Commercial Finance Manager

Commercial Finance Manager

Location: Northampton (Hybrid working)

About the Opportunity

I am partnering with a large, established organisation to recruit a qualified Commercial Finance Manager into a highly visible role within its finance team.

This is not a traditional Finance Manager position centred around managing a transactional finance team. It is a highly visible business partnering role, combining stakeholder management, financial planning and commercial analysis with the management accounting and control foundations needed to ensure decisions are based on accurate, well-understood financial information.

You will take ownership of the financial performance of defined business areas, working closely with senior leaders to understand what is driving results, challenge assumptions and turn financial information into meaningful commercial action.

Key Responsibilities

Reporting into senior finance leadership, you will:

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• Build trusted relationships with senior stakeholders and provide the financial insight needed to influence business decisions
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• Own the budgeting, forecasting and longer-term planning process for your areas
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• Monitor commercial P&L performance, cash and expenditure against budget
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• Deliver clear variance, trend and exception analysis, identifying risks and opportunities early
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• Support commercial decision-making through pricing analysis, cost and revenue modelling and evaluation of significant opportunities
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• Lead month-end activities for your areas, ensuring accuracy, control and clean audit outcomes
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• Take ownership of the relevant balance sheet reconciliations, understanding the underlying position rather than simply reviewing the numbers
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• Contribute analysis and commentary to monthly reporting and Board packs
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• Present financial performance clearly to senior leaders, providing recommendations and challenging where appropriate
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• Support transformation and continuous improvement across finance and the wider business
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• Coach and support Finance Analysts, without carrying formal line-management responsibility
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About you

You will be an ACA, ACCA or CIMA qualified accountant with experience gained in a commercial finance, finance business partnering or broad Finance Manager position.

More importantly, you will be someone who can balance commercial thinking with strong financial discipline. You will understand the importance of controls and balance sheet integrity, but you will also be comfortable stepping beyond the numbers to influence decisions and improve business performance.

You are likely to bring:

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• Strong budgeting, forecasting and management-reporting experience
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• Experience supporting senior operational or commercial stakeholders
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• A sound understanding of month-end, balance sheets and financial controls
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• The ability to interpret data and communicate the story behind the numbers
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• Experience of financial modelling, scenario planning or commercial analysis
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• Confidence operating within a large or complex organisation
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• Strong communication skills and a constructive approach to challenge
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• The adaptability to work effectively through change
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The opportunity

This is an opportunity to gain broad commercial exposure without moving away from the accounting and control experience required for future progression.

You will have access to senior decision-makers, ownership of meaningful areas of business performance and the opportunity to contribute to change across a complex organisation.

It would suit a qualified accountant who wants their next role to be defined by influence, commercial ownership and visibility.