Job Introduction

Scope and purpose of role

Helping our business achieve its targets for sales, margin and inventory is a challenging, interesting and varied job!  We are looking for a Finance Business Partner to join us on the next phase of the journey.  In this highly commercial and forward-looking role, you are finance business partner to our Buying and Merchandise Planning teams, focusing on product performance.  You will produce effective, clear and relevant MI to influence decision-making.  You will help determine challenging but achievable plans for the business to achieve its ambitions.  And you will identify areas of commercial risk and opportunity to improve results and help the organisation learn and grow. You will have line management responsibility for a Commercial Finance Analyst.

Role Responsibility

Key duties and responsibilities

1. Performance measures to support and challenge the business

Ensure visibility and understanding of accurate financial and non-financial KPIs daily, weekly and monthly.  KPIs include sales value and volumes, price, margin and space across our Card and Non-Card products.  In collaboration with IT, develop the reporting information available by the business via our automated BI platform.

1. Forecast value drivers and profitability

In partnership with the CCO and buyers, create detailed plans which underpin the company budget and support our growth ambitions. Embed deliverable and challenging targets in the forecast, and capture risks and opportunities.  Communicate effectively with stakeholders throughout the process.  Work to continually improve the effectiveness and efficiency of planning and forecasting processes.

1. Decision support and investment appraisal

Participate in decision-making forums, planning for new seasons, reviewing seasonal performance and contributing to strategic direction.  Produce buy plan proposals for seasonal inventory purchases and review performance after the season.  Produce insight into product profitability, incorporating directly attributable costs.  Play a full part in identifying operational efficiencies and growth opportunities.

1. Analysis and insight to influence strategy

Interpret performance of sales and extended profitability at a product and category level for our sales channels.  Perform variance analysis of sales, gross profit and stock to support the challenges and galvanise action to keep performance on target.  Identify operational levers that will drive improvements and influence business partners to deliver the right business outcomes, balancing sales, profit and inventory implications.  Help the business learn from past actions and identify new opportunities.

1. Develop our colleagues

Play a full part in developing and motivating the wider Finance team.  Be a role model for colleagues in how you approach your work, what you do and your values.  Work with your colleagues to help them achieve their objectives and realise their potential through personal development.

The Ideal Candidate

Knowledge, Skills and Experience

• Graduate calibre, qualified accountant or MBA who is commercially minded
• Strong commercial background, gained either via an industry route or through an advisory function in a large professional services organisation
• Proven ability to build productive business relationships with a wide network of finance and non-finance colleagues
• Intellectual curiosity to understand the financial and non-financial drivers of the business and their implications for decision-makers
• Excellent verbal and written communication styles and confidence to influence a variety of senior stakeholders
• Love to bring insight and challenge to the business to improve revenues and profitability
• Proficient in co-ordinating work between multiple stakeholders and deliver information to exacting deadlines
• Strong analytical and Excel skills, honed in an environment of working with complex financial models
• Resilient, enthusiastic and proactive in setting own agenda and driving results in a fast paced environment
• Bias towards continuous improvement and enabling a complex organisation through change
• The tenacity to “roll up your sleeves” and work through details, the objectivity to take a step back and challenge the status quo, and the judgement to recognise when each approach is needed

Package Description

Card Factory plc is the UK’s number one retailer of greeting cards, wrap and gifts, selling a third of all cards in the UK.  Since our beginnings in 1997, our disruptive business model has fuelled organic growth to over 1,000 stores in every corner of the UK and Republic of Ireland.  We have an outstanding growth story, consistently opening 50 new stores a year in recent years – with more opening all the time.

Card Factory’s focus is the value and mid-market segments of the UK’s large greeting card market.  Our scale and vertically integrated business model (in-house design team, print facilities, central warehousing and retail operations) differentiate us from competitors through price and quality.  We enjoy impressive brand equity with UK shoppers.

In addition to our large store estate, we have other routes to market for our products in the UK and overseas.  These rapid growth areas include on-line offerings, franchise operations and wholesale agreements with major retailers in the UK and Australia.

About the Company

Card Factory plc is the UK’s number one retailer of greeting cards, wrap and gifts, selling a third of all cards in the UK.  Since our beginnings in 1997, our disruptive business model has fuelled organic growth to over 1,000 stores in every corner of the UK and Republic of Ireland.  We have an outstanding growth story, consistently opening 50 new stores a year in recent years – with more opening all the time.

Card Factory’s focus is the value and mid-market segments of the UK’s large greeting card market.  Our scale and vertically integrated business model (in-house design team, print facilities, central warehousing and retail operations) differentiate us from competitors through price and quality.  We enjoy impressive brand equity with UK shoppers.

In addition to our large store estate, we have other routes to market for our products in the UK and overseas.  These rapid growth areas include on-line offerings, franchise operations and wholesale agreements with major retailers in the UK and Australia.

Sportswift Ltd T/A cardfactory