Head Of Finance
Posted 1 day ago by Genesis Employment Services Ltd
£60,000 Per year
Outside
Hybrid
Atherstone, Warwickshire
Summary: The Interim Head of Finance will lead the finance function within an engineering and manufacturing business, focusing on financial governance, operational efficiency, and system improvements. This role requires a hands-on leader with expertise in manufacturing finance to ensure accurate reporting and strategic insight during a period of change. The position is critical for stabilizing the finance function and supporting growth initiatives. The ideal candidate will possess strong financial control skills and the ability to mentor the existing finance team.
Key Responsibilities:
- Lead the finance function, ensuring strong financial governance and control
- Oversee day-to-day finance operations including AP, AR, payroll, and cashflow
- Ensure timely production of accurate monthly management accounts
- Maintain robust balance sheet control, including stock, WIP, and accruals
- Full ownership of product costing, standard costing, and variance analysis
- Manage and report on WIP, stock valuation, and inventory controls
- Partner with operations and production teams to improve efficiency and margins
- Analyse labour, material, overhead absorption, and yield
- Support pricing, quoting, and margin analysis for engineered products
- Ensure statutory and regulatory compliance (VAT, PAYE, corporation tax)
- Prepare information for year-end accounts and audits
- Liaise with auditors, banks, funders, and external advisors
- Improve reporting visibility across manufacturing KPIs
- Support budgeting, forecasting, and rolling forecasts
- Deliver cashflow forecasting and working capital optimisation
- Provide commercial insight to support capital investment decisions (CapEx)
- Support funding, refinancing, or investor reporting where required
- Stabilise the finance function during periods of change or growth
- Lead or support ERP / finance system improvements or implementations
- Strengthen finance processes and controls within a manufacturing setting
- Mentor and develop the existing finance team
- Ensure a smooth handover to a permanent Head of Finance or FD
Key Skills:
- Proven experience as an Interim Head of Finance / Financial Controller / Finance Director within engineering or manufacturing
- Fully qualified accountant (ACA, ACCA, CIMA or equivalent)
- Strong experience in manufacturing finance, including stock, WIP, and costing
- Advanced Excel skills and strong financial modelling capability
- Experience partnering closely with operations and production teams
- Hands-on, pragmatic approach with strong attention to detail
- Previous interim or turnaround experience
- Experience in SME, PE-backed, or owner-managed manufacturing businesses
- Exposure to ERP systems (e.g. SAP, Oracle, Dynamics, Sage, NetSuite, EFACS, Epicor)
- Experience supporting CapEx projects, automation, or process improvement
- Exposure to lean manufacturing or continuous improvement environments
- Commercially focused with an operational mindset
- Comfortable on the shop floor as well as in the boardroom
- Calm, credible, and decisive under pressure
- Able to deliver impact quickly in a fast-paced environment
Salary (Rate): £60,000/year
City: Atherstone
Country: UK
Working Arrangements: hybrid
IR35 Status: outside IR35
Seniority Level: Senior
Industry: Finance
Interim Head of Finance – Engineering & Manufacturing
Location: On-site / Hybrid (UK-based manufacturing environment)
Contract Type: Interim / Fixed-Term Contract (3–12 months)
Day Rate / Salary: Competitive – dependent on experience and scope
Overview
We are seeking an experienced Interim Head of Finance to provide immediate leadership within an engineering/manufacturing business. The role will support the organisation through a period of operational focus, growth, system improvement, or change, ensuring strong financial control, accurate reporting, and commercially focused insight across production, supply chain, and operations.
This role requires a hands-on finance leader with a deep understanding of manufacturing cost structures, margins, and operational drivers.
Key Responsibilities
- Financial Leadership & Control
- • Lead the finance function, ensuring strong financial governance and control
- • Oversee day-to-day finance operations including AP, AR, payroll, and cashflow
- • Ensure timely production of accurate monthly management accounts
- • Maintain robust balance sheet control, including stock, WIP, and accruals
- Manufacturing & Operational Finance
- • Full ownership of product costing, standard costing, and variance analysis
- • Manage and report on WIP, stock valuation, and inventory controls
- • Partner with operations and production teams to improve efficiency and margins
- • Analyse labour, material, overhead absorption, and yield
- • Support pricing, quoting, and margin analysis for engineered products
- Reporting, Compliance & Governance
- • Ensure statutory and regulatory compliance (VAT, PAYE, corporation tax)
- • Prepare information for year-end accounts and audits
- • Liaise with auditors, banks, funders, and external advisors
- • Improve reporting visibility across manufacturing KPIs
- Commercial & Strategic Support
- • Support budgeting, forecasting, and rolling forecasts
- • Deliver cashflow forecasting and working capital optimisation
- • Provide commercial insight to support capital investment decisions (CapEx)
- • Support funding, refinancing, or investor reporting where required
- Change & Transition
- • Stabilise the finance function during periods of change or growth
- • Lead or support ERP / finance system improvements or implementations
- • Strengthen finance processes and controls within a manufacturing setting
- • Mentor and develop the existing finance team
- • Ensure a smooth handover to a permanent Head of Finance or FD
Key Requirements
Essential
• Proven experience as an Interim Head of Finance / Financial Controller / Finance Director within engineering or manufacturing
• Fully qualified accountant (ACA, ACCA, CIMA or equivalent)
• Strong experience in manufacturing finance, including stock, WIP, and costing
• Advanced Excel skills and strong financial modelling capability
• Experience partnering closely with operations and production teams
• Hands-on, pragmatic approach with strong attention to detail
Desirable
• Previous interim or turnaround experience
• Experience in SME, PE-backed, or owner-managed manufacturing businesses
• Exposure to ERP systems (e.g. SAP, Oracle, Dynamics, Sage, NetSuite, EFACS, Epicor)
• Experience supporting CapEx projects, automation, or process improvement
• Exposure to lean manufacturing or continuous improvement environments
Personal Attributes
• Commercially focused with an operational mindset
• Comfortable on the shop floor as well as in the boardroom
• Calm, credible, and decisive under pressure
• Able to deliver impact quickly in a fast-paced environment
Start Date
Immediate or short notice preferred