Financial & Operational Excellence Manager

Financial & Operational Excellence Manager
Company: Service Parts Logistics (SPL)

What we do: We're a 35-year-old family-run IT parts distribution business, with a pedigree in running warranties and SLA-driven services for OEMs ranging from Apple to HP to Toshiba; and most of the tier-1 IT distributors and resellers whose brands you may have heard of.

Our culture: We are entrepreneurial, nimble, always looking for ways to we can not just better than our competition but lead the industry globally. We love our people and try to do good for the world starting in our back yard. We are not looking for a typical Finance Manager.

If you're a spreadsheet hermit who loves rules for the sake of rules, this is not your role. We need someone with financial horsepower and a builder's mindset—a fixer who can get things working better, first in finance, then across the business.

Responsibilities:

1. Manage a team covering bookkeeping, VAT, intercompany accounts, bank reconciliations, payroll, debtors, and creditors.
2. Refine processes beyond finance, working alongside our leadership team.
3. Oversee finance operations but not get lost in the weeds—you have a senior bookkeeper and teams for that.
4. Improve how things work: streamline finance processes, implement better tools, and help roll out efficiency projects in finance first, then the broader business.
5. Be a steady leader—calm but energized, capable of winning over people who have 'always done it this way.'
6. Work closely with senior management and directors to turn good ideas into reality without unnecessary bureaucracy.
7. Challenge us (gently) when we're doing something dumb.

Who We Think Might Fit:

1. Finance leadership experience (Finance Manager, Financial Controller, or a strong second-in-command ready to step up).
2. Experience in practice and having moved to the client-side to get hands dirty in business may also work!
3. A knack for making processes smoother and people more effective.
4. Not scared of AI - we are embracing this technology and believe our senior team should be experimenting with it.
5. Experience leading teams, especially in environments where change meets resistance.
6. Experience in a mid-sized company that moves fast, thinks like a startup, and isn't overly corporate.
7. Not just finance experience, but an appetite to apply your skills beyond finance.
8. Industry background in logistics, distribution, IT parts, or something similar is a bonus—but not essential.

Who You Are (Personality & Work Style):

1. Gentle but with presence—you can win over skeptical teams with humor, pragmatism, and credibility.
2. Sharp but not arrogant.
3. Resilient and adaptable.
4. Process-driven but flexible.
5. Not overly sensitive.

What's in It for You?

1. A leadership role with autonomy—you'll have the freedom to improve things, not just maintain them.
2. An opportunity to grow beyond finance into business operations and strategy.
3. A team that appreciates straight shooters and problem solvers.
4. A competitive salary (let's talk).

Seniority level: Mid-Senior level
Employment type: Full-time
Job function: Management and Manufacturing
Industries: IT Services and IT Consulting