Assistant Head of Commercial Finance

Impact Food Group; Woking; Hybrid; GBP 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading food service provider is seeking an Assistant Head of Commercial Finance in Woking. The successful candidate will play a key role in shaping financial direction, manage budgeting processes, and mentor team members. Essential skills include strong analytical abilities, experience in multi-site environments, and proficiency in Power BI. This is a hybrid role with opportunities for making a substantial impact on students' food quality across the UK.

Qualifications

• At least 3 years of post-qualification experience.
• Experience in a multi-site business environment is essential.
• Confidence to challenge stakeholders.

Responsibilities

• Lead and manage the annual budgeting and forecasting processes.
• Act as a commercial partner to the operations team.
• Identify trends, opportunities, and risks.

Skills

Qualified Accountant (CIMA, ACCA, ACA)

Experience in budgeting and forecasting

Strong analytical skills

Proficiency in Power BI

Excellent communication skills

Education

Qualified Accountant

Tools

Power BI

Microsoft Excel

Sage

Job description

Assistant Head of Commercial Finance

Impact Food Group

Assistant Head of Commerical Finance

Hybrid Role - 2/3 days office / home

At Impact Food Group, we’re more than just a school caterer. We’re on a mission to create a positive food culture and help more students enjoy healthier, better-quality food. Making a positive social impact is at the heart of everything we do. We’re constantly learning, evolving, and improving — every way, every day.

Through our industry-leading brands — Innovate, Hutchison, Cucina, and Chapter One — we cater for over 550,000 students and operate in more than 900 schools nationwide, growing every year.

We’re now looking for a talented and highly organised Assistant Head of Commerical Finance to join and play a vital role in supporting our business.

Guided by our values, integrity, bold, impactful, empathy and community; you will help us shape a workplace and culture we can all be proud of.

What you’ll be doing

We are seeking a driven and commercially astute Assistant Head of Commercial Finance to join our team in Woking. Reporting directly to the Head of Commercial Finance, you will be their trusted number two, playing a pivotal role in shaping the financial direction and performance of the business.

This is a broad and exciting role that blends core financial planning and analysis (FP&A) with proactive commercial business partnering. You will take full ownership of our budgeting and forecasting processes, while also having the autonomy to identify and drive initiatives that improve financial performance across our operational sites. This is a perfect opportunity for a candidate who enjoys getting into the detail, understanding the \"why\" behind the numbers, and making a tangible impact.

Key Responsibilities

Budgeting & Forecasting:

Lead and own the end-to-end annual budgeting and quarterly forecasting processes for our multi-site operation, ensuring accuracy, insightful commentary, and adherence to deadlines.

Commercial Business Partnering:

Act as a true commercial partner to the operations team. Move beyond standard reporting to provide proactive, insightful analysis that helps site managers understand and improve their financial performance.

Strategic Analysis & Insight:

Your work will often be \"without portfolio.\" You will be expected to be curious, developing your own analysis to identify trends, opportunities, and risks. This will include:

Acquisition Integration: Play a key role in the financial integration of new business acquisitions, ensuring their reporting and processes are seamlessly incorporated into the Impact Food Group framework.

Team Mentorship:

Deputise for the Head of Commercial Finance as required and act as a mentor and guide to our three commercial Business Partners, supporting their professional development.

Data Integrity:

Play a key role in ensuring we are working with complete and up-to-date data at all times.

Skills & Experience

• Qualified Accountant (CIMA, ACCA, ACA) with at least 3 years of post-qualification experience.
• Demonstrable, hands-on experience owning and running the full budgeting and forecasting cycle within a complex organisation.
• Experience working in a multi-site business environment is essential.
• A proactive, curious, and self-starting mindset with the ability to identify commercial opportunities independently.
• Strong analytical skills with proficiency in Power BI; able to interpret complex data and translate it into actionable insights for non-finance stakeholders.
• Advanced Microsoft Excel and financial modelling skills.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the confidence to build relationships and challenge stakeholders at all levels.
• Hands-on experience with Sage and BI tools like Metabase. Experience working with a developing data warehouse would also be a plus. Previous experience in an administrative, customer support, or operations role.
• Confident using online platforms (experience with Forbrains, Kanpla, Freshdesk, or similar is an advantage).

If you’re a collaborative, solution-focused professionalwho thrives in a busy and purposeful environment, we’d love to hear from you. Join us and be part of a team that is transforming lives through the power of food, making a genuine difference for students across the UK.