Head of Finance

The Role:

The Head of Finance is at the center of the Group’s financial processes and procedures and will need to both maintain and improve them to enable the company to achieve its growth targets, while working within the team to develop their knowledge and skills.

Working flexibly at the company’s support office in Paris, with some travel to the UK Head Office required. This role reports to the French Managing Director and works closely with the CFO, the Financial Controller and Head of Commercial Finance in the London Head Office, as well as other department heads to ensure a suitable control environment and accurate information is provided.

Key Responsibilities:

• Full ownership of monthly management accounts and the month-end processes
• Ensuring timely and accurate production of monthly management accounts
• Maintaining strong balance sheet controls using a risk-based approach
• Maintaining and enhancing the Group’s financial controls
• Ownership of the forecasting and annual budgeting process for the French business while working closely with the UK Head of Commercial Finance
• Business partnering with the French MD, Operations, and Marketing teams, and providing analytical insight and commercial decision-making support across all areas of the French business
• Preparing weekly and monthly commentary on the French business performance to be reported to the UK Head Office
• Liaising with the Company’s external auditors to ensure the smooth running of the business’s audit
• Ensuring compliance with statutory reporting requirements, including preparation and filing of annual accounts for all Group entities
• Ensuring compliance with tax legislation and making all necessary filings, including VAT and Corporation tax returns
• Reviewing, signing off, and owning payroll (the payroll function itself is outsourced)
• Ensuring all legal filings are made on time
• Leading and developing a team of finance professionals

Key Skills, Competencies, and Experience:

• Strong leader, collaborator, and communicator
• Fluent in French and English
• Demonstrable experience of leading and developing a team
• Qualified accountant (such as ACA/ACCA/CIMA/DEC qualification) with significant post-qualified experience in French GAAP and IFRS
• Business partnering experience with the ability to build collaborative working relationships with internal business customers, and communicate and influence at all levels of seniority
• Hands-on approach with the ability to roll up sleeves and get into the detail
• Commercially minded and a problem-solver
• Proactive and inquisitive
• Ability to deliver to strict deadlines in a fast-paced environment
• Strong Excel skills