Accounts Manager

Are you looking for a new challenge? If so, Athwal Resourcing has been appointed by a manufacturing subsidiary of a large Blue Chip multinational business seeking an Accounting Manager for their Redditch site; to ensure the Company meets its critical financial, operational, and strategic objectives.

The Role

As a key member of the local site team, you will be supporting the Plant Controller on-site and local Plant. The role will direct involve accounting activities within the MfgPro following corporate policies and procedures. It is hands-on, primarily supporting, controlling, and managing all aspects of the Accounts Controlling function and overseeing the general accounting, cost accounting and budgeting and ensuring a coordinated approach in line with the Company’s future strategy. The role requires the usual site Accounts Manager duties and some operational and commercial improvement projects, performing analysis to support complex business decisions by plant management. Also, act as a business partner to other functions to help improve results as part of a continuous improvement philosophy.

The successful candidate will have the necessary hands-on experience to instil operational excellence and the opportunity to be commercially astute. This role will challenge the status quo, seek out the best way forward and help make the necessary changes to ensure best practice is achieved within the business.

Responsibilities include:

• Financial Control and Reporting Supervise month-end closing activities, ensure timely close for the monthly financial results and report on plant operational performance to the Group. Including maintaining robust and timely financial reporting, completing monthly management accounts, understanding variance, ensuring all day-to-day accounting is completed accurately and preparing management reports for the business, including providing analytical direction and actions to achieve the targeted results and SOX compliance;
• Staff Management Provide financial leadership and mentoring to the finance team. Contribute to the development of other Finance team members, including goal setting and performance review;
• Streamlining Processes and Procedures and supporting lean activities. Implement improvements to achieve a robust business control environment to ensure optimum efficiencies. Reporting and KPI dashboards of plant performance, sales and gross profit margins by customer/workstream in line with strategic targets; Ensuring the standard costing system is accurately maintained and variances understood; drive operational performance improvements with cost information and results.
• Inventory Control Utilise strong controls over inventory, including standard cost updates, physical inventory verification, periodic cycle counts, etc;
• Statutory and tax Compliance Ensure compliance with indirect tax rules & regulations, including Customs Duty;
• Business Partner both the executive team on strategic decisions and take an active role with local operational management on commercial and financial matters; to identify, evaluate and propose productivity and performance improvements for the business. Work in partnership with Shared Services to manage & improve processes in Working Capital Management;
• Budgeting and forecasting Prepare monthly forecasts and annual profit plans for two ledgers. Review variances to forecast and profit plan and provide explanations and advice to management on achieving targets;
• Initiatives and Ad hoc projects working with the Plant Controller, Plant Manager, and Division on Financial and Operational initiatives.

The background required

• Be of graduate calibre, either a part-qualified or qualified accountant, either ACMA/ACCA/ACA;
• Demonstrable hands-on accounting experience, manufacturing/engineering sector work be good, including cost accounting exposure;
• Knowledge & understanding at the operational plant level as well as plant reporting policies by region/division;
• Sound working knowledge of GAAP, Sarbanes Oxley and local statutory requirements;
• A background in standard costing and day-to-day accounting experience regarding stock valuation;
• Superior analytical and thinking skills; Intellectual rigour and curiosity; problem-solving capability
• Proven experience in leading and contributing to teams;
• Strong drive to ensure there is continuous improvement and getting things done;
• Experience in working and communicating with stakeholders from shop floor and supply chain/manufacturing teams. This will include inventory, stock valuation and month-end;
• Be IT literate (Excel, Powerpoint) with financial modelling, analysis and evaluation skills and worked extensively with ERP systems and, ideally, MFG pro;
• Experience of liaising with external consultancies in relation to tax, assisting auditors and taxation auditing;
• Confident with strong interpersonal skills and the ability to communicate and influence at all levels within the organisation and with third parties;

In return, you will get?

• Competitive compensation and benefits package
• Contract in fast-growing global Company
• Challenging projects in a dynamic, collaborative team
• Great promotional opportunities – We encourage internal promotion whenever possible
• Excellent working environment

This is a fantastic career opportunity to get plant exposure within an international group. You can progress your career within the role by driving through initiatives and having the confidence and energy to become a vital member of the local site team and advance your career within the Group.