Finance Manager_ UAE_ for Leading FMCG Brand (Confidential)

People, Jobs, and News; Dubai; On-site; AED 300,000 - 600,000; Full time

Job summary

People, Jobs, and News is recruiting a hands-on Finance Manager to lead the manufacturing finance function. You will oversee costing for bakery products, budgeting, forecasting, and working capital management, while partnering with Supply Chain and Production teams to improve margins.

The role requires strong accounting fundamentals, ERP experience, and the ability to drive financial discipline in a fast-paced manufacturing environment in the UAE.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Finance, Accounting, Commerce or related discipline.
• ACCA/CMA/CPA or equivalent professional qualification preferred.
• Strong knowledge of accounting, financial reporting, budgeting, costing and controls.

Responsibilities

• Manage day-to-day finance and accounting activities for the manufacturing business.
• Ensure accurate monthly, quarterly and annual close and reporting.
• Prepare and review P&L, balance sheet, cash flow and management reports.

Skills

Financial management

Financial reporting

Costing

Budgeting

Forecasting

ERP

Education

Bachelor's degree in Finance/Accounting

ACCA/CMA/CPA preferred

Tools

SAP

Oracle

MS Dynamics

Job description

Key Responsibilities

• Financial Management & Reporting
  • Manage the day-to-day finance and accounting activities of the manufacturing business.
  • Ensure accurate and timely monthly, quarterly, and annual financial closing.
  • Prepare and review P&L, balance sheet, cash flow, and management reports.
  • Analyse financial performance against budget, forecast, and previous periods.
  • Provide management with meaningful financial analysis and recommendations.
  • Ensure accuracy and integrity of accounting records and financial information.
• Manufacturing Costing & Cost Control
  • Lead product costing for bakery products, including raw materials, packaging, labour, utilities, production overheads, and other manufacturing costs.
  • Monitor actual manufacturing costs against standard costs and investigate significant variances.
  • Analyse production yields, wastage, production losses, labour efficiency, and machine utilisation.
  • Develop and maintain standard costing models for different products and production lines.
  • Identify opportunities to reduce manufacturing costs and improve gross margins.
  • Work closely with Production and Supply Chain teams to improve cost efficiency.
• Budgeting & Forecasting
  • Lead the annual budgeting and periodic forecasting process for the manufacturing operations.
  • Prepare budgets for production, raw materials, labour, utilities, maintenance, CAPEX, and overheads.
  • Monitor budget performance and provide variance analysis.
  • Develop financial forecasts based on production volumes, sales plans, commodity prices, and operational requirements.
  • Support management in evaluating the financial impact of new products, production lines, investments, and expansion plans.
• Inventory & Working Capital Management
  • Oversee financial controls relating to raw materials, packaging materials, finished goods, and spare parts inventory.
  • Monitor inventory valuation and ensure appropriate accounting treatment.
  • Analyse inventory movements, slow-moving and obsolete stock.
  • Work with Supply Chain and Warehouse teams to improve inventory accuracy and working capital.
  • Monitor receivables, payables, inventory days, and cash conversion cycle.
  • Ensure regular stock counts and reconciliation between physical and system inventory.
• Commercial & Business Finance
  • Partner with Sales and Commercial teams to analyse customer and product profitability.
  • Review pricing and margin analysis for key customers and products.
  • Support commercial teams in evaluating customer contracts, promotions, discounts, rebates, and trade expenses.
  • Analyse profitability by product, customer, channel, and market.
  • Provide financial inputs for new business opportunities and major customer negotiations.
• Cash Flow & Treasury
  • Monitor daily and monthly cash flow requirements.
  • Prepare cash flow forecasts and ensure adequate working capital availability.
  • Monitor customer collections and supplier payment obligations.
  • Coordinate with banks and financial institutions when required.
  • Support management in optimising working capital and liquidity.
• Internal Controls & Compliance
  • Establish and maintain effective financial controls across manufacturing and commercial operations.
  • Ensure compliance with company policies, accounting standards, and applicable UAE tax requirements.
  • Coordinate with external and internal auditors.
  • Ensure timely completion of audits and implementation of audit recommendations.
  • Monitor controls relating to procurement, payments, inventory, sales, credit, and CAPEX.
  • Ensure proper documentation and approval processes for financial transactions.
• CAPEX & Fixed Assets
  • Review and analyse CAPEX proposals for machinery, production lines, equipment, vehicles, and facility expansion.
  • Prepare financial evaluations and ROI/payback analysis for major investments.
  • Monitor CAPEX budgets against actual expenditure.
  • Ensure proper recording, depreciation, and reconciliation of fixed assets.
• Team Leadership
  • Lead, manage, and develop the finance and accounting team.
  • Allocate responsibilities and ensure timely completion of finance deliverables.
  • Establish clear performance objectives and KPIs for finance team members.
  • Promote a strong culture of financial discipline, accuracy, accountability, and continuous improvement.

Key Performance Indicators

• Monthly financial closing and reporting accuracy
• Budget vs. actual performance
• Manufacturing cost variance
• Gross margin and product profitability
• Raw material and inventory variance
• Inventory accuracy and working capital
• Receivables collection and DSO
• Cash flow management
• CAPEX budget adherence
• Audit findings and compliance
• Cost reduction and productivity improvement initiatives

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Finance, Accounting, Commerce, or a related discipline.
• Professional qualification such as ACCA, CMA, CPA, CA, or equivalent is highly preferred.
• Strong knowledge of accounting principles, financial reporting, budgeting, costing, and financial controls.

Experience

• 8-12 years of progressive finance and accounting experience, with at least 3-5 years in a Finance Manager / senior finance role.
• Strong preference for candidates with experience in FMCG, food manufacturing, industrial bakery, food processing, or other high-volume manufacturing environments.
• Proven experience in manufacturing costing, standard costing, inventory control, budgeting, forecasting, and variance analysis.
• Experience managing finance teams and working closely with cross-functional operational teams.

UAE/GCC Experience Is Preferred.

Technical Skills

• Strong understanding of manufacturing accounting and product costing.
• Advanced Excel skills, including financial modelling and data analysis.
• Experience with ERP systems such as SAP, Oracle, Microsoft Dynamics, or similar.
• Strong knowledge of budgeting, forecasting, financial modelling, and management reporting.
• Good understanding of inventory accounting and working capital management.
• Knowledge of UAE VAT and corporate tax requirements is preferred.
• Strong analytical and problem‑solving skills.

Competencies

• Commercial and business acumen
• Strong analytical ability
• Financial and cost-control orientation
• Attention to detail and accuracy
• Strong communication and stakeholder‑management skills
• Leadership and team‑management capability
• Decision-making and problem-solving skills
• Ability to work in a fast‑paced manufacturing environment
• Strong sense of ownership and accountability

Ideal Candidate Profile

The ideal candidate will be a hands‑on manufacturing finance professional who understands not only accounting and reporting but also the operational drivers of a large industrial bakery—such as flour and ingredient costs, production yield, wastage, labour efficiency, utilities, packaging costs, production volumes, inventory, and product/customer margins.

Experience in a large‑scale FMCG or industrial food manufacturing environment will be strongly preferred.

Skills: capex,manufacturing,finance