Head of Commercial Finance

Reports to: CFO (functional), COO (day-to-day) Direct reports: Management Accountant + Transactional Finance (if applicable) Location: West Sussex (Must be able to come into the office 3 days a week) Role Purpose This is a pivotal role that blends commercial insight, financial leadership, and team management. You will lead the day-to-day Finance team, drive commercial performance, and act as the business’s primary source of trading, margin, pricing and forecasting insight. Working alongside a part-time CFO focused on corporate governance, this role owns the commercial engine of finance, entaling: * Weekly trading and performance insight Budgeting, forecasting, and margin analysis / Decision support for product, retail, digital and operations / Developing and managing finance team capability Ensuring high-quality financial reporting and analysis / This person is hands-on, commercially strong, and confident working directly with senior leaders across the business. Key Responsibilities Lead the Finance Team (Day-to-Day) * Manage and develop the Management Accountant and wider finance team / Oversee the month-end process and ensure accurate, timely delivery / Set priorities, review outputs, coach the team and drive a culture of accuracy, accountability and improvement / Ensure the finance function is well-organised, efficient, and continuously improving. Commercial Insight & Business Partnering * Lead weekly trade reporting with clear, actionable insight / Analyse category, product, channel, margin and customer performance / Partner with Product, Merchandising, Retail, Digital and Operations to drive profitable decisions / Support pricing strategy, promotions, and discounting decisions / Translate data into insights and insights into actions. Forecasting, Budgeting & Planning * Own the budgeting and reforecast cycles (P&L, margin, opex, cashflow) / Build and improve driver-based forecasting models / Provide scenario modelling to support growth decisions (new products, channels, markets, stores, pricing changes) / Ensure forecasts are realistic, commercially grounded, and aligned with trading behaviour. Financial Reporting & Month-End Support * Review management accounts, KPIs and financial packs before submission to the CFO/COO / Provide clear, concise commercial commentary / Ensure accuracy of key margin and stock-related entries in partnership with the Management Accountant / Tighten the link between operational data and financial results. Cashflow Oversight (CFO leads governance; you manage the operational rhythm) * Maintain a weekly cashflow model with clear visibility of peaks and pressures. Work with procurement, operations, and sales to improve working capital. Support CFO with cash planning and funding requirements. Audit, Governance & Compliance (Support Role) (CFO owns; you ensure operational readiness) * Ensure accurate, robust audit files are prepared by the team. * Strengthen controls, reconciliations and processes across the business. * Maintain integrity of financial data and reporting systems. Systems, Reporting & Process Improvement * Improve BI dashboards (Power BI/Looker Studio) to increase clarity and speed of insight. * Enhance processes across reporting, forecasting and operational finance. * Drive automation and simplification of finance workflows. Skills & Experience Required Essential * ACA/ACCA/CIMA qualified (or equivalent commercial finance background). * Strong commercial finance experience in retail, consumer, product or multi-channel businesses. * Proven experience managing or mentoring finance staff. * Strong modelling capability and advanced Excel skills. * Ability to interpret complex trading data and turn it into actions. * Confident working alongside senior leaders and challenging constructively. * Comfortable working in a fast-paced, hands-on SME environment. Desirable * Experience with BI tools (Power BI, Looker Studio). * Experience with stock, margin, costings and product economics. * Exposure to ERP systems (Netsuite, SAP B1, Sage Intacct etc.). Personal Attributes * Commercially curious and insights-driven. * Confident leader who enjoys developing people. * Strong communicator: simple, clear, fact-based. * Proactive, organised and able to work at pace. * Hands-on and comfortable balancing commercial and operational priorities. * Collaborative team player who can partner with all departments