Job Description
Our client, a leading player in the consumer goods industry, is looking for an accomplished Finance Director to lead the financial strategy and operations for their sales and last-mile distribution function. The Finance Director will work as a key partner to the sales and distribution teams, providing strategic financial leadership to optimize distribution, drive profitability, and ensure financial integrity across all channels. This role demands a leader with deep experience in commercial finance, specifically within the consumer goods sector, with a strong focus on last-mile logistics and customer order fulfillment. The incumbent will also take on broader responsibilities in financial reporting, compliance, and operational finance, ensuring the business meets its financial objectives.
Key Responsibilities:
Commercial Finance Leadership:
- Partner closely with the sales and distribution teams to drive financial performance and strategic decision-making for last-mile logistics, customer order management, and distribution network optimization.
- Lead margin analysis by SKU, customer, and channel, ensuring robust financial reporting that supports data-driven decisions on pricing, promotions, and sales strategies.
- Collaborate with the sales team to review the financial impact of trade promotions, volume discounts, and customer agreements, ensuring alignment with profitability goals.
- Oversee financial analysis and reporting for key sales and distribution metrics, identifying trends and opportunities to improve cost efficiency and financial performance.
- Develop and manage financial models to support sales growth strategies, route optimization, and distribution warehouse efficiency, ensuring optimal financial returns from operations.
Sales and Last-Mile Distribution Optimization:
- Lead financial oversight of last-mile distribution operations, focusing on route optimization, delivery cost efficiency, and distribution center management.
- Work with supply chain and logistics teams to ensure financial discipline and operational excellence in the distribution network, from distribution centers to customers.
- Provide strategic insight into capital investments and resource allocation for distribution infrastructure to ensure alignment with business objectives and cost efficiency targets.
- Monitor and optimize the financial performance of various distribution channels, supporting initiatives to improve customer satisfaction while controlling distribution costs.
Credit and Working Capital Management:
- Implement and maintain strict credit control policies, ensuring effective management of credit terms and improving collection efficiency in collaboration with the sales team.
- Ensure timely and accurate reporting of credit risks, collections performance, and customer order management, actively addressing any risks to working capital.
- Drive initiatives to rationalize credit terms and streamline the customer order fulfillment process, improving cash flow and working capital metrics.
Financial Planning, Reporting, and Compliance:
- Lead the annual budgeting, quarterly forecasting, and long-term financial planning processes for sales and distribution, ensuring financial goals align with overall business objectives.
- Oversee the preparation of monthly and quarterly financial reports, including variance analysis, and provide insights into key performance indicators (KPIs) across sales and distribution channels.
- Ensure compliance with financial controls, company policies, and regulatory requirements, particularly in areas related to distribution costs, inventory management, and customer contracts.
- Support external and internal audits, ensuring the integrity of financial records and adherence to statutory requirements.
Broader Finance Director Responsibilities:
- Provide leadership across the finance function, ensuring alignment of financial strategies with overall business objectives.
- Support the CFO in driving strategic initiatives, including scenario-based financial planning, cost management, and performance optimization across the organization.
- Act as a key member of the leadership team, providing financial insights to senior management and contributing to decision-making on corporate strategies, capital investments, and operational improvements.
- Oversee risk management and compliance across sales and distribution, ensuring proper controls are in place to mitigate financial and operational risks.
Stakeholder Management:
- Serve as a trusted financial advisor to the sales and distribution leadership, influencing key business decisions and ensuring alignment with financial objectives.
- Collaborate with cross-functional teams, including supply chain, logistics, and operations, to drive performance improvements and optimize business processes.
- Present financial insights and recommendations to senior management, supporting structured business reviews and strategic discussions around sales, distribution, and financial performance.
Key Requirements:
- Education: Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Accounting, or related field; MBA or CPA/CA certification is a must have.
- Experience: 18+ years of experience in finance roles, with significant exposure to commercial finance, sales, and distribution in the consumer goods/FMCG sector.
- Skills:
- Proven experience in partnering with sales and distribution teams, with a strong understanding of last-mile logistics, customer order management, and route-to-market strategies.
- Deep expertise in financial modeling, budgeting, forecasting, and margin analysis, with a track record of improving profitability in consumer goods operations.
- Strong leadership and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to influence cross-functional teams and senior management.
- Experience in managing credit terms, collection processes, and working capital metrics, particularly in a fast-paced, high-volume business environment.
- Familiarity with ERP systems, advanced Excel skills, and experience with BI tools for financial reporting and analysis.
Competencies:
- Analytical Thinking: Ability to analyze complex financial data and provide actionable insights to support operational and strategic decisions.
- Business Acumen: Deep understanding of sales, distribution, and logistics processes in consumer goods, with a focus on translating operational activities into financial outcomes.
- Leadership: Strong leadership and influencing skills, capable of driving financial discipline and operational excellence across sales and distribution teams.
- Strategic Problem Solving: Proactive approach to identifying financial and operational challenges, with a focus on continuous improvement and business optimization.
Managing expectations: “At Mindfield, we strive for exceptional results, and we achieve this by understanding the needs of both our clients and candidates. We ask that you take note of our “must-haves” to ensure a successful application process. We look forward to building a long-term relationship with you. Mindfield – making a difference.”