Head of Finance

We're delighted to be working in partnership with the team at Stoats as they look to appoint an experienced Head of Finance to the business. The company: Stoats are a leading Scottish food manufacturer who’ve become an instantly recognisable brand with an ever-growing presence in all major food retailers, both large and small. Remaining a proudly independent firm for nearly 20 years now, Stoats was first founded by school friends Tony Stone and Bob Arnott with the mission to take “Porridge to the People”. They’ve come a long way since their early days of selling porridge at festivals, now offering a wide range of porridge-based products including Oat Bars, Porridge Pots and Protein Cookies to name but a few. The business has grown organically over the last 20yrs and are now proud owners of a state-of-the-art 22,000 square foot bakery on the outskirts of the city. The business has never been in a stronger position and are already forecasting double digit growth over the next couple of years and it’s clearly an exciting time to be joining the business. The role: As Head of Finance, you will hold full responsibility for all financial matters across the business and will report direct to Tony (Managing Director). This is very much a hands-on role both in terms of the day to day financial running of the business but also in terms of the operational scope of the role and as such, the post requires a commercially minded individual who’ll bring a fresh pair of eyes to business, with the ability to add real value across all functions, while driving the financial performance of the business. Core areas of responsibility:

• Prepare monthly management packs, including variance analysis and budget reviews
• Prepare weekly cashflow reports to track the financial position of the business
• Produce the annual budget and update financial models
• Prepare invoice finance reports for the bank
• Ongoing review of the balance sheet and P&L statements
• Carry out a wide range of business partnering duties
• Oversee the purchase and sales ledger function
• Carry out and support on a wide range of transactional matters
• Direct management of 1 member of staff, providing ongoing support and development
• Compile the full payroll prior to submission to outsourced payroll provider
• Carry out Company Secretarial duties
• Main point of contact for the Bank, HMRC and External Accountants

In addition to the above key duties which are naturally geared towards the successful financial running of the business, the role will also include a wide range of operational duties and responsibilities as follows:

• Work closely with the Operations team in relation to purchase planning
• Monitor stock levels and reorder points to prevent shortages
• Regular communication with suppliers to resolve any issues or delays, while also exploring new supply sources
• Support demand planning by reviewing sales data and adjusting for seasonal trends
• Ensure all received orders are logged and accounted for by the Supply Chain team

Suitable applicants for the role will be:

• An experienced finance professional who’s accustomed to operating at a Financial Controller level
• Those who are Qualified or Qualified by Experience will all be considered
• Previous food manufacturing experience would be great but as a minimum, previous manufacturing experience is a must
• A commercially astute individual who can think out with the box
• Proven ability to manage and motivate a small team effectively
• Ability to engage with a wide range of stakeholders both internally and externally
• Hold excellent communication and presentation skills

This is an excellent opportunity for someone coming from a strong financial management and control background, who’ll enjoy working in a growing entrepreneurial business, where you’ll play a key role in both financial and operational decision making across the business. The salary range for the role is £55,000 - £65,000. If this sounds like the type of role that you’ve been looking for, we’d love to hear from you!! All applications should be sent to Ross Gunn at Gunn Financial Appointments. Email: ross@gunnfinancialappointments.co.uk