Director of Financial Planning and Control

Description

At ELEMIS, our people and our purpose are at the heart of everything we do. Since 1989, we have evolved into a global British skincare leader, with a strong UK and U.S. presence and an expanding international footprint. As a certified B Corp, we are committed to delivering sustainable performance—balancing commercial success with positive impact for our customers, communities, and planet.

Finance sits at the core of enabling this ambition. Our team provides the insight, governance, and strategic rigour that underpin effective decision-making and sustainable global growth.

We are now seeking a Director of Financial Planning & Control, based in our Bristol office, to lead and evolve our planning, reporting, and control environment. This role will play a critical part in shaping financial strategy, strengthening governance, and driving performance across the business, while leading and developing a high-performing finance team.

The Role

This role would suit a transformational and commercially-minded finance leader to modernise and scale our global finance function. Reporting to the CFO, you will act as the architect of financial integrity and a key partner to the business—bringing rigour, insight, and forward-looking perspective.

You will lead three core functions—FP&A, Management Accounting, and Transactional Finance & Transformation—with a clear mandate to build a best-in-class, globally aligned finance function that is proactive, efficient, and insight-led.

What You Will Do:

Mandate and Strategy

• Strategic Architecture: Transition the global finance function from a reactive state to a "no-surprises" environment by building a unified reporting and planning framework.
• Geographic Integration: Bridge the gap between legal entity accounting and geographic management, better connecting commercial finance and management accounts, to provide a clear view of performance.
• Commercial Stewardship: Act as an advisor to the Global Management Committee, translating complex financial data into actionable commercial strategies.
• Investment Governance: Establish a rigorous capital allocation and Capex reporting process, ensuring every pound of investment is tracked against measurable ROI and cash impact.

Team Transformation and Leadership

• Function Professionalisation: Lead, mentor, and upskill three direct reports (Head of FP&A, Head of Transaction and Transformation, and Head of Finance), fostering a culture of accountability and precision.
• Global Standardisation: Eliminate geographic inconsistencies by harmonising accounting treatments and policies - from sample accounting in the US to gift-with-purchase (GWP) logic in Asia.
• Change Management: Lead the business through the implementation of new workflows, looking to automate manual processes and instilling a "right-first-time" mentality.
• Talent Development: Build a succession pipeline and ensure the finance team evolves into high-value business partners for the wider organisation.

FP&A: Strategic Insight and Forward-Planning

• Integrated Planning: Implement a comprehensive planning cycle that moves beyond the P&L to include Balance Sheet and Cash Flow forecasting.
• Entity versus Management Reporting: Revise the approach to reporting our Management information based on our trading Channels to the specific entities that are being accounted for, ensuring there is a connection between the two
• Develop Long Range Planning Process: Build a LRP process that engages across the group and sets the basis for our annual planning processes that follow.
• Forecasting: Development of the budgeting and reforecasting process, looking to develop a more dynamic rolling forecast process that reflects the fast-moving landscape.
• Drive Financial Performance: Define and track global KPIs that link financial results directly to operational and commercial drivers.

Management Accounting: The Financial Engine

• Reporting Excellence: Ensure reporting excellence is maintained in everything that we do; a robust month-end close, ensuring high-quality, audit-ready management accounts with sophisticated narrative analysis.
• Balance Sheet & Cash Control: Build an environment where there is a stronger focus on both Balance Sheet and Cash Reporting, rather than just the management of the P&L
• Matrix Reporting: Develop a reporting structure that seamlessly maps legal entity accounting to regional management views, solving historical data fragmentation.
• Data Integrity: Ensure the General Ledger serves as the "Single Source of Truth," eliminating the need for manual offline reconciliations.
• Audit Readiness: Build a continuous reconciliation and review process that ensures the group is always prepared for external audit and statutory reporting requirements.

Transformation and Transactional: Control and Workflow

• Control Framework: Design and document a robust Internal Control Environment and written Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) to safeguard global assets. What is suitable for an organisation of our size and complexity
• Transactional Automation: Review options for automation across the transactional areas of finance operations (Accounts Payable and Accounts Receivable)
• Spend Optimisation: Review the options to Implement a group-wide Purchase Request (PR) process and automated payment approval workflows to eliminate maverick spend.
• Supplier Intelligence: Establish detailed supplier-level analysis and a regular review cycle for commercial terms and payment optimisation.
• Policy Ownership: Author and enforce global policies for Travel & Expense and Accounting Standards to ensure compliance and cost discipline.

What We Are Looking For:

We are looking for a credible, commercially astute finance leader who combines technical depth with the ability to drive change and influence at a senior level.

You will bring:

• A proven track record of leading sizeable finance teams (15–25+) within a mid-sized, complex organisation
• Strong controllership and technical accounting expertise (ACCA/ACA preferred), with confidence operating at group level
• Experience operating in international, multi-entity environments, with exposure to global reporting and consolidation
• A background in consumer, retail, or brand-led businesses, including experience with stock/inventory accounting
• Demonstrable experience in finance transformation, including improving processes, controls, and systems
• Exposure to complex or changing environments (e.g. private equity, carve-outs, integrations, or scale-up phases)
• A solid understanding of core finance disciplines including treasury, tax, audit, and corporate reporting
• A credible finance leader who builds trust quickly and operates effectively at executive level
• Able to balance strategic thinking with hands-on delivery, knowing when to dive into detail
• Strong stakeholder engagement and influencing skills, with the ability to challenge constructively
• Brings clarity and structure in evolving or ambiguous environments
• Passionate about developing talent and building high-performing teams

What We Offer You!

• Hybrid and Flexible working. This role is based in our Bristol office three days per week, and two days working from home. We also offer flexible working, with core hours between 10am - 4pm
• Company bonus
• Generous staff discount on ELEMIS products and spa treatments, plus L’OCCITANE Group brands
• Enhanced parental leave policies
• Income Protection and Life Assurance
• 27 days holiday plus your birthday off
• Company pension scheme
• Employee Assistance Programme
• Cycle to Work Scheme, Season Ticket Loan, and service awards

Our People Commitments

Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion are central to our People Strategy. We are committed to building a fair, inclusive and respectful workplace where everyone feels they belong and can thrive.

We embed this commitment through inclusive hiring and progression practices, clear policies that promote equity and zero tolerance for discrimination and regular review of our people data to identify and address gaps in representation and experience. We invest in inclusive leadership, equipping our managers with the skills and accountability to foster psychologically safe, respectful and high-performing teams.

We provide channels for open dialogue, including confidential Speak Up mechanisms, to ensure concerns can be raised safely and addressed appropriately. Through ongoing learning, inclusive behaviours and shared accountability across all levels of the organisation, we empower our people to be themselves, innovate and fulfil their potential. Together, we belong.