Churchill Howard is delighted to be partnering with a market-leading manufacturing business to recruit a commercially focussed Assistant Finance Manager for a highly visible role in Derby. Due to phenomenal growth, they are looking to move quickly, and candidates who are on a short notice period or immediately available will be favourably prioritised.
About the role
Reporting to the Head of Finance, you’ll be a trusted partner to the Operations Director and senior operational leaders providing financial insight, commercial challenge, and strategic support to drive performance, margin improvement and sustainable growth. This is a true business partnering role where you’ll translate financial data into meaningful intelligence to support decisions on cost control, efficiency, operational efficiency and revenue generation, while also helping to develop and improve the finance function.
Key responsibilities
* Act as a commercial partner to operational and non-financial stakeholders, providing robust financial analysis and insight to support key decisions.
* Deliver proactive month-end and management reporting, including performance reviews, KPIs, cost analysis, margin reporting, cashflow and variance analysis.
* Support budgeting and forecasting processes — consolidating budgets, analysing variances and preparing presentations for senior leadership.
* Provide commercial analysis on pricing, cost–benefit models, make-or-buy decisions, supplier benchmarking, margin analysis and capital investment appraisals.
* Lead monthly balance sheet reviews for your area and highlight key risks or opportunities to senior stakeholders.
* Prepare financial documentation for client tenders and contract negotiations, including royalty statements and reconciliations.
* Assist in training and supporting operational teams in the use of business reporting to understand and improve their financial performance.
Essential experience and skills
* Fully qualified accountant – ACA, ACCA or CIMA.
* Industry experience, ideally within manufacturing or a complex, contract-led environment.
* Hands-on management accounting experience, including accounting adjustments, reporting and analysis for commercial decision-making.
* Strong analytical capability and high attention to detail.
* Excellent communication and presentation skills, with the ability to engage and influence stakeholders at all levels.
* Advanced Excel skills (including macros/VBA) and good working knowledge of accounting/ERP systems.
Desirable
* Experience of training or mentoring junior team members.
* Proven ability to adapt and succeed in a changing environment.
* Experience of business partnering non-finance professionals to support the delivery of sound financial information.
This is a fantastic opportunity for a commercially minded finance professional to join a market-leading business in a role that offers genuine impact, visibility and long-term career progression.