Head of Finance

Mercia Garden Products LTD; South Scarle CP; On-site; GBP 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

Mercia Garden Products LTD, Newark site, seeks a commercially minded finance leader to drive EBITDA growth and act as the principal adviser to the MD. You will guide decisions across pricing, product, manufacturing, procurement, inventory, investment and growth, challenging assumptions and turning insights into action.

You will lead finance across the Group, delivering robust cash forecasts, best-in-class manufacturing costing, and real-time reporting via ERP and BI platforms.

Qualifications

• Qualified accountant with substantial post-qualification experience in manufacturing or operationally complex environments.
• Strong manufacturing finance knowledge including standard costing, inventory, profitability and cost management.
• Experience with ERP and BI/reporting platforms to enable real-time insights.
• Proven track record of delivering measurable commercial impact through margin improvement, cash release or cost reduction.

Responsibilities

• Lead finance across the Group, reporting to the MD and partnering with leadership to drive EBITDA and value creation.
• Establish a robust rolling 13-week cash forecast and strengthen working capital discipline.
• Develop best-in-class manufacturing reporting, cost visibility and profitability analysis to guide decisions.
• Drive margin, pricing, mix, efficiency and capital allocation decisions using standard costing data.
• Deliver real-time financial and operational reporting via ERP/BI and identify AI opportunities to automate processes.
• Act as a true business partner, challenging assumptions and supporting commercial and operational decisions.
• Develop KPI framework linked to value creation with ownership across leadership.
• Own capex governance, post-investment reviews and robust business case discipline.
• Lead finance transformation through ERP/BI initiatives and improve data integrity and month-end close.
• Build and develop a high-performing finance team with strong commercial focus.

Skills

Manufacturing finance experience

ERP & BI reporting

Commercial judgement

Leadership & business partnering

Education

ACA/ACCA/CIMA qualified

Tools

ERP systems

BI/reporting platforms

Job description

The role

Our first phase of growth has gone well. The next phase is about quality of earnings: converting that growth into sustainable EBITDA, stronger cash generation and increased enterprise value.

We are looking for a commercially minded finance leader to help make that happen.

This is not a reporting-led finance role. Reporting directly to the MD, you will act as the principal financial and commercial adviser to the business, working closely with the leadership team to improve performance across pricing, product, manufacturing, procurement, inventory, investment and growth.

You will be expected to challenge decisions, identify opportunities and turn financial insight into action.

The role

You will lead finance across the Group, with responsibility for:

• Cash & working capital: Establish a robust rolling 13-week cash forecast and embed discipline across inventory, purchasing, receivables and supplier payments.
• Manufacturing finance: Develop a best-in-class manufacturing reporting environment, providing clear visibility of product costs, production performance, labour, material usage, efficiency, inventory and profitability to support operational decision-making.
• Margin & profitability: Build reliable product, channel and customer profitability using standard costing, and use this to drive pricing, mix, efficiency and cost-out decisions.
• Real-time reporting & AI: Bring real-time financial and operational reporting to life through ERP, BI and automation. Identify and implement practical AI opportunities to improve visibility, automate processes and support faster, better decision-making across the business.
• Business partnering: Act as a true business partner to the MD and leadership team, using financial insight to challenge assumptions, identify opportunities and support commercial and operational decisions.
• Value creation: Develop a KPI framework linked directly to our value creation plan, with clear ownership and accountability across the leadership team.
• Capital allocation: Bring greater discipline to capex, technology and growth investment through robust business cases and post-investment reviews.
• Control & governance: Own management accounts, statutory accounts, audit, VAT, payroll and tax compliance, while strengthening financial controls.
• Finance transformation: Lead finance through our ERP and BI programme, improving data integrity, automation, reporting and the month-end close.
• Leadership: Build and lead a high-performing finance team, developing capability, accountability and commercial focus as the business scales.

You will be expected to operate comfortably between strategic discussions with the MD and detailed operational finance on the factory floor.

You will be a qualified accountant (ACA, ACCA or CIMA) with substantial post-qualification experience, ideally gained within a manufacturing or other operationally complex environment.

You will bring:

• Strong manufacturing finance experience, including standard costing, inventory, product profitability and operational performance
• Proven experience working with ERP systems and BI/reporting platforms
• A track record of delivering measurable commercial impact through margin improvement, cash release, cost reduction or better capital allocation
• The ability to build and lead a high-performing finance function
• Strong commercial judgement and the confidence to challenge senior stakeholders
• Experience of using data, automation and technology to improve finance processes and decision-making
• Experience in PE-backed, investor-owned, entrepreneurial or transaction environments
• Strong technical accounting, controls and statutory reporting capability
• A hands-on approach and the ability to operate at both strategic and detailed levels

We are less interested in the number of years on your CV than in what you have actually changed and improved.

You will be someone who wants to understand how the business makes money, where it loses money and what we can do about it.

Waltons/Mercia has designed and built garden buildings in Britain since 1878. We are one of the UK's largest manufacturers in our sector, making sheds, summerhouses, log cabins and garden rooms. We have recently expanded into Climbing Frames, Wellness and Outdoor Living, all from our site in Newark.

We sell directly to consumers and through Trade Partners. Manufacturing, logistics and installation are all managed in-house, giving us a vertically integrated operating model and significant scope to improve performance as we scale.

Following our acquisition by new private ownership in 2025 and a change in leadership in 2026, Waltons Group is entering a significant period of transformation and growth. This year we will deliver >30% YoY growth, with a clear value creation plan already underway.