Site Accountant

Peterborough Up to £75,000 per annum 9 Month Fixed-Term Contract 4 days onsite / 1 day working from home We are working with an established FMCG business in Peterborough to recruit an Interim Site Accountant for an initial 9-month fixed-term contract. This is a hands-on, operationally focused finance role sitting close to the manufacturing operation. You’ll take ownership of core management accounting activities while partnering closely with operational stakeholders to understand site performance, challenge costs and identify opportunities to improve profitability.

Given the nature of the position, previous experience within an FMCG or manufacturing environment is essential .

The Role Key responsibilities will include:
Preparing monthly management accounts and taking a leading role in the site month-end process. Producing journals, accruals, prepayments and balance sheet reconciliations. Analysing performance against budget, forecast and prior year, investigating key variances and providing meaningful commentary. Monitoring production volumes alongside labour, material and overhead costs to identify performance trends. Producing regular profitability reporting across products, customers and operational areas.

Maintaining costing models and supporting product and customer profitability analysis. Supporting inventory accounting, stock valuation and stock counts. Working closely with operational teams to understand cost drivers and improve manufacturing performance. Supporting the budgeting and forecasting cycle, identifying potential risks and opportunities. Providing financial analysis around pricing, product mix, efficiencies and cost-saving initiatives. Supporting Cap Ex proposals, including ROI, payback and NPV analysis, and tracking spend against approved budgets.

Developing and improving financial reporting, controls and processes across the site. Translating financial information into clear commercial insight for non-finance stakeholders.

The Person We’re looking for an experienced management accountant who is comfortable operating in a fast-paced manufacturing environment and engaging directly with operational teams. You will ideally have:
Previous FMCG/manufacturing finance experience – essential. Strong management accounting experience, including month-end, budgeting, forecasting and variance analysis. Good knowledge of manufacturing costs, inventory and operational performance. Strong Excel and financial systems skills. The ability to communicate financial information clearly to operational and senior stakeholders. A proactive, commercially minded approach with the confidence to challenge and influence. ACA, ACCA or CIMA qualification This would suit someone who enjoys being visible within the operation rather than purely desk-based , with the opportunity to get underneath site performance and make a tangible impact over the nine-month assignment.