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For Companies At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead the finance team, drive commercial performance, and provide trading insights.
- Company: Dynamic fashion retail company with a focus on innovation and growth.
- Benefits: Competitive salary, career development, and a collaborative work environment.
- Why this job: Be at the forefront of financial strategy in a fast-paced retail setting.
- Qualifications: ACA/ACCA/CIMA qualified with strong commercial finance experience.
- Other info: Opportunity to work closely with senior leaders and make impactful decisions.
The predicted salary is between 48000 - 72000 £ per year.
This is a pivotal role that blends commercial insight, financial leadership, and team management. You will lead the day-to-day Finance team, drive commercial performance, and act as the business’s primary source of trading, margin, pricing and forecasting insight.
Working alongside a part-time CFO focused on corporate governance, this role owns the commercial engine of finance:
- Weekly trading and performance insight
- Budgeting, forecasting, and margin analysis
- Decision support for product, retail, digital and operations
- Developing and managing finance team capability
- Ensuring high-quality financial reporting and analysis
This person is hands-on, commercially strong, and confident working directly with senior leaders across the business.
Key Responsibilities
- Lead the Finance Team (Day-to-Day)
- Manage and develop the Management Accountant and wider finance team.
- Oversee the month-end process and ensure accurate, timely delivery.
- Set priorities, review outputs, coach the team and drive a culture of accuracy, accountability and improvement.
- Ensure the finance function is well-organised, efficient, and continuously improving.
- Commercial Insight & Business Partnering
- Lead weekly trade reporting with clear, actionable insight.
- Analyse category, product, channel, margin and customer performance.
- Partner with Product, Merchandising, Retail, Digital and Operations to drive profitable decisions.
- Support pricing strategy, promotions, and discounting decisions.
- Translate data into insights and insights into actions.
- Forecasting, Budgeting & Planning
- Own the budgeting and reforecast cycles (P&L, margin, opex, cashflow).
- Build and improve driver-based forecasting models.
- Provide scenario modelling to support growth decisions (new products, channels, markets, stores, pricing changes).
- Ensure forecasts are realistic, commercially grounded, and aligned with trading behaviour.
- Financial Reporting & Month-End Support
- Review management accounts, KPIs and financial packs before submission to the CFO/COO.
- Provide clear, concise commercial commentary.
- Ensure accuracy of key margin and stock-related entries in partnership with the Management Accountant.
- Tighten the link between operational data and financial results.
- Cashflow Oversight
- Maintain a weekly cashflow model with clear visibility of peaks and pressures.
- Work with procurement, operations, and sales to improve working capital.
- Support CFO with cash planning and funding requirements.
- Audit, Governance & Compliance (Support Role)
- Ensure accurate, robust audit files are prepared by the team.
- Strengthen controls, reconciliations and processes across the business.
- Maintain integrity of financial data and reporting systems.
- Systems, Reporting & Process Improvement
- Improve BI dashboards (Power BI/Looker Studio) to increase clarity and speed of insight.
- Enhance processes across reporting, forecasting and operational finance.
- Drive automation and simplification of finance workflows.
Skills & Experience Required
- Essential
- ACA/ACCA/CIMA qualified (or equivalent commercial finance background).
- Strong commercial finance experience in retail, consumer, product or multi-channel businesses.
- Proven experience managing or mentoring finance staff.
- Strong modelling capability and advanced Excel skills.
- Ability to interpret complex trading data and turn it into actions.
- Confident working alongside senior leaders and challenging constructively.
- Comfortable working in a fast-paced, hands-on SME environment.
- Desirable
- Experience with BI tools (Power BI, Looker Studio).
- Experience with stock, margin, costings and product economics.
- Exposure to ERP systems (Netsuite, SAP B1, Sage Intacct etc.).
Personal Attributes
- Commercially curious and insights-driven.
- Confident leader who enjoys developing people.
- Strong communicator: simple, clear, fact-based.
- Proactive, organised and able to work at pace.
- Hands-on and comfortable balancing commercial and operational priorities.
- Collaborative team player who can partner with all departments.
Head of Commercial Finance (Fashion/Retail) in Woking employer: Novo Executive Search
Contact Detail:
Novo Executive Search Recruiting Team
StudySmarter Expert Advice 🤫
We think this is how you could land Head of Commercial Finance (Fashion/Retail) in Woking
✨Tip Number 1
Network like a pro! Reach out to your connections in the fashion and retail sectors. Attend industry events or webinars, and don’t be shy about introducing yourself. You never know who might have the inside scoop on job openings!
✨Tip Number 2
Prepare for those interviews by researching the company inside out. Understand their products, market position, and recent news. This will help you tailor your answers and show that you're genuinely interested in the role.
✨Tip Number 3
Practice makes perfect! Conduct mock interviews with friends or mentors. Focus on articulating your commercial insights and financial leadership experiences clearly. The more comfortable you are, the better you'll perform when it counts.
✨Tip Number 4
Don’t forget to apply through our website! We’re always on the lookout for talented individuals like you. Plus, it’s a great way to ensure your application gets the attention it deserves.
We think you need these skills to ace Head of Commercial Finance (Fashion/Retail) in Woking
Some tips for your application 🫡
Tailor Your CV: Make sure your CV speaks directly to the role of Head of Commercial Finance. Highlight your experience in commercial finance, team management, and any relevant retail or consumer background. We want to see how your skills align with our needs!
Craft a Compelling Cover Letter: Your cover letter is your chance to shine! Use it to explain why you're the perfect fit for this role. Share specific examples of how you've driven commercial performance and led finance teams in the past. We love a good story!
Showcase Your Analytical Skills: Since this role involves a lot of data interpretation, make sure to highlight your analytical skills. Mention any tools or methods you’ve used to turn complex data into actionable insights. We’re looking for someone who can translate numbers into strategies!
Apply Through Our Website: We encourage you to apply through our website for a smoother process. It helps us keep track of applications and ensures you don’t miss out on any important updates. Plus, it’s super easy – just a few clicks and you’re done!
How to prepare for a job interview at Novo Executive Search
✨Know Your Numbers
As a Head of Commercial Finance, you'll need to demonstrate your financial acumen. Brush up on key metrics like margin analysis and cash flow management. Be ready to discuss how you've used data to drive decisions in previous roles.
✨Showcase Your Leadership Skills
This role involves managing a finance team, so be prepared to share examples of how you've developed and mentored staff. Highlight your experience in fostering a culture of accuracy and accountability within your teams.
✨Prepare for Scenario Modelling Questions
Expect questions around budgeting and forecasting. Think about how you've built driver-based models in the past and be ready to explain your thought process. Use specific examples to illustrate your approach to scenario planning.
✨Demonstrate Cross-Department Collaboration
You'll be partnering with various departments, so come equipped with examples of how you've successfully collaborated with product, merchandising, or operations teams. Show that you can translate complex data into actionable insights for different stakeholders.
