Retail Accountant

Musgrave is one of the Europe’s most successful family-owned businesses with a 140-year heritage in food and brand innovation, supporting communities across the island of Ireland and Spain. Every day we feed one in three people in Ireland through 15 market leading food and beverage brands that include SuperValu, Centra, Frank and Honest and Musgrave Market Place. We support thousands of retail and foodservice family businesses who live and work in the heart of the communities they serve. We are committed to becoming the most trusted and sustainable business in Ireland and we are making changes across the company to make sure that happens. We want to make a positive impact on the world and we will support our suppliers and customers to make a difference too. Musgrave Northern Ireland is now hiring a Retail Accountant to join our Finance Team. Role Purpose. To maximise the profitability of Musgrave Northern Ireland by providing professional service and advice through: Delivery of financial guidance and business advice Evaluation and assessment of Musgrave investment in retail stores Management of relationships with solicitors and professional advisors Implementation and further design of financial risk management procedures Collation, analysis and benchmarking of accounts Role Scope: The primary focus of the role will be to work closely with colleagues and customers on areas of Musgrave Northern Ireland financial risk, and managing/ mitigating those risks. Area of Responsibility: Financial Projections and Modelling of Business Proposals Key Activities To complete appropriate financial assessments of new and existing stores Prepare financial projections at both wholesale and retail level Assist the sales and business development teams on acquisitions, churns and disposals including providing and/or reviewing due diligence information. Evaluate business proposals and assess the implications of various structures i.e. Company owned and operated, head lease, franchise and grants Assess business proposals to ensure they meet the investment criteria set by Group i.e. payback, contribution rates etc Prepare Group credit committee requests for approval which includes extensive financial analysis Key input into the decision-making process on store development and existing store proposals Input into Sales and Business Development teams e.g. process improvements, participation in meetings as required On-going tracking of proposals for new business and existing business to ensure Musgrave NI’s profitability is maximised and investment criteria are met Area of Responsibility: Risk Management & Legal Process Key Activities Support the sales and business development teams with any legal aspects of business proposals, i.e. licence agreements, facility letters, leases, franchises To manage the legal processes around the acquisition and disposal of stores including a full due diligence process on the commercial aspects of the transaction Ensure adequate security is in place for all stores within portfolio Proactive support of the Credit Control Manager and Sales team in the area of problem accounts/ high risk accounts and assessing adherence to facilities conditions Work with professional advisers regarding high risk accounts to assess proposals and mitigate the risk to Musgrave NI Identification and implementation of appropriate actions to mitigate risk To assist with the financial assessment of any rent review negotiations for head lease stores as and when they arise Area of Responsibility: Provision of Business Advice and Support to Relevant Stakeholders on an adhoc basis Key Activities Act as a business partner to the sales and business development team on retailer proposals Provision of financial advice and analysis to the sales team on new customers wishing to join the group or existing customers Provision of financial planning models to assist decision making Support the sales team to improve the profitability of Musgrave NI and the retailer Negotiate and liaise with third party service providers on behalf of our retailers (e.g. banks, card services) Analyse and assess projects for returns to retailer on Musgrave initiatives Provision of ad hoc financial information and advice to finance, sales and business development teams Continuous improvement of key processes Assistance in selling the business benefits of our model opposite potential new customers Area of Responsibility: Collation, Analysis and Benchmarking of Retailer Accounts Key Activities Collect and analyse accounts from retailers in a timely manner with a particular focus on franchise and debt risk stores Work closely with the sales team to understand the profitability of stores to Musgrave NI and highlight any potential debt risks Analyse accounts by store type in standard Musgrave format Benchmark accounts and identify best practice Prepare an annual retailer profitability report for SuperValu and Centra retailers Proactively share best practice across all retailers including the Company owned and operated team Area of Responsibility: Support for Company Owned and Operated and Franchise Stores Accounting Key Activities Support the financial evaluation of investment in Company owned and operated stores Manage the acquisition process of stores into the own stores portfolio and any franchises or disposals to independent retailers, including managing the legal and commercial due diligence process Input into the quarterly review of franchise stores to assess the profitability to Musgrave NI Evaluation of capex proposals for franchise stores, including upgrade work to ensure Musgrave NI’s profitability is maximised Provision of other support to the Finance Team as required on an ad-hoc basis, including forecasting Essential Qualifications, Knowledge and Experience: Accountancy Qualification to ACA, CIMA or ACCA standard. Full Driving Licence At least 1 year’s post qualification experience to include: Accounts preparation Previous experience of building relationships with both internal and external customers Financial Planning and Forecasting Alternatively, where a candidate does not have 1 year’s post qualification experience, prior experience working in the food wholesale/retail sector will be accepted where such experience demonstrates: strong financial planning modelling and forecasting skills evaluation of business proposals Proficiency in use of Microsoft Excel #J-18808-Ljbffr