Head of Finance

Instock is one of the largest independent distributors of cleaning and non-food catering supplies to private and public sector customers in the UK. Established in Aberdeen in 1974 as a family-owned business servicing the fledgling Offshore Oil Industry, Instock have expanded significantly through organic growth and acquisition and now operate out of 3 depots in Aberdeen, Livingston and Devon.  Instock remains a family-owned, independent business allowing great flexibility, speedy decision making and an extremely customer centric outlook.

Customers range from Schools, Prisons, Universities and Colleges through to private sector Leisure, Care Homes, Facilities Management and Cleaning companies, extending into every type of accommodation and catering outlet across the hospitality sector. Instock covers a wide variety of client types with a fantastic breadth of products and exceptional service levels.
Instock have also built a strong Design, Refurbishment and Fit-out business for commercial catering kitchens of all sizes, from one off items of equipment or from concept to turnkey delivery.

A recent retirement in the business has created the opportunity to appoint a new Head of Finance, to be based out of Livingston and report to the Managing Director, Michael Payne. The Head of Finance will be required to provide leadership to the Finance team and take responsibility for the accurate and timely preparation of the accounts and all financial and management information for the business.

The Head of Finance 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 group 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:

• Leading the design and provision of relevant and insightful financial and management information and analysis to the Board 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 to the Board
• Liaison and negotiation with Banks and other lenders, raising finance and exercising financial control over covenants

We are looking to appoint a technically excellent and highly credible Head of Finance with strong commercial acumen and high levels of emotional intelligence. The successful candidate will be a qualified accountant with a strong operational finance background. 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 growth of a very exciting, innovative and ambitious business, based 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.