Trade Investment Finance Controller - 9 month FTC

pladis (UK) Ltd; Greater London; On-site; GBP 75,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

pladis is seeking a Commercial Finance Controller to lead the UK & ROI Commercial Finance Control Team. You will manage pricing and trade investment controls, drive analytics, and support system projects to ensure accuracy and governance. The role collaborates with Sales and Finance to unlock value and sustain growth.

Ideal candidates possess CIMA/ACCA, 5–8 years of relevant experience in consumer goods, and advanced Excel/Power BI skills, with strong communication and leadership abilities.

Qualifications

• Qualified Accountant with CIMA/ACCA or equivalent.
• 5–8 years in analytical/commercial finance in consumer goods.
• Advanced Excel, Power BI and presentation skills.

Responsibilities

• Lead the Commercial Finance Control team to deliver key balance sheet metrics with accuracy in monthly/quarterly closes.
• Establish a robust control framework for trade spend and pricing changes.
• Influence Sales to manage accruals and commercial liabilities while ensuring alignment with contracts.
• Support the Project team in delivering a new Promotional management system.
• Oversee Customer Master Data and Pricing Confidentiality workstreams to BAU.
• Lead annual audits for the commercial finance area and ensure evidence is provided.

Skills

Advanced Excel

Power BI

PowerPoint

Analytical thinking

Cross-functional collaboration

Financial modeling

Education

CIMA/ACCA qualified

Tools

Microsoft Office

ERP familiarity

Job description

Want to help us bring happiness to the world? Want to join an ambitious and fast growing global biscuits and confectionery business investing heavily in iconic global brands, infrastructure and people? Then this is the place for you. As proud bakers and chocolatiers and custodians of iconic global brands, we don’t compromise on the quality of ingredients in our products or on the people we hire. We are looking for entrepreneurial spirits who share our passion for bringing happiness to our consumers and who embody our Winning Traits. To succeed at pladis you need to be purpose‑led, resilient and positive to succeed here because we expect pace and agility, we insist on collaboration and demand accountability. If that is your thing, then pladis offers global ambition, a clear Vision and roadmap for success, challenge, and unrivalled opportunities to learn and make an impact.

What will this role achieve?

The Commercial Finance Control Team sits at the heart of our Commercial Finance team. The UK & ROI has ambitious plans and Revenue Management is a key capability to drive long term sustainable growth. This role will support leading the business transformation agenda, by ensuring clarity and control surrounding Pricing & Trade Investment. As the Commercial Finance Controller, you will enable the Commercial Finance Control team to provide clarity and control through the organisation relating to Pricing and Trade investment, to unlock value for pladis as well as enabling RM analytics through systemised consistent, comparable pricing & trade investment architecture. The Commercial Finance Controller will lead a small team of analysts that own internal price lists and controlling price changes. The Commercial balance sheet will be owned by the Commercial Finance Control Team The Commercial Finance Controller will report into the Commercial Finance Director & work closely with both the Sales Teams and Commercial Finance team.

What will be your key deliverables?

• Lead the Commercial Finance Control team to deliver key business Balance Sheet metrics, ensuring 100% accuracy in monthly and quarterly reconciliation processes.
• Establish and maintain a robust control framework for trade spend, ensuring all customer investments are transparent, validated, and aligned with contractual obligations.
• Proactively influence the Sales teams to manage accruals and commercial liabilities, mitigating financial risks before they impact the P&L
• Provide support to the Project team in delivering the new Promotional management system.
• You will play a critical role in scoping and implementing new processes for the project.
• Customer Master Data project – Take ownership of the Customer Master data of project stream and run to completion and move to BAU
• Pricing Confidentiality project – Take ownership of the workstream and help lead the various arms of the project to completion, including defining and set up of the ongoing business management roles and responsibilities.
• Lead the annual Audit process for the commercial finance area. Ensure testing plans are agreed and aligned with the Auditors and all evidence requests are provided in full.
• Directly lead and mentor a team , fostering a culture of high performance, commercial curiosity, and technical excellence.
• Act as a bridge between the central Finance function and the frontline Commercial teams to ensure financial literacy and accountability across the business.

Bring your experience

• Degree holder Qualified Accountant (CIMA/ACCA…) Advanced MS Excel, PPT, PBI Fluent in English 5-8 years’ experience in an analytical and business-oriented role within Consumer Goods - probably within a commercial finance team.
• An appreciation of the commercial impacts of pricing & promotion.
• Experience of pulling together different internal & data sources, to form clear insights into financial understanding.
• Ability to develop your own analytical processes to investigate ways of working being flexible to accepting new approaches to drive efficiency and effectiveness.
• Ability to influence and work collaboratively across the organisation.
• Ability to work optimally in a sometimes ambiguous role to help define and drive the agenda forward.
• Strong financial and commercial competence built over a 5-year minimum career

Our Purpose

Bring happiness with every bite It’s a purpose that every one of our colleagues, all around the world believes in.

Our Values

• Purpose led – We’re energised and guided by our purpose to bring happiness with every bite
• Agile – We’re ever evolving, we never stand still, always improving for our customers and our consumers
• Positive – We’re highly motivated optimistic, fearless, and we inspire each other to be better
• Resilient - We’re persistent in the face of setbacks, quick to adapt, learn and move forward
• Collaborative – We gain strength from operating as one pladis, winning and succeeding together.

pladis is an equal opportunities employer, like every phenomenal recipe we’re a thoughtful mix.

A happy and inclusive place to work that’s as diverse as our consumers and the communities we support, live and work in, all around the world.

Where every voice is heard, and difference is celebrated.

Where fresh perspectives and new ideas help us grow and thrive.

We will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform key job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment.

Please contact us to request accommodation.

pladis is an Equal Opportunity Employer, committed to hiring a diverse workforce. All openings will be filled based on qualifications without regard to race, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, marital status, veteran status, disability, age, religion or any other classification protected by law.

We operate a strict Preferred Supplier List. If you are a recruitment agency and wish to submit candidate to be considered for this vacancy, you must have agreed to, and signed, our terms of business.

We will not accept CVs from any other sources other than those currently on our PSL. We will not pay a fee for any candidate that has not been represented by a provider on our PSL.

pladis is an ambitious global snacking company and home to much loved brands including McVitie’s, GODIVA and Ülker.

pladis also owns regional brands Jacob’s, Go Ahead, Flipz, Turtles, BN, Verkade and many more products across sweet and savoury biscuits, wafer, cake and chocolate.

Formed in 2016, pladis is the proud steward of over 300 years of family baking and confectionery experience.

The expertise of our 15,000+ global workforce spans 26 bakeries and factories and is united by our purpose: to ‘bring happiness with every bite’.

As a responsible business delivering the highest quality products and exceptional service, pladis’ products have the potential to reach more than four billion people across the world.

For more information, please visit : www.pladisglobal.com

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