Financial Controller

About us:

Harte Woodworking is a family-owned business at the very forefront of the shop fittings industry. 2023 sees us celebrating our 50-year anniversary, and we look forward to continuing to develop our product range and capability against the backdrop of a demanding economic climate. We have an enviable customer base, many of which we have dealt with over a number of years. 2022 saw us launch our shelving business. This continues to go from strength to strength, both with existing customers and with an ever-growing list of new clients.

We place great emphasis on customer service with our mission statement ‘Creating the Customer Experience’.

To play a pivotal role as we enter a new period of growth, we are looking for a driven, ambitious Financial Controller. As an individual looking for a clear path towards Financial Director, you will be a rising star, with obvious potential and determination to forge a first-class career within an SME that punches well above its weight.

The role:

With responsibility for maintaining the financial controls in the Ossett head office, and our warehouse shelving operation in South Kirkby, you will also assist in any ad-hoc requests to support the management team. Playing a key role in preparing the monthly accounts to tight deadlines, other areas of real focus are preparation of financial and management reports, budgeting, and forecasting.

Harte is not a faceless corporate where you will feel insignificant or have a sense of being ‘a small cog’ – you will be working with the MD, Commercial Director, and the wider senior management team. A role with great variety, and the perfect environment within which to develop your skills and progress to FD within our business.

Job description:

Principal duties and responsibilities:

• Business Partner: Create active, productive partnerships with the Managing Director, Commercial Director and SLT, and wider cross functional business leads, providing ‘real time’ analysis and advice to add value and that will assist in decision making;
• Month end: Drive month-end close activities, ensure submissions are made on a timely basis;
• Budgets and forecasts: Deliver on the annual budget and quarterly forecasts process, ensuring relevant stakeholders are engaged and supported where necessary. Ensure that budget/forecast analysis is prepared and reported in an accurate and timely fashion, meeting all deadlines. Ensure weekly forecasts are submitted on time to make sure there are ‘no surprises’ at month-end;
• General Ledger: Preparation and posting of accurate and timely journal entries, including but not limited to, Sales, Cost of Sale, Inventory, and a variety of other manufacturing variances. At all times maintaining and controlling General Ledger integrity and system processing;
• Reconciliations: Performs monthly balance sheet account reconciliations, which may include various accruals and prepayments, obsolete and slow-moving inventory provisions, and any other requisite balance sheet reserves. Performs controls over accounts and helps meeting the companies SOX and audit requirements;
• Process improvements: Continually streamline department information flows by identifying and developing process improvements to ensure tight deadlines are met. Facilitate cross skilling within team to develop knowledge and provide absence cover;
• Reports: Provides timely, accurate, professional reports that may include daily input/output updates, daily sales and orderbook reporting, weekly shipping forecasts, inventory analysis plus annual tax type schedules required by both domestic and international locations;
• Analysis: Performs ad hoc analysis and works with operating personnel to identify cost and product cost issues and opportunities;
• SOX: Deliver on all SOX requirements on a timely basis;
• Internal/External Audit: Lead on the interim and hard close audit process for the business as well as the one-off year end requests.

Skills and experience required:

• CIMA/ACCA qualified;
• Excellent core accounting experience as a Financial Controller looking for their next big move; Great IT skills – advanced Excel and a natural interest in technology/software (experience working with SAP is an advantage);
• You need to have a good grounding of management accounting, financial reporting, and analytical skills – you have completed a degree (or AAT) and have at least 5 years practical accounting exposure;
• Ability to manage your time effectively, set demanding deadlines and deliver to those;
• Confidence when building relationships with colleagues in an SME (from warehouse operative to business owner level).

Behaviours:

• Ambitious self-starter, ability to work on their own initiative or as part of a team;
• Ability to “roll their sleeves up” to deliver;
• Energetic, enthusiastic, positive, and resilient with commitment to achieve overall business success;
• Able to lead from the front with their team but also across the business;
• Ability to work at pace, yet also calm, focussed and results driven.

Job Types: Full-time, Permanent

Salary: £ Excellent plus company benefits

Schedule:

• Monday to Friday – 37-hour week

Job Types: Full-time, Permanent

Benefits:

• Company pension
• On-site parking

Schedule:

• Monday to Friday

Ability to commute/relocate:

• Ossett: reliably commute or plan to relocate before starting work (preferred)

Experience:

• Accounting: 5 years (preferred)

Work Location: In person

Application deadline: 30/06/2023
Reference ID: FC01