Senior Finance Manager

Job Overview

£60,000 - £65,000

To own the retail ledgers up to trial balance, along with all associated balance sheet reconciliations. To provide a complete month-end close to ensure integrity of reported numbers is maintained at all times and to explain any variances against budget/forecast. To provide detailed analysis and reporting to support robust decision making process.

Key accountabilities and responsibilities

• Regular reporting on sales and margin performance, highlighting key variances
• Own the month-end process, including all accruals and prepayments
• Responsibility for managing Fixed Assets and associated reporting, plus taking into account tax implications of various treatments
• Produce store P&Ls on a monthly basis
• Manage retail property rental payment schedules
• Maintain master schedule of lease commitments
• Accounting for inventory, shrinkage, stock ageing/obsolescence
• Responsibility for ensuring payroll, expenses and all intercompany recharge postings are made correctly and on time.
• Ad-hoc analysis as required (e.g. Product sales/rankings, promotional tracking)
• Manage day to day running of annual external audit
• To assist with quarterly forecasts and annual business planning/budget process

Personal Attributes

• Collaboration (B) - Creates an environment that encourages collaboration, making connections and ensuring that all contributions are heard
• Courage (B) - Shows positivity under strain, showing bravery and commitment to doing the right thing
• Commerciality (A) - Understands the commercial drivers for their part of the business and how their work impacts them
• Accountability (A) - Shows clear accountability for their own objectives and takes responsibility for delivery
• Customer Focus (B) - Has a rich understanding of their customer, reliably addressing current needs and exploring future needs
• Creativity (B) - Creates an environment that drives creativity, celebrating success and failure to stimulate new thinking
• Integrity (B) - Ensures fairness for all parties, ensures processes, approaches and policies are in line with the principles of the organisation. Challenges others effectively

Essential Business/People/Leadership Skills

This role requires a commercial focus and understanding of the retail industry. Whilst there are no directly employed reports, there will be a requirement to build and manage strong relationships with the group finance function and/or 3rd party service providers at transactional level. This role will need to ensure that all agreed SLAs are being fulfilled and that the data being provided is accurate robust and timely.

Business Skills:

• Strategy (B) - Contributes to the development of strategy, recognising strategic imperatives and the impacts on own area of work
• Analysis (B) - Can analyse complex problems and situations efficiently and effectively, drawing insight from others to support exploration
• Decision Making (B) - Makes complex decisions to reliably deliver positive outcomes
• Market Awareness (A) - Demonstrates a general grasp of the marketplace, understanding the organisation's place within it
• Product Awareness (A) - Demonstrates a good grasp of local products, understanding features and benefits and the competitive position
• Financial Management (C) - Has an intimate understanding of the financial drivers of the business and can calibrate actions and decisions accordingly
• Project Management (B) - Manages individual projects and the wider portfolio using standard approaches and techniques
• Planning & Organising (B) - Organises and plans effective for own, team and cross functional activities, creating clarity of expectation for all parties
• Process Management (B)- Continuously improves processes, taking opportunities as they arise

People Skills:

• Communication (B) - Can convey complex ideas and concepts simply, elegantly and with impact to create understanding
• Influencing (B) - Creates significant impacts in their domain of work, achieving positive outcomes without authority
• Negotiation (B) - Achieves agreement and consensus reliably whilst maintaining positive relationships
• Relationship Management (B) - Builds deep and sustainable relationships with a wide variety of stakeholders
• Conflict Management (B) - Resolves complex conflicts and disputes elegantly, politically and to the satisfaction of all parties

Leadership Skills:

• Inspiration (B) - Articulates the future in a way that creates momentum and goodwill
• Motivation (B) - Uses their own behaviour to drive the right action in others
• Managing People (B) - Uses a variety of approaches to make sure that the people they work with deliver to time, quality and cost parameters
• Managing Change (B) - Manages change for themselves and their colleagues positively, enthusiastically and looking to the future
• Team Building (B) - Seeks to optimise the effectiveness of a team, drawing in all participants and enabling contributions from others

Experience

Must have experience within the retail industry. Requires someone with exposure to commercial property accounting (e.g. Rent incentives, dilapidations, lease commitments reporting), plus a demonstrable understanding of stock/inventory accounting. Previous experience of working within a shared services environment would be useful.

Qualifications (essential and/or desirable)

• ACA/CIMA or ACCA
• Technical Skills and Knowledge
• Must have exceptional Excel skills
• Good communicator - able to explain the detail to non-finance people
• Planning, time management and prioritisation are essential to meet tight reporting schedules
• Full understanding of Accruals, Prepayments and monthly reporting cycles
• Good system skills - to be able to harness capabilities of newly implemented retail system

Work Arrangements

Based in Andover with occasional travel to stores