Assistant Finance Manager

Compass Group UK; East Midlands; On-site; GBP 30,000 - 40,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading food service provider in the East Midlands is seeking an Assistant Finance Manager to support senior operational teams. This role involves delivering financial analysis, managing commercial risks, and contributing to budgeting processes. The ideal candidate will have part-qualified accounting skills and excel in analytical and communication tasks. Join this dynamic company and benefit from exclusive discounts and career development opportunities.

Benefits

Exclusive travel discounts

Discounts on food shopping

Cinema ticket discounts

Wellness and mindfulness classes

Career development programs

Qualifications

• Minimum of two years in a financial role or Part-qualified Accountant.
• Experience in management accounting and producing financial reports.
• Ability to train and mentor junior team members (desirable).

Responsibilities

• Deliver financial support to senior operational teams.
• Provide analysis of key operational and financial reports.
• Support with budgeting and forecasting processes.

Skills

Part-qualified Accountant (CIMA/ACCA/ACA)

Analytical skills

Excel Macros and VBA

Communication and presentation

Attention to detail

Education

Relevant financial qualification or experience

Tools

Accounting software

Job description

Assistant Finance Manager

Responsible to: Head of Finance

Location: Derby

Overall Purpose of the Role

Reporting to the Head of Finance, the Assistant Finance Manager will perform an influential role delivering financial support to senior operational teams. Through effective partnering, the role will continually improve service levels, cost effectiveness, and add value to commercial activities undertaken. Actively participate in the development of the Finance Function to continually improve service levels, quality of management information and standardise processes in the most cost‑effective manner.

Key Accountabilities

Purpose: Commercial Support

• Business Partner key stakeholders (financial and non-financial) ensuring strong commercial and operational decision making, managing financial risks and opportunities
• Delivering proactive financial analysis with summarized findings to support business unit decision making
• Understand and manage the financial risks and opportunities arising from volumetric and other contract mechanisms - and ongoing business performance
• Understand, highlight and manage the financial risks and opportunities arising from balance sheet maintenance

People: Relationship Management

• Working effectively as part of a team
• Building relationships with key stakeholders

Performance

• Provide analysis of key operational and financial reports — including month‑end performance, manufacturing KPIs, cost of goods, budgets, cash flow, and variance analysis — for review at monthly business meetings.
• Commercial analysis, including make‑versus‑buy modelling, cost‑benefit evaluations, pricing scenarios, supplier benchmarking, margin analysis, and capital investment appraisals. Responsible for month end processes.
• Support with flash and attend weekly call‑over call as required.
• Assist in training of operational teams in the use of business reporting to understand and improve their financial performance.
• Monthly balance sheet review for area of responsibility, escalating key risks/opportunities to senior stakeholders.
• Support with the budgeting and forecasting process by consolidating the budget, understanding variances and preparing the budget presentation for senior stakeholders.
• Preparation of documentation for client tenders, negotiations.
• Respond to any ad hoc client requests and complete monthly royalty statements and yearly reconciliations.

Candidate Requirements: Key Skills, Knowledge & Experience

Essential:

• Part‑qualified Accountant (CIMA/ACCA/ACA) or Minimum of two years in a financial role QBE
• Industry experience gained within a manufacturing entity
• Experience of management accounting inclusive of accounting adjustments, producing reports/analysis to support commercial decision making
• Analytical and with a high level of attention to detail
• Communication and presentation - all stakeholders are kept up to date on relevant issues which are communicated clearly
• Excel Macros and VBA
• Experience of accounting software as analysis and reporting tools

Desirable:

• Experience of training and mentoring junior team members
• Ability to adapt to a changing environment
• Experience of business partnering non-finance professionals to support the delivery of sound financial information

Performance Standards

• Excellent communication skills - ability to communicate oral and written information concisely and logically - to both finance and non-finance people
• Pro‑active and energetic approach
• Ability to analyse and evaluate information concisely
• Excellent interpersonal skills with proven ability to influence internal and external parties
• Self‑motivated with an ability to effectively plan and organise own work
• Ability to take on a broad spectrum of work under pressure and to deliver in agreed timescales

Leadership Behaviours

• Communication – ability to work well with peers
• Can Do – Finds new / quicker ways of meeting goals, responds quickly to achieve targets
• Share Success – Provides task related feedback to do the job effectively and provides excellent service. Delegates tasks to develop others
• Passion for Quality – Sets demanding performance expectations, sets priorities to maximise benefits, tracks the commercial implications of a situation in a step‑by‑step way
• Win through Teamwork – Pursues friendly relationships with colleagues and clients, makes contact with colleagues across the organisation and shares own knowledge and insight and displays a high level of energy and commitment to the role and organisation
• Embrace Diversity – Listens to others and values their contributions, receptive to new ideas and acts in ethical and socially responsible manner

Benefits

• Exclusive travel discounts with TUI, Expedia, Booking.com and many more
• Save money on your food shop with discounts on Tesco, Sainsbury's etc
• Up to 44% off cinema tickets to enjoy your favourite blockbuster
• Regular emails filled with the best discounts and savings available
• Receive Wow Points every time you spend and use them on a range of brands
• Un‑wind with us with free wellness, mindfulness and exercise classes
• Share all discounts and offers with your friends and families
• Contributory pension scheme
• Grow your career with our Career Pathways and MyLearning programmes