Finance Manager

ALF Recruit; Rochdale; On-site; GBP 55,000 - 75,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Early finish Friday

Christmas closure

Modern offices

Autonomy & group exposure

Job summary

ALF Recruit has secured a Finance Manager role for a well‑established manufacturing business, offering true ownership of the finance function. You will balance transactional duties with producing management accounts for directors and the parent group, while steering month‑end close and process improvements.

This hands-on position reports to the group and interacts with senior stakeholders on site. The ideal candidate is a qualified accountant (ACCA/CIMA/ACA) or qualified by experience, with a

Qualifications

• Qualified accountant or qualified by experience with a strong finance background.
• Proven experience running a transactional finance function in a similar sized business.
• Experience producing management accounts and reporting into a group structure.
• Hands-on with month-end close end to end and process improvements.

Responsibilities

• Manage the transactional finance function: purchase ledger, sales ledger and bank reconciliations.
• Prepare monthly management accounts and reporting packs for directors and parent company.
• Own month-end close including accruals, prepayments and balance sheet reconciliations.
• Support budgeting and forecasting cycles and monitor cash flow.
• Liaise with external auditors and support year-end audit.
• Develop and coach one direct report and collaborate with site stakeholders.

Skills

Management accounting

Financial reporting

Cash flow management

Stakeholder communication

Education

ACCA/CIMA/ACA

Tools

SAGE 50

Job description

ALF Recruit have been retained exclusively to recruit a Finance Manager for a well-established and highly profitable manufacturing business turning over £20m and still growing. Part of a wider group, the business is looking for someone to take full ownership of the finance function on site a genuine number 1 in finance locally, with the visibility and support that comes from reporting into a parent company.

This is a hands-on role. You will be as comfortable working through the purchase ledger as you are presenting management accounts to directors. If you want a role where you own the whole picture rather than a slice of it, this is it.

• Early finish on a Friday (3pm) enjoy a longer weekend
• Christmas closure
• Modern newly refurbished offices, with real autonomy and direct exposure to group-level reporting and senior stakeholders
• Managing the transactional finance function — purchase ledger, sales ledger and bank reconciliations
• Preparing monthly management accounts and reporting packs for directors and the parent company, in line with group timetables and formats
• Owning month-end close, including accruals, prepayments and balance sheet reconciliations
• Supporting the annual budgeting and forecasting cycle
• Monitoring cash flow and working capital, and reporting risks upwards
• Ensuring compliance with accounting standards, VAT regulations and statutory requirements
• Acting as the main point of liaison with external auditors and supporting the year-end audit
• Reviewing and improving finance processes and controls
• Managing and developing 1 direct report within the transactional team
• Working closely with operational stakeholders across the site to support business decision-making
• Qualified accountant (ACCA, CIMA or ACA) or qualified by experience — our client is genuinely open on route
• Proven experience running a transactional finance function in a similar sized business, ideally manufacturing but not essential
• Strong track record of producing management accounts and reporting into a group structure
• Confident owning month-end close end to end
• Working knowledge of SAGE 50 (or a similar package, with the willingness to pick it up quickly)
• Comfortable dealing directly with external auditors
• Solid people management experience, including developing a direct report
• Excellent communicator, credible with senior stakeholders and operational teams alike
• Hands-on and proactive, with a real appetite for improving processes and controls

A key leadership position in a profitable, growing business where you can shape how finance operates rather than inherit someone else’s system.