Customer Finance Manager (Finance Business Partner - Programmes)

Fantastic challenges. Amazing opportunities.

GKN Aerospace is reimagining air travel: going further, faster and greener! Fuelled by great people whose expertise and creativity sets the standards in our industry, we’re inspired by the opportunities to innovate and break boundaries. We’re proud to play a part in protecting the world’s democracies. And we’re committed to putting sustainability at the centre of everything we do, opening up and protecting our planet. With over 16,000 employees across 33 manufacturing sites in 12 countries we serve over 90% of the world’s aircraft and engine manufacturers and achieved sales of £3.35 bn. in 2023. There are no limits to where you can take your career.

Job Summary

This role will be based in either our East Cowes (Isle of Wight) or Luton facilities, but with a responsibility for both sites. Therefore regular travel will be required to each site, but with the potential of spending some of the week working remotely if required.

Reporting into the Customer Finance Director (Defence Programmes), the Customer Finance Manager is the senior financial executive for the customer account. They are a strategic business partner to the VP Customer and Business Lines CFO. They set direction, financial strategy, provide projections, and prepare growth plans for the organization.

In addition to management of the business plan, they provide financial insights that drive strategic decisions, financial forecasts, and business plans. The role has primary day-to-day responsibility for planning, implementing, managing and controlling all financial related activities for the customer and its respective contracts. They drive financial performance through high quality decision support and FP&A, including overall P&L, sales and margin management, and close control over working capital.

Job Responsibilities

Typical responsibilities will include:

• Delivering customer level strategies by determining accountabilities; communicating and enforcing values, policies, and procedures; building a successful team and driving its performance.
• Developing customer strategies by contributing financial and accounting insight, analysis, and recommendations; establishing functional objectives in line with organisational objectives.
• Establishing strategies by evaluating trends; establishing critical measurements; supporting the determination of customer, technology and product strategies; designing systems; accumulating resources; resolving problems; implementing change.
• Developing the organisation by identifying opportunities for improvement, cost reduction, and systems enhancement; accumulating capital to fund expansion.
• Developing financial strategies by forecasting cash (particularly working capital) and resource requirements; identifying monetary resources; developing and implementing action plans.
• Monitoring financial performance by measuring and analysing results; initiating corrective actions; minimising the impact of variances.
• Reporting financial status by developing forecasts; reporting results; analysing variances; developing improvements.
• Implementing and managing metrics and measurements to successfully manage, control and profitably grow the business.
• Identifying, assessing and communicating risks and exposures and developing measures to effectively mitigate these on a timely basis.

Job Qualifications

Suitable applicants will be able to demonstrate:

• Significant previous experience of finance (FP&A, Cost Management, Programme Finance etc.) gained within the Manufacturing sector (Aerospace/Defence industry preferred), with a good understanding of the foundational elements of P&L.
• Recognised Finance qualification (finance degree, CIMA etc.).
• Ability to work well in a fast-paced and collaborative team that is responsive and results-oriented.
• Demonstrated track record of success as a senior finance professional.
• Strong analytical skills.
• Ability to forward-think and take a global view regarding the business.
• Ability to connect and build strong relationships with others, with demonstrable emotional intelligence and an ability to communicate clearly, collaboratively and persuasively.
• Clear understanding of relevant technical accounting framework.

We’ll offer you fantastic challenges and amazing opportunities. This is your chance to be part of an organisation that has proven itself to be at the cutting edge of our industry; and is committed to pushing the boundaries even further. And with some of the best training on offer in the industry, who knows how far you can go?

A Great Place to work needs a Great Way of Working

Everyone is welcome to apply to GKN. We believe that we can only achieve our ambitions through a coming together of diverse minds who enjoy collaborating in an inspirational environment. Through our commitment to diversity, inclusion and belonging and by living our five powerful principles we’ve created a culture where everyone feels welcome to contribute. It’s a culture that won us ‘The Best Workplace Culture Award’. By embracing and celebrating what makes us unique we encourage everyone to bring their full self to work.

We’re also committed to providing an accessible recruitment process, so if you require reasonable adjustments at any stage during our recruitment process please get in touch and let us know.

We are the place where human dreams, plus human endeavour, shape the future of aerospace innovation and technology.

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