Financial Controller – Stocks Business Unit

FWB Park Brown are delighted to be partnering with William Grant & Sons to lead the recruitment of the next Financial Controller for the integral Stock Business Unit.

The Stocks Business Unit, led by Group Stocks Director Ken McKinlay is responsible for the Company’s stocks of maturing spirits to ensure the correct quantity is laid down for future years sales, with a planning horizon of at least 30 years. They are also responsible for the purchases of new and mature spirits (rum, brandy, tequila, bourbon etc), and for trades and sales of excess spirits and/or distillation capacity.

The Stocks Business Unit is one of the most crucial parts of the William Grant & Sons business, and a truly exciting business unit to lead the finance of and partner closely with a wide range of senior and commercial stakeholders.

The Financial Controller will be the lead finance professional for the SBU, managing a small team and reporting into the Global Operations Finance Director who has overall responsibility for all of the finance teams within Operations.

You will be responsible for providing financial management and decision support within the Stocks Business Unit to help deliver the financial and strategic objectives of the business whilst ensuring full compliance to company and statutory finance policy and procedures.

Accountabilities

• Maintain financial control in the SBU, in accordance with the processes, financial standards, procedures, and governance defined in the WGW and by Central Finance, with the necessary rigour and discipline to ensure the integrity of all SBU accounting related matters, including the financial control of overseas stocks
• Monitor SBU financial performance to bring insight and support SBU Management in order to maximize performance, generate added value and achieve optimal growth for the company over the long-term
• Provide accurate reporting of financial information, analysis and insight to SBU Management, and create no-surprise environment for SBU Management and Board to enable informed decision-making of highest standard, for example, with regard to spirits trading, valuation of stock and valuation of sales of excess stocks
• Support the planning and budgeting processes within the SBU to ensure high quality of processes and plans at the SBU level, in line with the group-wide planning process
• Provide financial commentary on SBU managed P&L accounts, including, for example, comment on potential changes in the assumptions of budgeted spirit rates in case of spirit variances and/ or volume changes
• Manage the spirit cost model, including spirit smoothing over time, the evaluation of long term stock plans, insurance costs management and warehousing costs management, including overseas stocks
• Manage and optimise working capital within the SBU through analysis of warehousing developments and accounting of maturing stock
• Ensure accurate other cost accounting activities such as valuation and cost-of-sale around whisky stocks in the areas of new fillings, whisky exchanges, spirit trading, sale of mature surpluses and trading accounts
• Oversee cash requirements for wood costs and funding of financing charges for warehousing and ensure requirements feed into Group cash flows
• Manage the DRAMS system to ensure secure and robust data
• Work with the Operations Finance Director to manage financial risk in the SBU

The Ideal Candidate

• Qualified Accountant with experience in production, cost or stock accounting.
• Proven leader who can set objectives, performance manage a team and develop individuals to achieve their potential.
• Understanding of financial control and reporting methodologies gained in manufacturing environment.
• Experience of commercial contract terms and negotiation is desirable.
• Strong business partnering and influencing skills.

Contact Us / How to Apply

To apply or arrange an initial conversation to find out more, please email or send your CV and covering letter to Michael Dickson at michael@fwbparkbrown.com