Alexander Daniels are exclusively recruiting for a successful manufacturing business in Wolverhampton. We are looking for a ACCA qualified Senior Financial Accountant/Finance Manager to come in and over see all financial accounting and reporting. The position provides critical financial support to senior operational leadership, ensuring high-quality financial information, robust controls, and effective decision support in a fast-paced, production-led setting.
This role does offer some flexibility after probation.
Key Responsibilities
Financial Accounting
- Prepare timely and accurate monthly management accounts, including profit and loss, balance sheet, cash flow, standard costing performance, and production variance analysis.
- Lead month-end close processes, ensuring accurate accounting for production costs, overhead absorption, work-in-progress, and inventory valuations.
- Ensure financial reporting aligns with wider organisational consolidation and reporting requirements.
- Oversee core manufacturing finance reconciliations, including inventory, cost of sales, and labour/overhead postings.
Costing, Inventory & Operational Finance
- Maintain and update standard costs and overhead rates in line with operational changes.
- Analyse manufacturing variances such as material usage, labour efficiency, scrap, yield, and equipment utilisation.
- Oversee inventory integrity, including stock takes, cycle counts, and valuation in accordance with UK GAAP.
- Support operational teams with cost analysis, process efficiency reviews, and margin improvement initiatives.
Financial Control & Compliance
- Ensure all accounting complies with UK GAAP / FRS 102 and internal financial policies.
- Maintain strong internal controls, particularly around inventory, production processes, and fixed assets.
- Act as the primary contact for external auditors and support statutory reporting processes.
- Prepare indirect tax returns and information packs for statutory and tax reporting purposes.
Business Partnering
- Work closely with senior operational leaders and cross-functional teams to support effective decision-making.
- Provide clear financial insight into operational performance, working capital, and key cost drivers.
- Challenge and support stakeholders on cost control, investment appraisals, and efficiency initiatives.
Finance Integration & Change
- Lead finance integration and standardisation activities, ensuring alignment of manufacturing data, inventory processes, costings, and financial controls with organisational standards.
- Support system changes, chart of accounts alignment, and reporting framework implementation.
- Develop and maintain a consistent monthly management reporting pack for site-level and central stakeholders.
Budgeting, Forecasting & Planning
- Lead annual budgeting processes, including production volumes, labour planning, overheads, and capital expenditure.
- Deliver rolling forecasts and scenario analysis driven by operational assumptions.
- Support capital investment proposals and return-on-investment analysis.
Cash & Working Capital
- Oversee cash flow forecasting with a focus on inventory levels, purchasing patterns, supplier terms, and production efficiency.
- Support the management of working capital facilities where applicable.
- Identify and deliver opportunities to improve working capital performance.
Team Leadership (where applicable)
- Provide oversight to transactional finance activities (e.g. payables, receivables, payroll).
- Promote a culture of accuracy, continuous improvement, and strong partnership with operations.
Candidate Profile
- Qualified accountant (ACA / ACCA / CIMA)
- Experience within a manufacturing or industrial environment, ideally with exposure to standard costing and production reporting.
- Proven experience in a senior on-site or standalone finance role.
- Strong understanding of inventory accounting, cost of sales, and manufacturing cost flows.
- Confident in analysing production data and explaining operational variances to non-finance stakeholders.
