Financial Controller

KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES

Management Accounts Reporting:

• Manage team to prepare monthly management accounts with commentary on a timely basis enabling department managers to make and review commercial decisions taken
• Investigate all material variances, proactively highlighting the impact these have on the business
• Work with sales channel owners to deliver value added analysis, insight into business performance and improvement to support in driving the group's profitability
• Work with merchandising to ensure stock is controlled and reported correctly.
• Produce analytical commentary on monthly accounts for the Board of Directors
• Business partnering and support in order to assist in understanding of monthly management accounts and to increase accuracy
• Ensure key reconciliations are completed on a monthly basis (sales, margin, balance sheet, cash, etc.)
• Review all reconciliations performed by the team and lead investigations into any areas of uncertainty
• Ensure accuracy of the books (by nominal account and cost centre)
• Ensure strong controls are in place, in particular for stock, cash, A/P, A/R and payroll

Year End Process and Statutory Reporting:

• Work with retail operations to manage the year end stock take process
• Manage the interim and year end audit process
• Manage the year end process, producing full sets of UK statutory accounts for the group and various subsidiaries

Budgeting & Forecasting:

• Coordinate and prepare the annual budget and reforecasts including P&L, Balance Sheet and Cash Flow. This will involve planning the timetable, coordinating inputs from the business and taking responsibility for updating budget models.
• Prepare packs for the CEO and FD to explain budget variances. Contribute to board packs on all planning cycles.
• Analyse risks and opportunities in weekly sales and margin results compared to budget/forecast
• Assist with other forecasting needs within the business including scenario analysis, adding value in decision making, and building of financial models for business initiatives
• Build commercial models to aid decision making, eg around new stores or offering free delivery

Other Requirements

• Oversee production of other management reporting (e.g. daily sales, weekly sales and KPIs, other ad hoc analysis)
• Coordinate turnover rent reporting to landlords, obtaining audited certificates as required
• Review all VAT and sales tax processes, including UK, EU and US.
• Ensure tax reconciliations are correct
• Work with insurance brokers annually to ensure correct level of insurance is in place across the business

Stock Control

• Oversee the stock count process in partnership with Retail and Logistics
• Review and reporting of stock balances (weekly), write offs and stock provisions (monthly)
• Ensure overall integrity of the cost value for stock lines and cost prices used in margin calculations
• Understand the production cycle and impact on accounts
• In conjunction with the management accountant, ensure overall integrity of the cost value for stock lines and cost prices used in margin calculations
• Review of monthly stock provision and write the year end stock provision policy.

Team Management

• Day to day support and management of the team, including recruitment of any new team members as required
• Regular performance management and completion of annual appraisals against objectives for all team members
• Supporting team members in identification and implementation of areas for process change.
• Regular meetings with SAP specialist to coordinate IT projects affecting the finance function and testing and sign off of changes made

Experience & skills required / preferred

• CIMA, ACA or ACCA qualified - essential
• Experience with full ownership of the month end and year end close of the books process - essential
• Advanced Excel skills - essential
• Retail industry background, preferably with a multi-site, multi-channel organisation - essential
• Excellent Excel