Finance Senior Manager

Panasonic Europe; Cardiff; On-site; GBP 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Pension contributions up to 10%

Private medical insurance

Car and fuel allowance

Early finish on Friday

On-site parking

Annual leave 24 days (+ bank holidays)

Death in service benefit 4x salary

Staff Sales site for Panasonic

Training and development opportunities

Refer a Friend recruitment

Job summary

Panasonic Europe in the United Kingdom seeks a Senior Manager to lead the PMUK Finance function, providing senior-level financial leadership and governance. The role supports the Finance Director in strategic decision making and ensures robust controls and high-quality reporting to deliver PMUK strategies.

The successful candidate will mentor Finance Leaders, drive budgeting, forecasting, and long-term planning, and act as a key finance business partner to Directors.

Qualifications

• CIMA qualified or equivalent.
• Educated to degree level or equivalent.
• Post-qualification experience in a senior leadership capacity, ideally within a manufacturing environment.
• Strong reporting and governance background.
• Working knowledge of SOX.
• Audit preparation and management.
• Strong analytical skills with the ability to present complex financial information clearly.
• Experience in driving process improvements and change.
• Demonstrable commercial awareness and/or business facing finance experience.
• Strong and proven leadership and management skills.
• Ability to deliver to strict deadlines.
• Excellent MS Office Excel skills (Pivot, Macros, VLOOKUP, etc.).
• Ability to effectively manage stakeholders.
• Where it may be required for a visa application – Advanced English, e.g., English Level B2 or equivalent.

Responsibilities

• Acting as a senior member of the Finance leadership team, reporting to the Finance Director and Board of Directors where required.
• Contributing to the development and delivery of PMUK’s financial strategy.
• Providing financial insight and challenge to senior stakeholders, supporting informed commercial and strategic decisions.
• Leading, mentoring, and developing Finance Team Leaders and senior finance members, ensuring appropriate resourcing, skills, and capability within the Finance function.
• Fostering a high-performance culture, ensuring clear objectives, accountability, and professional development.
• Overseeing the preparation and delivery of accurate and timely management accounts and financial reports.
• Ensuring robust financial controls and compliance with accounting standards (UK GAAP/IFRS as applicable) and regulatory requirements.
• Leading budgeting, forecasting, and long-term financial planning processes.
• Managing financial risk, including cash flow, working capital, and cost control.
• Reviewing and improving financial policies, procedures, systems, and internal controls.
• Acting as a senior finance business partner to Directors and Heads of Department, providing a high-quality financial management reporting service with a focus on identifying trends, risks, and opportunities.
• Providing high-quality financial analysis, commentary, and recommendations.
• Supporting major investment appraisals, business cases, and change initiatives. Leading the development and assessment of Company-wide cost improvement and cost down strategies, working with managers to carry out financial and activity modelling.
• Building strong working relationships across the organisation to promote Finance as a trusted and capable strategic partner.
• Approval of budgets, forecasts, and financial submissions prior to Director sign off.
• Leading the overall annual business planning and budget setting process for departments and supporting the Finance team in delivering required tasks for their designated areas.
• Leading financial discussions at senior management and executive level meetings.
• Ensuring compliance is duly met in line with statutory and regulatory requirements.
• Ensuring the accurate and timely completion of month end closing, monthly P&L, BS, and cash flow forecasts.
• Reviewing closing results and forecasts, ensuring accuracy.
• Chairing and presenting at monthly Finance meetings.
• Foreign exchange booking and management.
• Approving all expenses, requisitions, assets, disposals (scrap/stock error), new supplier set up forms, and new customer set up forms.
• Ensuring effective management of external audit processes.
• Annual SOX reporting.
• Consideration of pension accounting, including movements on deferred tax.
• Continuous consideration for cost reduction and performance improvement.
• Tax planning and strategic consideration of duty arrangements.
• Any other duties as may be required by the Finance Director.

Skills

Financial leadership

Strategic planning

Financial reporting

Governance

SOX knowledge

Stakeholder management

Excel advanced

Communication skills

Change management

Negotiation

Education

CIMA qualification

Bachelor's degree or equivalent

Tools

SAP

Oracle

Job description

PMUK is looking for a Senior Manager to lead the PMUK Finance function and provide senior-level financial leadership and expert oversight across PMUK. The successful candidate will support the Finance Director in strategic decision making and financial governance, and ensure robust financial controls and high-quality reporting to deliver PMUK strategies.

