Finance Business Partner (1106)

An exciting opportunity is available for a Finance Business Partner to join a leading provider of intelligent door and access solutions in Luton, supporting multi-site operations across the UK. This role focuses on delivering strategic financial insight, managing FP&A activities, and providing robust management information to drive business improvement and support decision-making. You will oversee accounting processes, internal and external reporting, and lead a finance team while building strong relationships with stakeholders and challenging the business to achieve its strategic objectives. Ideal for qualified accountants with strong commercial acumen, people management experience, and expertise in multi-site financial planning and analysis.

Main Purpose of Role:
To lead the finance team, managing all internal and external financial reporting, providing value adding management information and analysis, to challenge the business to drive improvement, and ultimately support the business in delivering it's strategy and achieving it's objectives.

Key Responsibilities :
Business Partner
To act as a business partner to the Managing Director as well as the Regional Sales Managers in providing them with the information and analysis required to support in making strategic business decisions, and to challenge them to drive business improvements.
Assist RSM and depots with compiling the monthly rolling forecast and consolidate into an overall rolling forecast for the business prior to sending to the wider group.
Prepare a monthly variance analysis to explain changes in the monthly rolling forecast vs Budget (monthly & Full Year).
Identify opportunities for efficiency savings across the business.
Attend quarterly regional meetings and present financial results by region.

Financial Accounting
Work closely with the Assistant Accountant to manage all day-to-day bookkeeping requirements and full month end procedures, including bank reconciliations, accruals, prepayments, payroll (working with in-house group payroll officer), balance sheet reconciliations, etc.
Oversee the Purchase Ledger and Credit Control functions, managing the performance of the team members responsible for these areas.
Manage all inventory control procedures and related analysis and reconciliations (inventory is spread across depots, engineer vans and client sites) - Stocktakes are conducted quarterly

Financial Planning & Analysis
Lead all FP&A activity including but not limited to:

• Cash flow forecasting
• Rolling P&L forecast
• Annual Budget
• 3 Year Planning
• Capital Expenditure Budgets and Forecasts

Internal reporting
Manage all UK and Group reporting requirements, ensuring timely and accurate submissions, including but not limited to:

• Daily sales and order intake
• Monthly P&L by depot/region including allocation of central costs
• Monthly reporting of key customers/sales/profitability
• Monthly & Quarterly P&L reporting
• Quarterly Capex and IFRS16 Lease reporting
• Ad hoc reporting as required by customers/key accounts

Large variations to expected & budget P&L will need to be flagged and discussed with the Group FD in a timely manner.

External reporting
Manage all external reporting requirements, ensuring timely and accurate submissions, including but not limited to:

• VAT returns
• Corporation Tax returns
• CIS returns
• National Statistics surveys and returns
• Annual statutory financial statements
• Insurance requests, working closely with appointed group insurance broker

Audit
Build a relationship with both internal and external auditors, providing all necessary information required by them in order to complete their procedures, and working with them to implement any control recommendations that may arise.

Stakeholder reporting
Lead the reporting to key stakeholders, including monthly P&L reviews with Regional Managers, monthly business reviews with Group MD/Group FD, quarterly Controlling meetings with the wider group.
The right candidate needs to be able to successfully work in a matrix organization and build very strong working relationships with both the Group FD and the internal team. Being able to actively challenge the business is imperative to making this role successful.

Systems
To work closely with the Business Systems Manager to ensure that the IT systems in place (new Field Service System and CRM to be implemented 2025-2026) provide the appropriate support to the business.

Direct Reports

• Assistant Accountant/Credit Controller (currently studying AAT level 4)
• Senior Credit Controller (indirectly Credit Control team members 1 full time and 1 Credit Controller/Business Admin)
• Purchase Ledger Clerk

Staff development

• Develop Assistant Accountant to Management Accountant (Completed L4 AAT - about to commence CIMA) and become a strong deputy
• Work closely with Group FD to identify opportunities for developing other team members

Travel
All depots to be visited at least once a year. This role requires to attend the quarterly regional meetings which rotate across the UK.

Key Requirements for Role:

• Qualified Accountant
• Self-motivated and driven to succeed
• Able to manage own workload and deliver to tight deadlines
• Experience of people management
• Passion for driving business improvements
• Able to challenge the status quo
• Commercial awareness
• Aptitude for problem solving
• Strong Excel skills and highly numerate
• Strong relationship building skills and able to build relationships quickly
• Excellent communication skills
• Willing and able to present reports and analysis to key stakeholders
• Experience of working in a multi-site environment would be beneficial