Head of Finance

PR O-Pak Foods Ltd; Malton; On-site; GBP 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

Pro-Pak Foods in Malton is seeking a Head of Finance to lead the Finance and Business Administration teams, delivering accurate reporting, robust controls and strategic financial insight.

You will own budgeting, forecasting and cost analysis, driving improvements and ensuring the function supports commercial decisions. A strong background in food manufacturing and relevant qualifications are essential.

Qualifications

• Experience leading a Finance function in food manufacturing or FMCG.
• AAT, CIMA, ACCA or equivalent qualification.
• Ability to explain the numbers and provide actionable insights.

Responsibilities

• Lead the Finance and Business Administration teams with strong financial leadership across the site.
• Ensure accurate, timely and meaningful financial information with robust controls.
• Oversee budgeting, forecasting, cost centre analysis and variance investigations.
• Drive cost reduction opportunities and commercial improvements across the site.
• Develop systems, reporting and processes to make Finance structured and proactive.
• Collaborate with leadership and external auditors to support financial integrity.

Skills

Financial leadership

FMCG/Food manufacturing

AAT/CIMA/ACCA

Advanced Excel

Data analysis

Commercial awareness

Budgeting & forecasting

Stakeholder engagement

Team leadership

Communication skills

Education

AAT/CIMA/ACCA

Tools

Excel

Job description

Head of Finance

Malton

Monday to Friday

Competitive Salary

Are you a Finance leader who knows what “good” looks like — and has the experience and personality to make it happen?

We’re looking for a Head of Finance to join Pro-Pak Foods in Malton and play a key role in shaping the next stage of our Finance function.

This isn’t a role for someone who simply wants to produce the numbers and move on.

We’re looking for someone who wants to understand what sits behind the numbers, ask the difficult questions, find the answers and use financial information to genuinely improve the business.

Ideally, you’ll come from a food manufacturing environment and have already experienced what a strong, well-run Finance function looks like. Perhaps you’ve done it before — and now you’re looking for the opportunity to do it again, with the autonomy to make a real difference.

What will you be doing?

As Head of Finance, you’ll take ownership of the day-to-day running and development of our Finance & Business Administration teams, providing strong financial leadership across the site.

You’ll be responsible for ensuring the business has accurate, timely and meaningful financial information, whilst maintaining robust financial controls and supporting the delivery of our commercial and operational strategy.

Your responsibilities will include:

• Leading, developing and empowering the Finance team, creating a more dynamic and forward-thinking function.

• Providing clear financial leadership and ensuring colleagues are engaged, developed and performing at their best.

• Producing weekly and monthly financial reporting, including P&L, Balance Sheet and Cash Flow information.

• Owning the annual budgeting process and quarterly reforecasts.

• Providing regular and ad hoc cost centre analysis, including investigation of variances against budget and standards.

• Making sure Finance doesn't simply report variances — we understand why they happened and what needs to happen next.

• Maintaining strong financial processes, controls and reconciliations, ensuring audit and legislative requirements are met.

• Overseeing balance sheet reconciliations, accruals, prepayments, fixed assets and other core accounting processes.

• Supporting CAPEX and ICO processes.

• Driving cost reduction opportunities and commercial improvements across the site.

• Monitoring departmental KPIs and challenging performance where improvement is required.

• Developing systems, processes and reporting to make Finance more structured, efficient and useful to the wider business.

• Working closely with the leadership team, internal departments, Group/Premium Foods Group and external auditors.

• Providing financial insight that helps turn data into meaningful actions and better decisions.

• Supporting national statistics and monthly survey requirements.

• Championing best practice across Finance and the wider business.

More importantly, what are we looking for?

• We’re looking for someone who knows Finance inside out — but also knows how a business works.

• Demonstrable experience leading a Finance function or team, preferably within food manufacturing or a similar FMCG environment.

• AAT, CIMA, ACCA or equivalent qualification.

• Experience of working in a business where Finance is expected to explain the numbers, not just produce them.

• A strong understanding of what a good Finance function looks like — and ideally evidence that you've built or operated one before.

• The confidence to challenge when required. If information isn't available, you'll ask for it. If something doesn't make sense, you'll investigate it. If an explanation isn't good enough, you'll keep asking questions.

• The ability to turn existing processes and information into more structured systems, reports and ways of working.

• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills — including the ability to work things out when the answer isn't immediately available.

• Advanced Excel and data-analysis skills.

• Excellent organisation and attention to detail.

• Strong commercial awareness, with experience identifying and delivering cost-saving opportunities.

• The ability to work autonomously, make sound decisions and bring issues through to a conclusion.

• Experience developing and motivating teams and getting the best out of people.

• Strong communication skills and the confidence to work with stakeholders at all levels.

And the bit that doesn't appear on a Finance qualification…

• We want someone who's good to work with. You'll be someone we can rely on.

• Someone who can be trusted to get stuck into a problem rather than wait for someone else to solve it.

• Someone who can have a robust conversation when necessary, but who also knows how to build relationships and bring people with them.

• Someone who's structured, forward-thinking and commercially minded, but doesn't take themselves too seriously.

• A good sense of humour would be very welcome.

• You’ll have significant autonomy in the role, but you’ll also be a key member of the wider senior leadership team — so being personable, approachable and collaborative really matters.

• What does success look like?

• Over time, we want Finance to become more structured, more proactive and more commercially valuable to the business.

• We want better reporting, better systems, better answers and better insight.

• We want a team that is developed, engaged and capable of challenging the business.

• And we want a Finance leader who doesn't just tell us what happened, but helps us understand why it happened and what we should do about it.

If that sounds like the kind of Finance role you're looking for, we'd love to hear from you.