Reports to: CFO (functional), COO (day-to-day)
Direct reports: Management Accountant + Transactional Finance (if applicable)
Location: West Sussex (Must be able to come into the office 3 days a week)
Role Purpose
This is a pivotal role that blends commercial insight, financial leadership, and team management. You will lead the day-to-day Finance team, drive commercial performance, and act as the business’s primary source of trading, margin, pricing and forecasting insight.
Working alongside a part-time CFO focused on corporate governance, this role owns the commercial engine of finance:
* Weekly trading and performance insight Budgeting, forecasting, and margin analysis
* Decision support for product, retail, digital and operations
* Developing and managing finance team capability Ensuring high-quality financial reporting and analysis
* This person is hands-on, commercially strong, and confident working directly with senior leaders across the business.
Key Responsibilities
Lead the Finance Team (Day-to-Day)
* Manage and develop the Management Accountant and wider finance team.
* Oversee the month-end process and ensure accurate, timely delivery.
* Set priorities, review outputs, coach the team and drive a culture of accuracy, accountability and improvement.
* Ensure the finance function is well-organised, efficient, and continuously improving.
Commercial Insight & Business Partnering
* Lead weekly trade reporting with clear, actionable insight.
* Analyse category, product, channel, margin and customer performance.
* Partner with Product, Merchandising, Retail, Digital and Operations to drive profitable decisions.
* Support pricing strategy, promotions, and discounting decisions.
* Translate data into insights and insights into actions.
Forecasting, Budgeting & Planning
* Own the budgeting and reforecast cycles (P&L, margin, opex, cashflow).
* Build and improve driver-based forecasting models.
* Provide scenario modelling to support growth decisions (new products, channels, markets, stores, pricing changes).
* Ensure forecasts are realistic, commercially grounded, and aligned with trading behaviour.
Financial Reporting & Month-End Support
* Review management accounts, KPIs and financial packs before submission to the CFO/COO.
* Provide clear, concise commercial commentary.
* Ensure accuracy of key margin and stock-related entries in partnership with the Management Accountant.
* Tighten the link between operational data and financial results.
Cashflow Oversight
(CFO leads governance; you manage the operational rhythm)
* Maintain a weekly cashflow model with clear visibility of peaks and pressures. Work with procurement, operations, and sales to improve working capital. Support CFO with cash planning and funding requirements.
Audit, Governance & Compliance (Support Role)
(CFO owns; you ensure operational readiness)
* Ensure accurate, robust audit files are prepared by the team.
* Strengthen controls, reconciliations and processes across the business.
* Maintain integrity of financial data and reporting systems.
Systems, Reporting & Process Improvement
* Improve BI dashboards (Power BI/Looker Studio) to increase clarity and speed of insight.
* Enhance processes across reporting, forecasting and operational finance.
* Drive automation and simplification of finance workflows.
Skills & Experience Required
Essential
* ACA/ACCA/CIMA qualified (or equivalent commercial finance background).
* Strong commercial finance experience in retail, consumer, product or multi-channel businesses.
* Proven experience managing or mentoring finance staff.
* Strong modelling capability and advanced Excel skills.
* Ability to interpret complex trading data and turn it into actions.
* Confident working alongside senior leaders and challenging constructively.
* Comfortable working in a fast-paced, hands-on SME environment.
Desirable
* Experience with BI tools (Power BI, Looker Studio).
* Experience with stock, margin, costings and product economics.
* Exposure to ERP systems (Netsuite, SAP B1, Sage Intacct etc.).
Personal Attributes
* Commercially curious and insights-driven.
* Confident leader who enjoys developing people.
* Strong communicator: simple, clear, fact-based.
* Proactive, organised and able to work at pace.
* Hands-on and comfortable balancing commercial and operational priorities.
* Collaborative team player who can partner with all departments.