Financial Director

Exclusively retained through Hawthorn One

The Business

Family-owned for over a century, this is a manufacturing business that was built on doing one thing exceptionally well and then spent the last few decades quietly building something much bigger around it. Today it is a c.£20m turnover international business with operations across multiple continents, a product that sits at the heart of some of the world's most iconic brands, and a leadership team with genuine ambition to keep growing.

The business manufactures a premium, specialist product that has been refined consistently decade after decade. It has grown at around 10% a year, is debt free, has a strong cash position, and a clear growth vision for what comes next.

The business has invested significantly in its manufacturing base in recent years, expanding capacity and modernising its operation. It has strengthened its commercial leadership, brought in new talent to drive sales, and is actively pursuing new brand partnerships and contracts that are already adding meaningful revenue.

What it does not yet have is the financial leadership to match that ambition. The reporting, the strategy, the systems and the senior presence that a business at this stage of its growth needs.

The Finance Director Job

This is a full-time, site-based Finance Director job. You will report directly to the MD and Chairman, and on a day-to-day basis you will be the most senior person in the building.

That means two things. First, you will own the financial agenda entirely. Building the reporting, budgeting and forecasting capability the business needs, getting proper monthly management accounts in place, developing a financial strategy for how the business deploys its capital, and working closely with the MD to evaluate and pursue growth opportunities. There is real, substantive work to do here and you will have the space and the authority to do it.

Secondly, you will be a genuine presence across the whole operation. You will know what is going on across the business, the manufacturing floor, the sales team, the group's international entities and you will be a trusted voice at the table when decisions are made. The MD and Chairman will lean on you as their trusted Finance Partner.

The Finance Director Job in practice

• Provide strategic planning and advice, optimising finances across the group, helping to shape business goals and translating these into financial strategies, working with the Chairman/MD.
• Implement, develop, and oversee all financial operations and accounts, audits, compliance, budgeting, forecasting, and cash flow management to drive profitability and growth and strengthen internal controls.
• Implement a costing framework that gives the business a true understanding of product-level margins, one that can be used day to day in pricing decisions and contract assessments, and that ultimately helps shape and evaluate the growth opportunities ahead.
• Develop and lead a small finance team of capable and loyal people who have lacked financial leadership and guidance.
• Review the current ERP systems and lead the implementation or development of a more effective solution as required.

The Finance Director Job Requirements

• You will already be a Finance Director, with experience in a Manufacturing business. Given the breadth and scope of this position the business needs someone who has clear, relatable experience. (Developing financial strategies to shape growth, truly acting as an advisor to the owners, developing / implementing systems, strong manufacturing costing understanding etc.)
• You will be commercially sharp. Able to look at a set of numbers and immediately start thinking about what they mean and what the business should do, not just how to report them.
• You must be a fully qualified chartered accountant (ACA, CIMA, ACCA); QBE will not be considered for this position.
• You will be comfortable in a board room and comfortable on a factory floor. Direct enough to challenge experienced sales leaders when the numbers say something they might not want to hear, and personable enough to build genuine trust with a team and a leadership group who care deeply about how the business feels to work in.
• This is a long-standing family business with deep roots, a loyal workforce and a culture that has been built carefully over a very long time. The right person will respect that and bring the energy and rigour to move it forward.

Benefits and Opportunity.

The salary for this position starts at £100,000 and is negotiable based on experience and includes a bonus, 11% pension, enhanced holidays, and early Friday finish. Additional benefits to be negotiated. The business has the infrastructure to work from home, however given one of the key requirements of this position is to act as the number 1 on site in the absence of the MD and Chairman, this is primarily a site-based role.

This position is exclusive to Hawthorn One. Please apply or contact to arrange a time to speak if you would be interested to learn more.