Finance Manager in City

Artis Recruitment; City; On-site; GBP 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

Artis Recruitment is seeking an experienced Finance Manager for a manufacturing business on the outskirts of Cardiff. This hands-on role combines strong accounting expertise with commercial and business partnering skills to support finance and operational teams.

You will lead day-to-day finance activities, own cost accounting, analyse production costs and margins, maintain fixed assets, and support budgeting, forecasting and month-end processes. Strong communication with operations is essential.

Qualifications

• Qualified or nearly qualified accountant with strong technical accounting knowledge.
• Experience in cost accounting, fixed assets and ability to translate financial information into commercial insight.
• Strong business partnering skills across manufacturing and operations.

Responsibilities

• Lead and manage day-to-day finance activities.
• Own and develop cost accounting including product costing, manufacturing variances, labour and overhead analysis.
• Provide clear analysis of production costs, margins and operational performance.
• Maintain the fixed asset register including depreciation and capex reporting.
• Support budgeting, forecasting and month-end processes.
• Prepare management accounts and financial reporting with insights.

Skills

Cost accounting

Fixed assets

Business partnering

Commercial awareness

Financial analysis

Education

Professional accounting qualification (ACCA/CIMA/ACA)

Tools

ERP systems

Excel

Job description

We are looking for an experienced and commercially minded Finance Manager to join a manufacturing business on the outskirts of Cardiff and play a key role in supporting both the finance function and the operational teams.

This is a hands-on role suited to a qualified or nearly qualified accountant who combines strong technical accounting knowledge with excellent commercial and business partnering skills. You will work closely with colleagues across manufacturing, production, procurement and other operational areas, helping them understand financial performance and make better-informed business decisions. A strong understanding of cost accounting and fixed assets is required together with the ability to translate financial information into meaningful commercial insight.

Day to day responsibilities will include:

• Lead and manage the day-to-day finance activities
• Own and develop cost accounting, including product costing, manufacturing variances, labour and overhead analysis.
• Provide clear analysis of production costs, margins and operational performance.
• Manage and maintain the fixed asset register, including additions, disposals, depreciation and capital expenditure reporting.
• Support the budgeting, forecasting and month-end processes.
• Prepare accurate and insightful management accounts and financial reporting.
• Analyse variances against budget and forecast, identifying key drivers and areas for improvement.
• Partner closely with operational managers to improve cost control, productivity and financial performance.
• Support capital investment proposals and monitor expenditure against approved budgets.
• Identify opportunities to improve processes, controls and financial reporting.

Most importantly you will be someone who can get out from behind the desk and engage with the operation. You will be comfortable talking to production and operational colleagues, understanding what is driving performance and translating financial information into practical actions. You will be curious, commercially aware and confident enough to challenge constructively, while building trusted relationships across the business.