Financial controller

Job Title: Financial Controller
Location: Aflex - Bradley Business Park, Huddersfield
Location Type: Hybrid
Website: https://www.wmfts.com/en/
Group: https://www.spiraxgroup.com/

Watson‑Marlow Fluid Technology Solutions is part of SpiraxGroup, a FTSE100 and FTSE4Good multi‑national industrial engineering Group with expertise in the control and management of steam, electric thermal solutions, peristaltic pumping and associated fluid technologies. When you join us, you will be integrated into a cooperative and encouraging team, participate in challenging yet critical work, and experience ongoing growth opportunities to help you achieve your full potential. Visit our website to learn more.

Key Responsibilities

The WM Global Supply Division, consisting of seven key manufacturing sites across Europe, USA and China, is undergoing a transformation in order to structure the Division to better support the future growth ambition of the WMFTS business.

This role is a key leadership team position within the Aflex Hose site in the UK. Aflex Hose product is sold through both group and third‑party channels globally into Biopharmaceutical, Industrial Process and Automotive sector with annual third‑party revenue of c.£45m and the headcount on the Bradley Business Park site of c.290 colleagues. The Financial Controller acts as a true business partner to the Aflex Hose Managing Director, and Sales and Marketing Director and their leadership team to ensure the Aflex Hose team can deliver their operational and financial objectives to support the wider Watson‑Marlow Business strategy.

The role is expected to provide both functional finance expertise, as well as a wider strategic business perspective, to the leadership team and play a key part in creating a strongly performing and highly collaborative team within the Supply site and across the Supply Division finance function.

The role leads a team of five with full end‑to‑end responsibility for all finance activities within the site.

Key Accountabilities

• You will provide high quality financial insight and expertise as a business partner to the Aflex Hose Managing Director.
• Lead the Finance team (incorporating costing team) within the Aflex Hose site and be a key member of the Aflex Hose Leadership team, working closely with the Aflex Hose Managing Director.
• You will be directly responsible for all aspects of Financial Reporting (both Management and Statutory reporting), Planning, Compliance & Governance for the site.
• Work closely with the Managing Director, and the Sales and Marketing Director to provide financial insight into customer pricing decisions, ensure there is financial rigour in all decisions, to support the company’s growth targets.
• You will have strong technical accounting skills in order to ensure alignment to accounting policy requirements, with a particular focus on key Supply focus areas, including product costing, fixed assets and inventory management.
• The role will own, manage and deliver the annual reporting and forecasting cycle outputs within both the Watson‑Marlow Supply Division, the Watson‑Marlow Business and the wider requirements of the Spirax Group.
• The role has responsibility for Aflex Hose accounting software and is the business owner for its primary operating software. The role also acts as primary interface with Group IT, actively influencing Spirax Group IT and WMFTS Global IS teams.
• Provide comprehensive and insightful management reporting within the Division which acts as a key performance driver and facilitates (i) the early identification of issues and (ii) opportunities to drive performance improvement.
• You will be required to have the ability to understand how the financial and operational performance of the site are linked and bring the financial performance to life by “storytelling” and highlighting the key operational levers and drivers of financial performance delivery.
• Own the relationship with the external audit firm for the site, coordinating the audit work and ensuring all issues are dealt with efficiently and effectively.
• You will be responsible for the internal control environment within the site and ensure prompt closure of all audit actions and ongoing compliance with the Spirax Group’s control framework requirements.

Skills/Experience

• Experience of working as a Finance functional leader operating at SLT level, supporting strategic elements but also being hands‑on when required.
• Recognised accounting qualification.
• Experience of working within a global matrix organisation.
• Experience of working within a manufacturing environment is highly advantageous.
• Experience of managing a team.
• Experience of accurately analysing data and providing accessible insight to support understanding of the issue and enable decision‑making.
• Pragmatic and contextually aware – identifies the appropriate metrics to analyse and effectively interpret data in the context of manufacturing performance.
• Experience of presenting data in a simple and structured way that is accessible to different types of audiences.
• Influences laterally – identifies key stakeholders that impact the P&L and partners with them to deliver integrated results and ongoing improvement.
• Engages at all levels – works effectively with people of all types and disciplines, both at site level and at executive level.
• Organised and structured – establishes priorities and coordinates others to deliver to deadlines.
• Self‑assured – is confident in their expertise and focused on their value‑add as a partner and enabler. Provides recommendations in a balanced and assured manner and is able to gain alignment and deliver change.
• Continuous improvement mindset – learning oriented and open to change, proactively identifies better ways of doing and is open to new ideas.
• Resilient and resourceful – works through conflict and engages with issues in a solutions‑focused manner.

Benefits

At Watson‑Marlow, we believe in taking care of our colleagues. We offer a generous benefits package, including:

• A competitive salary
• Flexible working arrangements
• A generous holiday allowance
• Three days’ paid volunteering leave
• Additional support and benefits through our Everyone is Included Group Inclusion Plan

Inclusion & EEO

Everyone is Included at Spirax Group. We are passionate about creating inclusive and equitable working cultures where everyone can be themselves and achieve their full potential. For us, that means supportive teams and strong relationships where everyone’s contribution is valued – across social and cultural backgrounds, ethnicities, ages, genders, gender identities, abilities, neurodiversity, sexual orientation, religious beliefs, and everything else that makes us human and unique.

We want everyone to be able to make their difference here, so we will always consider requests for flexible working.

We know that everyone needs some extra help from time to time too, so we have introduced a range of additional benefits through our Group Inclusion Commitments. These include:

• Gender‑neutral parental leave
• 15 days of extra paid caregiver leave
• Paid time off and support for anyone experiencing pregnancy loss or domestic abuse
• Menopause‑friendly workplace principles and more

Learn more at spiraxgroup.com/inclusion.

We are also a Disability Confident Committed Employer. If you would like to apply using this scheme, please select this option in our application form.

We are an equal opportunity employer committed to fostering an inclusive and diverse workplace. We encourage candidates from all backgrounds to apply.

If you require accommodations during the application process, please let us know.

Company Overview

At Watson‑Marlow Fluid Technology Solutions, part of Spirax Group, we are driven by innovation and are dedicated to creating an inclusive workplace where everyone is empowered to make a difference. As a world leader in manufacturing peristaltic pumps and associated fluid path technologies for the life sciences and process industries, we offer a wide range of products, including tubing, specialised filling systems and products for single‑use applications.

Our shared Purpose is to create sustainable value for all our stakeholders as we engineer a more efficient, safer and sustainable world. Our technologies play an essential role in critical industrial processes and industrial equipment across industries as diverse as Food & Beverage, Pharmaceutical & Biotech, Power Generation, Semiconductors and Healthcare. With customers in 116 countries, we provide the solutions that sit behind the production of many items used in daily life, from baked beans to mobile phones!

Our inclusive culture and values unite us, guide our decisions and inspire us everywhere that we operate. We support our colleagues to make their difference for each other as well as customers, communities, suppliers, our planet and shareholders by creating a truly equitable working environment where everyone feels included.