Finance Manager in Hemel Hempstead

The role combines high-quality management accounting with advanced financial planning and analysis to deliver relevant, reliable, and timely information that informs strategic and operational decision-making. The role supports strategy execution through budgeting, forecasting, variance analysis, and scenario modelling, partnering with commercial departments for optimising business performance, while promoting strong financial control, transparency, and continuous improvement across the organisation.

The role will also be expected to produce accurate and timely management accounts, manage the transactional finance function, and demonstrate a thorough knowledge base of each of the areas within the finance remit, including the P&L and balance sheet, with particular knowledge of month-end reporting, AP, AR, banking, inventory, and net working capital management.

Accountabilities and related performance Indicators

• Management Accounting & Performance Reporting
  • Manage the month-end close process
  • Produce and submit accurate and timely management accounts, including P&L, balance sheet, and cash flow
  • Deliver variance analysis explaining key performance drivers and operational impacts
  • Continuously improve reporting to enhance clarity, relevance, and value to stakeholders
• Financial Planning, Budgeting & Forecasting
  • Support annual budget, rolling forecast, and long-range planning processes
  • Develop financial models and scenario analysis to assess risks, opportunities, and investment decisions
• Finance Business Partnering
  • Act as a trusted finance business partner to HoDs and budget holders
  • Execute performance analysis on pricing, cost management, profitability, and investment appraisal
  • Assist the Finance Director with internal and external information requests
• Cash Flow & Working Capital Optimisation
  • Monitor and analyse cash flow and working capital drivers
  • Support initiatives to optimise cash generation and resource allocation
  • Produce forward-looking cash forecasts to underpin business planning
• Supply Chain & Inventory Management
  • Demand management activities, maintaining supply chain sales demand forecasting
  • Active inventory management & stock control
  • Supply chain stock ordering in a timely manner
  • Maintain accurate material and master data
• Continuous Improvement & Systems Enhancement
  • Identifying data discrepancies between systems and resolving efficiently
  • Improve finance processes, tools, and planning systems, to enhance efficiency and insight
  • Drive standardisation and automation of finance reporting
  • Support SAP ERP and finance systems maintenance and development
• Compliance/ Financial Control, Governance & Stewardship
  • Ensure strong financial control and compliance of organisational resources
  • Maintain integrity of financial data, planning assumptions, and reporting processes
  • Support audit processes and compliance with policies and standards (internal and external)
  • Ensure that accurate records are kept by standard practices
  • Ensure accurate documentation of procedures relevant to internal financial controls
• Other duties include but are not limited to
  • Maintenance and upkeep of the accounting records
  • Provide cover for other accounting functions in the event of absence of other staff members
  • Debt collection / credit control
  • General Ledger processing accounting
  • Purchase Ledger processing accounting
  • Sales ledger processing and accounting
  • Fixed asset accounting
  • Administrator duties for the Purchase Order system
  • Administrator duties for the online expenses function
  • Such other duties as the management may from time to time reasonably require.

Qualifications, Experience & Knowledge Requirements

• Education
  • Graduate with a 2:1 in a finance or business degree (Required)
  • 3 A levels between A* - C (Required)
  • CIMA Qualified (Preferred)
• Professional Experience
  • Minimum 5+ years PQE in a financial position (Preferred)
• Knowledge, skills, and abilities
  • Excellent verbal and written communication skills (Required)
  • Excellent MS Office skills, in particular Excel, Word, and PowerPoint (Required)
  • Good analytical skills (Preferred)
• Competency Requirements
  • Teamworking: Champions working together to create a culture of mutual respect; ensures real collaboration and true involvement. Uses strengths and the expertise of others to create and celebrate team success.
  • Passion for Results: Demonstrates energy and drive in delivering results. Is proactive in approach and efficient and effective. Focuses on the end goal.
  • Personal Accountability: Takes responsibility for self and actions. Takes the initiative and is proactive. Is willing to stand up and be counted and do the right thing.
  • Open and Transparent: Gives and accepts regular honest constructive feedback and speaks the truth. Approaches working with others with positive intent. Brings disagreement out into the open and seeks to define solutions that everyone can endorse.
  • Developing Self and Others: Takes responsibility and demonstrates commitment to own development. Uses all situations as potential learning opportunities. Supports and encourages others to develop their knowledge and behaviours.
  • Innovation: Challenges thinking to bring about improvements. Seeks to gain understanding of a topic and generate new ideas and new ways of working. Is flexible and agile and delivers different and better solutions. Embraces change, learns from mistakes, and takes smart risks.