What you will be doing

• Acting as a senior member of the Finance leadership team, reporting to the Finance Director and Board of Directors where required.
• Contributing to the development and delivery of PMUK’s financial strategy.
• Providing financial insight and challenge to senior stakeholders, supporting informed commercial and strategic decisions.
• Leading, mentoring, and developing Finance Team Leaders and senior finance members, ensuring appropriate resourcing, skills, and capability within the Finance function.
• Fostering a high-performance culture, ensuring clear objectives, accountability, and professional development.
• Overseeing the preparation and delivery of accurate and timely management accounts and financial reports.
• Ensuring robust financial controls and compliance with accounting standards (UK GAAP/IFRS as applicable) and regulatory requirements.
• Leading budgeting, forecasting, and long-term financial planning processes.
• Managing financial risk, including cash flow, working capital, and cost control.
• Reviewing and improving financial policies, procedures, systems, and internal controls.
• Acting as a senior finance business partner to Directors and Heads of Department, providing a high-quality financial management reporting service with a focus on identifying trends, risks, and opportunities.
• Providing high-quality financial analysis, commentary, and recommendations.
• Supporting major investment appraisals, business cases, and change initiatives. Leading the development and assessment of Company-wide cost improvement and cost down strategies, working with managers to carry out financial and activity modelling.
• Building strong working relationships across the organisation to promote Finance as a trusted and capable strategic partner.
• Approval of budgets, forecasts, and financial submissions prior to Director sign off.
• Leading the overall annual business planning and budget setting process for departments and supporting the Finance team in delivering required tasks for their designated areas.
• Leading financial discussions at senior management and executive level meetings.
• Ensuring compliance is duly met in line with statutory and regulatory requirements.
• Ensuring the accurate and timely completion of month end closing, monthly P&L, BS, and cash flow forecasts.
• Reviewing closing results and forecasts, ensuring accuracy.
• Chairing and presenting at monthly Finance meetings.
• Foreign exchange booking and management.
• Approving all expenses, requisitions, assets, disposals (scrap/stock error), new supplier set up forms, and new customer set up forms.
• Ensuring effective management of external audit processes.
• Annual SOX reporting.
• Consideration of pension accounting, including movements on deferred tax.
• Continuous consideration for cost reduction and performance improvement.
• Tax planning and strategic consideration of duty arrangements.
• Any other duties as may be required by the Finance Director.

What we’re looking for

Essential requirements

• CIMA qualified or equivalent.
• Educated to degree level or equivalent.
• Sufficient post qualification experience in a senior leadership capacity, ideally within a manufacturing environment.
• Strong reporting and governance background.
• Working knowledge of SOX.
• Audit preparation and management.
• Strong analytical skills with the ability to present complex financial information clearly.
• Experience in driving process improvements and change.
• Demonstrable commercial awareness and/or business facing finance experience.
• Strong and proven leadership and management skills.
• Ability to deliver to strict deadlines.
• Exceptional communication and interpersonal skills.
• Strong report writing skills.
• Ability to effectively manage stakeholders.
• Excellent MS Office Excel skills (Pivot, Macros, VLOOKUP, etc.).
• Ability to work under pressure and plan/prioritise workload.
• Takes ownership and is flexible, engaged, and committed.
• Proactive and innovative approach to problem solving.
• Ability to demonstrate financial integrity and judgement.
• Strong negotiation, persuasion, and influencing skills.
• Where it may be required for a visa application – Advanced English, e.g., English Level B2 or equivalent. Please note that individual circumstances differ and this will be assessed on a case‑by‑case basis.

Desirable requirements

• Experience of SAP or Oracle systems.
• Evidence of Continuing Professional Development (CPD) in line with the relevant institute requirements.

What we offer you

Working hours: 07:45 – 16:30 Monday – Thursday, 07:45 – 13:30 Friday.

• Company pension contributions of up to 10%.
• Private Medical Insurance.
• Monthly car allowance and fuel allowance.
• Early finish on a Friday.
• Free parking on site.
• Annual leave entitlement of 24 days (+ bank holidays), increasing up to 30 (+ bank holidays) with service.
• Death in service benefit of 4x annual salary.
• Enhanced pay for maternity, paternity, bereavement, adoption, surrogacy, and sickness.
• Employee Assistance Programme.
• Long Service Awards.
• On-site canteen.
• Exclusive 'Staff Sales' site for Panasonic products.
• Training and development opportunities.
• 'Refer a Friend' recruitment scheme.

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

Panasonic is a proud equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, or any other characteristics.