Head of Finance Director

Role: HEAD OF FINANCE / FINANCE DIRECTOR (4 day week) Reports to: Managing Director Location: Lancashire Salary: £90,000 - £100,000 + car allowance/bonus/private health I am currently working exclusively with an established, specialist PE backed engineering/manufacturing business to appoint a commercially minded Head of Finance / Finance Director. This is a key leadership appointment for a business that is continuing to develop its financial reporting, operational insight and commercial decision-making. The successful candidate will work closely with the Managing Director and senior leadership team, taking ownership of the financial framework while acting as a genuine business partner across operations, projects, commercial and purchasing. Key responsibilities:

• Ownership and review of the monthly management accounts and financial reporting process
• Providing clear financial analysis, commentary and recommendations to the Managing Director and senior leadership team
• Leading budgeting, forecasting, cash flow and working capital management
• Identifying trends, margin movements, cost pressures and financial risks
• Supporting investment, capital expenditure and business planning decisions through financial modelling and appraisal
• Acting as a financial business partner to Production, Projects, Commercial and other operational functions
• Leading and developing the Finance and Purchasing functions, with two direct reports
• Providing oversight of purchasing controls, supplier terms, procurement governance and cost management
• Maintaining robust financial controls, processes, systems and governance
• Managing statutory accounts, audit, tax compliance and reporting requirements
• Leading a significant earned value / WIP improvement project, developing a more sophisticated approach to measuring production progress and value delivered
• Driving continuous improvement across finance, reporting and business processes Candidate requirements: We are looking for an experienced finance professional who can combine strong technical accounting capability with commercial and operational insight.
• Qualified CIMA, ACCA, ACA or equivalent
• Experienced in producing and reviewing management accounts, including P&L, balance sheet and cash flow
• Commercially astute, with the ability to translate financial information into practical business decisions
• Confident working with non-finance stakeholders and senior leadership
• Experienced in leading, coaching and developing a small finance team
• Comfortable working with accounting systems and ERP/MRP environments
• Strong on financial controls, governance, reconciliations and process improvement
• Analytical, pragmatic and able to challenge constructively The ideal candidate must have previous experience within manufacturing, engineering or another operationally complex environment would be highly advantageous, particularly where you have exposure to WIP, production costing, purchasing/supply chain or earned value measurement. This is an opportunity to take a genuine senior finance leadership position within an established engineering/manufacturing environment, with the opportunity to influence how the business measures performance, manages cost and makes strategic decisions. The role will suit someone who wants to move beyond producing numbers and become a trusted commercial partner to the Managing Director and wider leadership team.