Finance Director

Balgove Larder was created in 2010 and has quickly become a hugely successful and highly regarded destination on the Fife food map. A Farm Shop, but so much more than a Farm Shop, Balgove Larder houses a Steak Barn, Pizza Restaurant, Café, Butchery, Flower Shed and more. Conceived from a passion for fresh and locally grown and reared Scottish produce, Balgove is synonymous with quality and provenance.

The Strathtyrum Estate has been in the Cheape family for over 200 years. Strathtyrum Trust holds the assets of Strathtyrum and Fossoway Farms and everything that is raised or grown on the farms travels just the few short miles to be sold in the shop or consumed in the restaurants at Balgove Larder. With a desire to create a farming system which will operate profitably, but with a strong social and environmental purpose, the farming model is part way through a significant transformation from conventional farming to a more sustainable, regenerative organic model. With property assets, retail and other commercial activities, there are eleven different enterprises in total within the Trust, a further six in planning, and strong synergies and relationships between them all.

The size and scale of the business now, combined with the ambition of the owners and projected future growth, have created the opportunity to appoint a Finance Director for the first time. The Finance Director, to be based in St Andrews, will be required to lead and develop the Finance strategy in alignment with the overall strategy of the business. This will involve immediate control of the finance function day to day and implementation of robust financial systems, processes, management information and operational finance support to meet the needs of the business. Working closely with the MD and other Directors to drive future growth, value creation and the positive performance of the business.

Key responsibilities include:

• Support the MD in all commercial decision making and strategic initiatives
• Lead the design and provision of relevant and insightful financial and management information and analysis in a timely manner (including P&L, Cashflow and Balance Sheet),
• Responsible for getting the numbers right, leading cash and working capital management to ensure accuracy and timeliness
• Maintain and produce accurate budgeting and cashflow forecasting models, plus commentary, to be presented regularly.

We are looking to appoint a technically excellent and highly credible Finance Director with strong commercial acumen and high levels of emotional intelligence. The successful candidate will be a qualified accountant with a strong operational finance background in an SME environment. Outstanding communication and stakeholder management skills will also be valuable attributes to have.

This is an extremely compelling opportunity to play a key role in the continued growth of a very exciting, innovative and sustainable business, supporting the rural economy in Scotland.

Interested candidates should send their CV, with full remuneration details, to Graham Burns of FWB Park Brown at applications@fwbparkbrown.com. For a confidential conversation, please call 07738 182813.