Financial Controller - John Lobb

Job Title

Industrial Management & Internal Controller, John Lobb

Head of John Lobb Management & Internal Control, based in Paris

Management Controller assistant, based in Northampton

• Analyse sales performance and margins, and conduct a comprehensive review of costs (labour, raw materials, equipment, etc.), providing clear explanations, ensuring the accuracy of financial records, and delivering variance analyses against budget and prior‑year data.
• Supply the Head of Management Control with the information required to complete the consolidated financial close.
• Oversee stock valuation and the calculation of stock provisions.
• Budget, Re‑estimates, 3‑year plan:
  • Lead the budgeting process for the manufacturing operations of John Lobb in Northampton, in close coordination with the Paris global finance team, covering P&L (sales, costs and margins) and Capex.
  • Partner closely with the Industrial Director to build the budget, translating operational decisions – such as recruitment, supplier changes or product mix shifts – into meaningful financial assumptions.
• Calculate and maintain standard industrial costs at article level.
• Review and validate bill of material (BOM) accuracy.
• Carry out costing exercises to support pricing decisions for future collections.
• Reporting, KPI and dashboards:
  • Prepare and manage reporting packs covering production volumes, invoicing levels, productivity ratios and order intake, proactively suggesting enhancements where relevant.
• CAPEX:
  • Track spend against budget and elevate any overspend risk promptly.
  • Challenge the rationale behind investment requests.
  • Review and oversee the bidding process.

• Foster a culture of internal control across the entity.
• Monitor the creation and updating of internal procedures to ensure compliance with Group and legal requirements across procurement, security & CSR, stock management and HR.
• Conduct regular and ad hoc checks to verify adherence to existing procedures.
• Define and oversee the annual Internal Control plan for the manufacturing operations of John Lobb in Northampton.
• Organise and lead stock‑takes, providing recommendations to drive continuous improvement.

• Master's degree from a university or business school, with a finance or accounting background.
• Proven experience in industrial management accounting (a background in the shoe industry is an advantage, though by no means essential).
• Familiarity with M3 is an advantage.

• Strong analytical rigour, with the ability to deliver clear and reliable outputs to the central Finance team.
• A proactive mindset – real scope to improve existing analyses and processes, and the right candidate will relish that challenge.
• Highly organised, with the ability to manage shifting priorities without losing sight of tight deadlines.
• A natural collaborator, comfortable working across functions and translating operational realities into financial terms.
• Self‑motivated and able to bring others along – including operational teams who may not always prioritise data requests.
• Confident with IT systems and financial tools.
• Comfortable delegating, setting clear expectations, and providing constructive feedback to direct report.
• Comfortable being based full‑time in Northampton, with occasional travel (to Paris and other Group or supplier sites).