Head of Finance

We’re looking for a Head of Finance – Operations to join our squad at a truly exciting time in our growth journey. With expansion into new markets, a big increase in our in‑house manufacturing & fulfilment footprint, and greater operational complexity, this role will sit at the heart of how we scale efficiently and sustainably.

You will be the finance lead and strategic partner for our Operations organisation, covering manufacturing, warehouse, logistics, supply chain, and order fulfilment. This is a role for someone who thrives in fast‑paced, asset‑heavy environments and wants to make a tangible impact on cost, efficiency, and operational performance.

You will partner with the Group Operations leadership team and their respective site teams to help make balanced financial decisions and identify opportunities. You will oversee the on‑site Management Accounting teams who are responsible for local reporting, analysis and control. Your remit will span costing, reporting, financial control, budgeting, forecasting, investment appraisal, risk mitigation and operational performance improvement.

This role reports into our CFO, while working extremely closely with our COO and Operational Leadership teams. There will be a clear development plan to support your progression toward Operations Finance Director.

In this role, you can expect to…

• Lead all financial management across Manufacturing, Warehouse, Fulfilment and Logistics (including UK, Poland facility and 3PL interactions).
• Own operational P&L lines (COGs, labour, utilities, waste, packaging, logistics, overheads) and drive clarity on performance and variances.

• Be accountable for accurate, timely and impactful operational reporting, cost centre reviews, and period end close for Ops.
• Maintain strong financial controls across end to end operational processes to ensure robust foundations which enable scalable growth.

• Work hand‑in‑hand with Operations Leadership to translate performance into actionable insights.
• Lead conversations that highlight key deviations from budget across labour efficiency, throughput, waste, scrap, and logistics costs — both proactively and retrospectively.
• Own the budget & rolling forecast inputs – acting as the bridge between the Operations Leadership team, key budget owners and the FP&A team.

• Manage key initiatives across labour optimisation, OEE uplift projects, production efficiency, procurement & materials usage, waste reduction, and utility ratio improvements.
• Deliver working capital improvements through stock optimisation, SKU efficiency and smarter replenishment.

• Provide financial evaluation of capex for new equipment, production lines, automation, storage, and fulfilment upgrades (pre- and post‑investment).
• Play a key role in developing the economics of new operational sites, international expansion, and network design.

• Own the Ops Finance change roadmap – including ERP improvements (e.g. SAP B1), automation opportunities, costing system enhancements and more accurate operational data capture.
• Champion AI‑led and digital automation for Ops Finance processes.

• Identify and mitigate operational risks (supply chain, production, labour, asset utilisation, capacity constraints).
• Support scenario modelling for demand spikes, network disruption and international fulfilment strategy.
• 6+ years post‑qualified CIMA/ACCA/ACA/equivalent experience, ideally gained in an operational setting.
• Strong background in operations finance, manufacturing finance, cost accounting or supply chain finance.
• Experience working in an FMCG, manufacturing, or food production business.
• Deep understanding of:
• OEE
• standard costing, variance analysis, yield & waste
• labour and overhead absorption
• stock valuation & inventory control
• manufacturing KPIs and operational performance metrics
• Experience working closely with operational teams on the ground — not afraid to “go to the line” to understand the drivers behind the numbers.
• Dem…