Job Specification – Finance Director

Department – Finance

Reports to – Managing Director

Direct Reports – Finance Manager, Business Analyst

Company Overview

Our Client operates globally providing niche services, predominately to aircraft operators. With entities in the UK, Belgium, USA, Australia, UAE and Hong Kong, our client supplies premium baked goods, meals, and snacks to the travel industry. They focus on partnering with world-class manufacturers customising products and packaging to suit individual customer needs while managing a complex supply chain with the highest levels of precision. The organisation scale is currently circa £75m turnover with 100 staff but significant growth is predicted.

Job Purpose

Reporting to the Managing Director and working as part of the Leadership Team, this role will head up the Finance department covering all aspects of technical accounting, taxation and governance. You will play a key role in the direction of the business whilst at the same time ensuring all statutory and tax computations are submitted correctly and on time. In addition, you will be responsible for implementing KPI’s to ensure proper financial governance. A key part of the role will be challenging assumptions and decision-making as appropriate and providing financial analysis and guidance on all activities, plans, targets and business drivers.

Key Responsibilities

Reporting

• Lead the development and delivery of financial reporting standards and processes across the region, ensuring compliance with regulatory, fiscal and legal requirements, and group policy.
• Ensure accurate consolidation of all the company’s subsidiaries
• Presentation of monthly results in all regions to the Directors monthly
• P&L reporting in detail – identifying saving opportunities and efficiency savings
• Prepare monthly detailed KPI report on the business’s performance; to create meaningful and understood KPIs rather than focussing on traditional P/L data
• Assist in developing business objectives and plans to deliver annual EBIT targets, as well as identify profit improvement opportunities.
• Improve the visibility and understanding of financial results across the regions
• Ensure consistent standards of reporting and managing business risks
• Overall responsibility for the preparation of statutory accounts and local filings where applicable in the overseas units

Budgeting/Forecasting

• Facilitate the annual financial planning process coordinating across all regions and business and markets
• Accountable for leading a team in the delivery of management accounting, reporting, financial analysis, budgeting forecasting & long-term business planning support and to deliver financial information at all levels of the business and proactively drive business performance.
• Management of a rolling forecast process which pro-actively identifies risk and develop mitigation strategies to ensure consistent financial delivery

Strategy

• Develop and implement an effective foreign exchange risk management strategy across all business units
• Lead any future M&A activities for the business
• Actively participate in all strategic and operational discussions amongst the senior executive team

Taxation

• Working closely with specialist support, ensure all UK and international taxation requirements are met in full
• Identify tax efficiency strategies wherever possible
• Ensure Transfer Pricing programmes are fit for purpose and in line with agreed processes

Treasury

• Ensure compliance with bank mandates and adherence to Group Treasury policy for approval of payments
• Proactively manage exposure to FX risk coordinating with specialist advice
• Coordinate treasury operations initiatives with banks and specialist advisors

External Stakeholder Management

• Manage the relationships and interfaces with external authorities and ensure the company receives reliable and high-quality levels of service from relevant parties including: tax authorities and consultants, external auditors, banks and legal consultants to ensure corporate and legal compliance
• Responsible for building relationships with relevant Group functions including Finance, Internal Audit and Commercial
• Responsible for all financial aspects of the global ERP programme

Governance

• Oversee compliance of statutory and tax reporting requirements, with overall responsibility for accurate provision of statutory accounts.
• Working with IT, help define the appropriate systems platform and implementation to support the company.
• Review accounting processes and procedures. Implement solutions to make improvements and efficiencies and drive standardisation and continual improvement to increase data quality and efficiency.
• Define and/or maintain key policies and guidelines, ensuring understanding & compliance across the businesses.
• Define and embed a risk management and controls process that is fit for purpose and efficient.
• Ensure Governance, Risk and Compliance is set to maximum effectiveness for the business
• Ensure local controls are installed and the substantiating documentation is approved per relevant group policies

Leadership and Management

• Lead and manage a team of financial professionals to ensure focus on the short, medium and long-term objectives of the business and ensure that current processes and structure match the company’s business objectives
• Ensure that the team have every opportunity to learn, develop and progress providing appropriate training in order that people are equipped with the necessary knowledge and skills to perform their roles with confidence and progress in their careers
• To ensure a high standard of conduct and leadership by being a role model and setting the example for others to follow. To be flexible, with a can-do attitude, towards all aspects of the role
• As required, travel to overseas offices to help local management find improvement areas in their financial performance
• To undertake any other duties, which may from time to time be assigned. This job description is not intended to be either prescriptive or exhaustive, but it is issued as a general framework at the time of writing

Attributes

• ACA, ACCA, CIMA with 8 years PQE+
• High integrity and openness combined with commitment to good governance.
• Fully conversant and up to date with all aspects of UK and IFRS accounting standards and relevant international law including tax and best practice
• Commercially astute, articulate, technically strong, dynamic, insightful and an influential leader with the ability to operate at both strategic and operational levels.
• Exceptional communication skills at all levels
• Ability to handle high levels of pressure and critical decision-making.
• Energetic, highly motivated, with an enquiring mind and passion for excellence and innovation in pursuit of business growth and success.
• Strong accounting and technical skills
• Previous experience of multi-currency group consolidations and international taxation strategies (including Transfer Pricing)
• Highly developed information retrieval skills and data manipulation skills
• Strong system experience with advanced Excel skills
• Experience with SQL reporting or Microsoft Power BI would be advantageous
• Ability to present and articulate financial information/complex ideas simply and concisely.