Senior Finance Manager, Stores and Restaurants

A bit about the role

Key Purpose:

The purpose of this role is to form the nucleus of the Finance Team that supports both the physical Stores and Restaurants business teams. This naturally curious individual will deliver an end to end financial service spanning planning, management accounts and commercial analysis. Their objective is to provide clear financial information to their business partners, supplemented with the relevant commercial insight that drives appropriate actions within the business. This should be done with reference to the wider remit of their team and the direction of their Head of Finance.

Role Scope:

The London Finance structure contains three distinct business partnering teams and a dedicated Financial Planning and Analysis team. Each business partnering team is headed up by a Head of Finance who will develop a "one stop shop" for the financial needs of each of the key Executive stakeholders. 

This particular role will sit within the Buying and Merchandising, Stores and Restaurants Finance Team, reporting into the Head of Finance. The role will partner the key stakeholders across both the physical Stores and Restaurants teams and will require an articulate and confident individual who is able to facilitate business decisions, providing insight and recommendations. The role requires a curious individual who is willing to both support and challenge at all levels, including those at the Executive level. In order to provide the correct level of support to the business, this position will have at least 1 direct report who the individual is responsible for developing and supporting in all aspects of their roles.

This role is responsible for ensuring that clear, accurate, timely, reporting and analysis is delivered to their business partners to support robust planning, excellent cost control and profit driving commercial decision making and investments. The role is also responsible for leading and supporting their business partners through the budgeting and forecasting process.

In conjunction with ad-hoc decision making, the role is responsible for ensuring production of management accounts for both the four physical Stores and the Restaurants business. This will include a clear understanding of performance and the ability to provide insight on historic performance, highlighting risk and opportunities going forward. The role is also responsible for ensuring that all balance sheets are completed each period end.

Key Responsibilities

• Deliver the monthly management accounts to the key stakeholders of both the physical Stores and Restaurant teams  – with robust variance analysis to enable relevant questioning of potential risks and opportunities
• Build the annual budget/forecast & 5 year plan for their area of focus, under the broader direction of their Head of Finance
• Be familiar with the relevant KPIs of their business area, financial and non-financial and how these impact financial results
• Identify and develop appropriate and timely analysis to deliver further insight to their business partners, thus enabling them to manage their areas profitably
• Prepare business cases in the application for funds and complete post investment reviews, considering the wider implications on the business outside of their immediate area of expertise
• Complete commercial analysis of various cost / benefit scenarios considering and suggesting the opportunities for improved productivity
• Be able to manage and develop their team, including at least one direct report.
• Build effective working relationships with stakeholders across the business

General Responsibilities

• To represent the finance community in line with the Selfridges values and embed into the teams ways of working
• To be seen as a key leader and role model within the finance community
• Understand and support the delivery of the Selfridges Strategy and initiatives
• To contribute towards the creation and delivery of the Finance People Plan

A bit about you

Person Specification

Experience

• Held a number of finance roles across various areas of a business
• At least 4 years PQE
• Managed a team
• Sound business knowledge, preferably retail

Technical Skills

• Qualified - CIMA/ACCA/ICAEW or international equivalent

Personal Attributes/ Behavioural Skills

• Curious, analytical and numerate
• Strong customer orientation – passionate about setting and delivering exceptional standards of service
• Clear and confident questioning style, with the ability to influence customers
• Competently applies their technical qualification and ethics to the situations at hand, seeking out assistance where needed
• A change mindset, happy in an environment of continuous review and improvement
• Good verbal and written presentation skills, able to adapt their style to the audience
• Acts with authenticity, honesty and integrity
• Works effectively and collaboratively cross functionally
• Flexible in work style able to reprioritise effectively according to the changing demands of the business
• A credible manager who is able to develop and motivate a team.