Financial Controller

Financial Controller - Industrial Operations

£70-80k plus bonus plus corporate benefits - negotiable and dependent on experience

Hemel Hempstead - hybrid working, 3 days in office

• An experienced industrial/plant controller with a strong financial and operational background in manufacturing environments.
• This role requires deep expertise in standard costing, variance analysis, and SAP S/4
  
  HANA, as well as the ability to partner closely with operations to drive cost transparency and performance improvement.
• The role requires a great deal of autonomy. The need to be detail-oriented, and an effective communicator at all levels of the organisation.

Key Accountabilities

Key Activities/Decision Areas

• Own and manage the full standard costing framework for the plant, ensuring methodology consistency and cost accuracy.
• Analyse manufacturing and COGS variances, provide clear root-cause explanations, and support corrective action planning.
• Lead financial planning processes for the site, including annual budget development and rolling forecasts.
• Perform budget control and actual vs. budget analysis, delivering meaningful insights to plant leadership.
• Prepare financial reports and ad-hoc performance analysis to support decision making.
• Act as a strategic partner to operations, supply chain, and corporate finance teams, enabling informed and timely decision-making.
• Continuously review and improve cost controlling processes, identifying efficiency and accuracy enhancements.

ROLE DIMENSIONS

Quality Systems Requirements

• Maintain an understanding of working practices and SOPs and relevant country codes and ensuring these standards are met across the organisation

Technical / Professional Expertise

• 5 years of experience in Industrial/plant controlling or manufacturing finance.
• ACCA /CIMA /ACA qualified
• Proficiency in SAP, or ideally S/4
  
  HANA, specifically in cost controlling modules.
• In-depth knowledge of standard costing, COGS, and production cost flow logic.
• Experience in the pharmaceutical or life sciences sector is considered a significant advantage.

Personal Specification

• Strong analytical mindset, excellent Excel skills, rigorous attention to detail
• Self-starter with the ability to work independently and drive initiatives forward.
• Excellent communication skills, capable of explaining financial topics to non-finance stakeholders.
• Naturally curious, eager to learn, and proactive in seeking improvements.

If you are an experienced Financial Controller with experience in plant controlling, or manufacturing finance then please apply now for immediate consideration.