Finance Business Partner

Michael Page; Dartford; On-site; GBP 70,000 - 80,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive benefits package

Senior leadership exposure

Highly visible operational role

Opportunity to influence business

Career development opportunities

Job summary

Michael Page is supporting a leading manufacturing business in the UK to appoint an Operational Finance Business Partner. You will report to Group Finance and the local General Manager, sit on the site leadership team and provide insightful financial challenge to drive operational and financial performance.

Responsibilities include partnering with the GM and Site Leadership Team; budgeting and forecasting; monitoring KPIs; analysing labour and overhead; supporting cost reduction, capital

Qualifications

• Qualified accountant with manufacturing or FMCG experience.
• Strong business partnering and commercial awareness.
• Experience budgeting, forecasting and performance reporting.
• Ability to translate financial information into practical actions.

Responsibilities

• Partner with the General Manager and Site Leadership Team.
• Provide meaningful financial insight and challenge to support decision-making.
• Monitor and report on operational and manufacturing KPIs.
• Analyse labour, overhead and operational performance trends.
• Lead site budgeting and forecasting processes.
• Support continuous improvement and cost reduction initiatives.
• Evaluate capital expenditure and investment proposals.
• Support inventory management and working capital performance.
• Develop reporting tools and dashboards to improve visibility and accountability.
• Lead and develop a small finance team.

Skills

Business partnering

Commercial acumen

Analytical thinking

Problem solving

Stakeholder management

Budgeting & forecasting

Performance reporting

Financial modelling

Leadership

Education

ACA / ACCA / CIMA qualified

Job description

Partner with the General Manager to drive performance, profitability and continuous improvement across a fast-paced manufacturing site. Lead budgeting, forecasting and operational analysis as the most senior finance leader on site.

Client Details

Our exclusive client is a leading manufacturing business supplying major UK customers within a high-volume production environment. Operating at pace, the business is focused on operational excellence, continuous improvement and delivering outstanding service levels.

As part of the site leadership team, this role offers a unique opportunity to influence operational performance, support key decision-making and partner closely with the General Manager and senior operational leaders.

Description

Operational Finance Business Partner - Reporting into Group Finance and the local General Manager, you will be part of the senior operational finance leadership team and the lead commercial finance presence on site, responsible for providing insight, challenge and support to drive operational and financial performance.

Responsibilities include:

• Partnering closely with the General Manager and Site Leadership Team
• Providing meaningful financial insight and challenge to support decision-making
• Monitoring and reporting on operational and manufacturing KPIs
• Analysing labour, overhead and operational performance trends
• Leading site budgeting and forecasting processes
• Supporting continuous improvement and cost reduction initiatives
• Evaluating capital expenditure and investment proposals
• Supporting inventory management and working capital performance
• Developing reporting tools and dashboards to improve visibility and accountability
• Leading and developing a small finance team

This is a highly visible role within the business where your ability to influence, challenge and build strong relationships will be key to success.

Profile

The Operational Finance Business Partner will likely be a qualified accountant (ACA, ACCA or CIMA) with experience within a manufacturing, FMCG or operationally focused environment.

You will also demonstrate:

• Strong business partnering skills
• Experience supporting operational or site leadership teams
• Excellent commercial awareness
• Strong analytical and problem-solving capability
• Confidence to challenge and influence stakeholders
• Experience of budgeting, forecasting and performance reporting
• A proactive and hands-on approach
• The ability to translate financial information into practical actions
• Food manufacturing experience would be advantageous but is not essential.

Job Offer

• £70,000 - £80,000 depending on experience
• Competitive benefits package
• Senior leadership exposure
• Highly visible operational role
• Opportunity to influence business performance