Finance Business Partner

Are you a commercially minded finance partner who enjoys influencing decisions rather than simply reporting numbers?
The Opportunity
Athwal Resourcing is delighted to be supporting a national food service and distribution group to recruit an experienced Finance Manager to join its team as a true finance business partner supporting Operations. The business is part of a wider group turning over c.£300 million and growing fast through acquisition.
This is a genuinely pivotal moment to join. The business is growing rapidly through acquisition and investing heavily in systems, people and infrastructure to support its next phase of growth. This isn’t about maintaining an established finance business partnering function. It’s about helping to build one. You’ll have the opportunity to shape reporting, influence decision-making and create processes that will support the business for years to come.
Reporting to the Finance Director, you’ll work alongside the Operations Director as their trusted finance partner, providing insight, challenge and commercial support across the national operation.
You’ll spend time with the people behind the numbers, visiting sites, understanding operational challenges and building trusted relationships that help improve performance.
The customer base is broad and resilient, giving real stability alongside the pace of change.
This is an operational finance role with significant visibility and influence from day one.

The Role
As Finance Business Partner your key responsibilities include:
 
* Business Partnering:
Partner the Operations Director and senior operational team, providing insight, support and constructive challenge that drives performance across multiple distribution sites.
 
* Performance Reporting:
Own weekly and monthly operational reporting, KPIs, variance analysis and commentary. Take the numbers produced by the Management Accounts team down to site level for challenge and insight.
 
* Budgeting & Forecasting:
Contribute to rolling forecasts, quarterly reforecasts and the annual budget, working closely with operational teams using key operational metrics.
 
* Capital & Business Cases:
Build business cases within a capital approval process, covering fleet, site and equipment investment from the ground up.
 
* New Business & Margin:
Build a proper margin and standard cost model for new business quotes.
 
* Commercial Review:
Getting involved in commercial customer reviews.
 
* Change & Integration:
Support the integration of newly acquired and newly onboarded sites, helping build a repeatable approach as the business scales through acquisition.
About You
You’ll be a qualified accountant (ACA, ACCA or CIMA), or exceptionally qualified by experience with the right background. This should be gained in logistics, distribution or food service, ideally within a fast-paced FMCG or parcels-sector environment.
You’ll enjoy operating close to the operational front line and be confident challenging experienced, long-serving operators, earning trust through data and credibility rather than job title.
You’ll also bring:
 
* Experience gained in a closed-book operational environment;
 
* A track record of building business cases;
 
* Strong Excel and financial modelling skills (Power BI desirable), and a high level of accuracy and attention to detail;
 
* A high level of commercial awareness and genuine comfort with fast-paced change;
 
* Good problem-solving skills and a genuine desire to simplify, not just report on, how things are done;
 
* The ability to travel to the sites and work independently, wherever in the UK you’re based.
Why Apply?
It’s an opportunity to join a fast-growing, values-led business at a genuinely pivotal point in its growth, where your contribution will be…