Job Description

Reporting to the Financial Controller, you will lead a team of 8 and will be responsible for a broad range of duties across Accounts Payable and Accounts Receivable, while helping to maintain a strong internal control environment. Your accountabilities will include leading the AP and AR team managers and their teams, delivering and improving the P2P and AR processes, maintaining KPI’s and providing support to the business.
There will be regular opportunities to be involved in project work, with significant exposure to the Procurement and Finance Directors and other Leaders and managers across the business. You will play a key part in the cash management processes for the business, working with Treasury and other areas of finance to ensure that cash receipts and payments are well forecasted and managed - a critical role of finance in a SME Private Equity backed FMCG business.
This is a great opportunity for an experienced Transactions manager to join a unique business, which has an established brand, private equity backing and an entrepreneurial mindset. The Finance team is an integral and trusted part of the Hovis business and we will be looking for a collaborative, positive and energetic individual to join our friendly and supportive team.
Key Accountabilities:

• Lead, coach and develop the Accounts Payable and Accounts Receivable teams, providing technical support to the rest of finance and the rest of the business.
• Manage the AP & AR period close process, ensuring timely and accurate completion of key transactional and reporting processes.
• Successfully creates, monitors and leads the team to deliver key financial/operational KPI’s and SLA’s .
• Champions the refinement of P2P processes, developing relationships and champions across the business through targeted training and support.
• Key role in Cash cycle through delivering Aged Debt targets and management of payments - assisted by maintaining strong relationships with the Commercial and Procurement teams.
• Champions the accurate processing of all payments, new vendor creation and supplier data management ensuring all controls, authorization levels and regulatory standards are upheld.
• Ensures the delivery of relevant External Audit and Lender information and other external reporting (prompt payment code).
• Lead the delivery of AP related Balance Sheet reconciliations to the accounting team.
• Assist in Treasury’s delivery of the rolling 13 week cash flow forecasts by: ensuring the payment forecast accuracy is maintained; leading on any required AP actions to assist the business in its active management of cash requirements.
• Works with project teams on design and implementation of new initiatives or change activity impacting P2P and AR process.
• Keep up to date with technical and processes developments in AP, AR and VAT to ensure you can support the business as a key subject matter expert.
• Assists in analyzing and interpreting key financial data to assist various departmental heads with key decision making.
• Maintain strong relationship Procurement, Commercial & Operational teams.

Required Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Experience in leading Accounts Payable and Accounts Receivable teams
• Management of P2P & AR related controls, operational activities, forecasting and related cash management
• Strong working knowledge of Excel
• Process improvements experience
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills - internal and external (customers / suppliers)
• Strong organizational skills and ability to priorities workload and deliver high quality work to tight deadlines
• Credibility to liaise with senior managers across the business
• Balance Sheet Reconciliation experience
• Creation and maintenance of dashboards/reports
• SAP experience