an on‑site canteen, opportunity to join volunteering days each year.