Finance Director

Description:

Our retained client is a privately owned, multi territory and multi brand, pure play digital retailer targeting the B2C market across the home improvement space. The business has enjoyed rapid growth over the past decade, facilitated by both organic and acquisitive expansion.

Financial performance is excellent; the business is highly profitable with a strong balance sheet and huge potential for the future.

As part of their growth and succession plans, the Board wishes to appoint a high calibre Finance Director.

The FD will be a strategic financial business partner to the MD; providing a commercial financial outlook across the business and the market, in order to ensure profitable growth and increase in shareholder value.

They will ensure the business has a commercially integrated finance function capable of delivering added value KPIs, performance monitoring and insight, together with sophisticated forecasting and modelling of cashflows, working capital requirements and profitability.

Leading a small experienced finance team, the FD’s responsibilities will include:

Ensuring the business has a commercially integrated, robust finance function capable of delivering incisive and responsive reporting, supporting the business as it grows
Preparation and presentation of all aspects of financial reporting required to both the business and the Board
Monthly reporting of full management accounts including P&L, Balance Sheet, Cash Flow and rolling forecasts
Cashflow monitoring and forecasting
Alongside the MD and Senior Leadership Team, play an integral part in driving strategy, business development and future plans to optimise the company’s financial performance and strategic position
Establish and monitor performance reporting systems, ensuring Directors are provided with regular, quality reports inclusive of value added KPI’s around profitability/ margin/ inventory and NPD, etc.
Regularly evaluate operating procedures to create/adapt best practices to ensure uniform performance throughout the organisation
Build strong working relationships with external stakeholders and be a main point of contact for the banks, auditors and other relevant advisors
Maintain focus on maximisation of shareholder value

The Candidate:

The successful candidate will be an experienced FD with significant external stakeholder management experience. They will be a natural leader with the communication skills, credibility and gravitas to influence at Board level and throughout the business. They should be capable of operating strategically and prepared to be hands on and in the detail where necessary.

They will be a self-starter with a can-do mind-set, a passion for adding value and “going the extra mile” to support the MD and Senior Leadership Team; challenging where necessary, always in an appropriate manner, and working to drive forward ongoing improvement across the business.

A background in ecommerce/ fast moving direct to consumer operations would be advantageous, together with a broad range of finance and business skills:

Ability to lead, plan and manage change in a growing organisation
Commercially astute, articulate, technically strong, dynamic, insightful and influential leader with the ability to operate at both strategic and operational levels
High integrity and openness combined with commitment to good governance
Ability to handle high levels of pressure and critical decision making
Strong commercial acumen, including a thorough understanding of risk management including forex management and insurance
Ability to develop and implement effective financial objectives and operational plans, to achieve desired outcomes
An effective, culturally sensitive and fluent communicator capable of presenting financial information in a user friendly manner