This is a finance leadership role with real operational weight. As Plant Finance Manager, you will sit at the intersection of financial rigor and business performance — not as a reporting function, but as an active partner to the plant and commercial leadership team, helping shape decisions, challenge assumptions, and drive results.
You will own the integrity of the site’s financial books, lead the planning and forecasting cycle, and provide the commercial insight that enables the business to meet and exceed its targets. This is a role for a finance professional who is equally comfortable in a factory environment and a boardroom — someone who understands how manufacturing works and uses that understanding to add genuine commercial value.
What you will be responsible for:
Financial reporting & controls
Maintain accurate and timely financial books of record for the site.
Ensure the integrity of all internal controls and compliance with relevant financial governance standards.
You will own the numbers — and be accountable for their accuracy.
Forecasting & planning
Lead the site’s forecasting and budgeting cycle, producing robust weekly and monthly financial forecasts through rigorous analysis of commercial and operational data.
Your forecasts should not just reflect reality — they should help shape it.
Business partnering
Act as a trusted finance partner to the Plant Manager, Commercial Manager, and the broader leadership team.
Provide financial input into key operational meetings, including S&OP and strategic reviews.
Challenge performance, support decision-making, and bring financial clarity to complex commercial situations.
P&L and working capital management
Take full ownership of the site P&L, with a clear focus on revenue, EBT, cash flow, and working capital efficiency.
Manage and control inventory in line with plan, oversee SG&A costs, and drive capital expenditure and cost reduction projects to deliver against financial targets.
Manufacturing finance
Develop a deep understanding of the manufacturing processes on site, including standard costing and variance analysis.
Participate in Gemba walks, support lean improvement initiatives, and apply a zero-incident mindset to how the finance function engages with the shop floor.
Team capability & coaching
Build financial and commercial acumen across the wider leadership team.
Coach and challenge sales and operations managers against their forecasts and profit plans.
Create an environment where financial literacy is seen as a competitive advantage, not a back-office function.
Commercial finance
Provide financial analysis on business initiatives and investment decisions, including appraisals, contract reviews, and tender preparation.
Work closely with the centralized finance team to ensure compliance and drive process improvement across the organization.
What we are looking for
We are looking for a qualified finance professional who goes beyond the numbers — someone who is analytically sharp, commercially minded, and genuinely engaged with the business they support.
Fully qualified accountant (ACA, CIMA, or equivalent) with strong commercial and operational exposure 3 to 5 years of post-qualification experience, ideally within a manufacturing or industrial environment
Strong analytical skills with the ability to operate at both a detailed level and a strategic one — knowing when to zoom in and when to step back
Experience in standard costing, variance analysis, and P&L management in a manufacturing context
Excellent interpersonal and communication skills — able to translate financial complexity into clear, actionable insight for non-finance stakeholders
Proven ability to coach and influence others — including senior leaders — and to drive accountability through financial insight rather than authority alone
Comfortable working within shared service or centralized finance models, with experience driving cross-functional process improvement
Energy, resilience, and a genuine passion for the business — this role requires someone who leads through change, not just through stability