Group Finance Manager

Group Finance Manager required for a wonderful retail group based in Birmingham. As a hugely successful and profitable group with a large number of highly-recognisable retail sites across the country, the group boasts an annual revenue close to £200m and one of the best office cultures in the city. This role is fully office-based, so you'll need to prefer working in an office.

We are looking to introduce the new role of Group Finance Manager to report directly to the Finance Director in a number two position, which is planned to move into a Group Financial Controller role down the line - as such, we are seeking highly ambitious accountants who have plenty of progression in their sights.

This position would be well-suited to a qualified accountant from a small- or medium-sized accountancy practice looking to move into industry

As the Group Finance Manager, you'll primarily be responsible for:

• Line management of the finance team of eight staff
• Review of monthly management accounts and signing off for consolidation into the group's reporting tool, with most of the preparation handled by the management accounting staff
• Overseeing payroll activities, led by the payroller, and supporting payroll in their absence
• Production of monthly financial reports and reconciliation of balance sheet control accounts
• Supporting the Group Finance Director with the production of annual statutory accounts
• Acting as a key point of contact for external auditors during the audit process, ensuring a clean process
• Diagnosing and resolving any issues in the finance function from an operational and technical perspective
• Liaising with category managers and purchasing teams to generate cash reporting and develop a strong understanding of financial position
• Development of new financial planning and analysis models, including cash flow forecasting tools
• Supporting the Group Finance Director with the creation of annual budgets, and development of the group's three- and five-year business plan
• Driving continuous improvement across the finance team and developing a world class high-performance culture
• Participating in ongoing and future projects, with a focus on transformation, automation and change

The ideal candidate

The ideal candidate will be a qualified accountant with strong experience in an accountancy practice. Also relevant would be an industry-trained Finance Manager in a similarly-sized business, or perhaps a Group Accountant/Financial Accountant in a larger group.

We are looking for someone to:

• be ACA, CA or ACCA qualified
• have experience working within the SME sector (advantageous)
• have excellent knowledge of financial reporting standards and technical accounting
• be a strong user of Excel, able to work efficiently and drive improvement using basic business intelligence
• be a confident business partner, able to communicate financial information to department heads, C-suite and board level

What's on offer

On top of the basic salary with this position (£55,000 to £65,000 depending on experienced, you can expect:

• a bonus scheme, based on individual performance
• private BUPA healthcare
• private pension contributions
• healthcare cash plan for private dentistry, etc.
• 31 days annual leave, including bank holidays
• quarterly team social events
• fantastic working environment and excellent opportunities to progress internally