Senior Finance Manager – Manufacturing & Operations

About The Role
We are seeking an experienced Senior Finance Manager – Manufacturing & Operations to join a large, international manufacturing organisation.
This is a senior finance leadership position supporting a complex, multi-site operational environment. Acting as a strategic business partner to operational leadership, you will help drive financial performance, provide high-quality insights and support key business decisions across manufacturing and supply chain operations.
The role combines strategic finance, operational controlling, financial planning and analysis, and business partnering, with responsibility for translating operational performance into clear financial insights and actionable recommendations.
You will also lead and develop an international finance team while working closely with senior stakeholders across the organisation.
Key ResponsibilitiesFinance Business Partnering
Act as a senior finance partner to Operations and Manufacturing leadership
Provide financial insight and challenge to support strategic and operational decision-making
Translate complex operational and financial data into clear recommendations for senior stakeholders
Identify financial risks, opportunities and performance improvement actions
Support leadership in balancing growth, profitability, investment and operational priorities
Financial Planning & Performance
Lead budgeting, forecasting and long-term financial planning activities for manufacturing operations
Consolidate and analyse financial performance across multiple sites and operational functions
Monitor key financial and operational KPIs and investigate performance variances
Lead regular financial and operational performance reviews
Develop meaningful management reporting and performance analysis to support decision-making
Manufacturing & Operations Finance
Provide financial leadership across manufacturing and supply chain operations
Support manufacturing sites with cost management, standard costing, inventory analysis and operational performance reporting
Analyse manufacturing costs, productivity, utilisation, efficiency and profitability
Partner with operational teams to identify opportunities for cost optimisation and performance improvement
Support initiatives aimed at improving manufacturing efficiency and overall financial performance
Strategic Projects & Investment
Provide financial leadership and analysis for strategic operational initiatives, including:
Manufacturing footprint and network optimisation
Capacity planning
Capital investment programmes
Automation and technology investments
Operational transformation
Productivity and efficiency programmes
Cost reduction initiatives
Develop robust business cases, financial models and investment evaluations to support CAPEX and other strategic decisions.
Track investment performance and provide financial oversight throughout project implementation.
Leadership & Team Development
Lead, coach and develop a geographically dispersed finance team
Build strong finance capabilities across the organisation
Establish clear priorities, accountability and performance expectations
Promote collaboration, knowledge sharing and continuous development
Create an environment that encourages strong business partnering and commercial thinking
Governance & Financial Control
Ensure appropriate financial controls and governance across the areas of responsibility
Support compliance with applicable accounting standards and internal financial policies
Partner with relevant teams during internal and external audits
Ensure accuracy, consistency and transparency of financial reporting
Identify opportunities to strengthen financial processes and controls
Continuous Improvement
Drive continuous improvement across finance processes, reporting and analytics
Identify opportunities to simplify and automate financial processes
Improve the quality and accessibility of management information
Promote data-driven decision-making across the operational organisation
Support broader transformation and operational excellence initiatives
Cross-Functional Collaboration
Work Closely With Stakeholders Across
Manufacturing and Operations
Supply Chain
Engineering
Commercial functions
Procurement
Finance and Controlling
Senior Business Leadership
Build strong relationships across functions and geographies to ensure financial considerations are effectively integrated into business decisions.
About You
You are a commercially minded finance leader with substantial experience supporting manufacturing and operational environments.
You combine strong technical finance expertise with excellent business partnering capabilities and are comfortable operating with senior stakeholders in a complex, international organisation.
You are equally comfortable discussing financial performance with senior leadership and working directly with operational teams to understand the underlying drivers behind cost, productivity, investment and profitability.
You enjoy solving complex business challenges, developing high-performing teams and using financial insights to drive measurable operational improvement.
Skills & Experience
Bachelor's degree in Finance, Accounting, Business, Economics or a related discipline
Professional accounting qualification such as ACA, ACCA, CIMA, CPA or equivalent would be advantageous
Approximately 10+ years of progressive experience in Finance, Controlling or a related discipline
Significant experience within a manufacturing or industrial environment
Strong background in Operations Finance, Manufacturing Finance, Plant Controlling or FP&A supporting operations
Extensive experience with budgeting, forecasting, financial planning and performance analysis
Strong understanding of manufacturing costing, including standard costing and operational cost drivers
Experience supporting multi-site and/or international manufacturing operations
Proven ability to partner with senior operational stakeholders and influence business decisions
Previous experience leading and developing finance professionals, ideally across multiple locations
Strong experience evaluating CAPEX investments and strategic business cases
Exposure to operational transformation, manufacturing optimisation or cost-improvement programmes
Knowledge of IFRS and/or US GAAP and a strong understanding of financial controls
Advanced Excel skills and experience working with major ERP platforms
Experience with SAP would be advantageous
Familiarity with business intelligence, analytics and financial reporting tools
Exposure to Lean Manufacturing, Continuous Improvement or operational excellence methodologies would be beneficial
Fluent English is essential
Willingness to travel internationally when required
Personal Attributes
Strategic and commercially minded
Strong business partner with the confidence to constructively challenge senior stakeholders
Hands-on and comfortable operating at both strategic and operational levels
Highly analytical with strong problem-solving capabilities
Strong leadership and people-development skills
Excellent communicator with the ability to simplify complex financial information
Collaborative and effective in international, matrix environments
High level of integrity, ownership and accountability
Proactive, resilient and results-oriented
Comfortable navigating change and ambiguity
Passionate about continuous improvement and operational excellence
The Opportunity
This position offers the opportunity to play a significant finance leadership role within a complex international manufacturing environment.
The successful candidate will influence financial and operational decision-making across multiple locations, partner with senior business leaders, develop an international finance team and contribute to strategic initiatives involving investment, productivity, cost optimisation and operational transformation.
It is particularly well suited to an experienced manufacturing finance professional looking for a role that combines strategic influence with hands-on operational business partnering.
Skills: finance,decision-making,financial performance,operations,investment,manufacturing,reporting,financial planning,continuous improvement,leadership

Work arrangement
Yes