Head of Commercial Finance, UK & Rest of Europe

Head of Commercial Finance, UK & Rest of Europe

UK HQ, 40 High Street, Street, Somerset, United Kingdom

Job Description

Posted Thursday, July 23, 2026 at 11:00 PM

At Clarks, we're transforming our business for the future while building on over 200 years of heritage. As we continue to strengthen our commercial performance across the UK and Europe, we're looking for an influential finance leader to join our senior leadership team.

This is not a traditional finance role.

We're looking for a commercially minded finance leader who can combine strategic thinking, operational understanding, and leadership presence to help shape the future direction of our business.

The Opportunity

Reporting directly to the Global CFO, you will act as the senior commercial finance partner to the UK & Europe leadership teams, providing insight, challenge and direction across a complex, multi-channel retail business.

You'll lead a talented team and play a critical role in driving profitable growth across retail, ecommerce, marketplaces and wholesale channels. This is a highly visible leadership position where you'll be expected to influence decisions, challenge thinking, identify opportunities and help the business execute its strategic ambitions.

This role offers the opportunity to operate at the heart of one of the world's most recognised consumer brands, partnering with senior leaders across Finance, Commercial, IT, HR and Operations.

What You'll Be Doing

• Lead the commercial finance agenda across the UK and European business.
• Partner senior leaders to improve performance, profitability and decision-making.
• Provide clear financial insight, challenge and recommendations to leadership teams.
• Support investment decisions, business cases and strategic growth initiatives.
• Drive budgeting, forecasting and long-range planning processes.
• Lead and develop a high-performing commercial finance team.
• Identify opportunities to improve margins, productivity and commercial returns.
• Partner cross-functionally to support new stores, ecommerce growth, marketplaces and transformation initiatives.
• Ensure robust financial controls, governance and risk management across the region.
• Act as a trusted deputy and senior leadership presence across the organisation.

What We're Looking For

You'll be a qualified accountant (ACA, ACCA, CIMA or equivalent) with significant experience operating in a senior commercial finance leadership role.

You'll bring:

• A proven track record of commercial finance leadership within retail, ecommerce, wholesale or consumer-facing businesses.
• Strong business partnering experience with executive and senior leadership teams.
• Exceptional commercial acumen and the ability to translate numbers into action.
• Experience leading, coaching and developing high-performing teams.
• Excellent stakeholder management and influencing skills.
• The confidence to challenge constructively and drive better business decisions.
• Strong communication skills with the ability to distil complex issues into clear, concise recommendations.
• Experience working in a fast-paced, complex and changing environment.

Experience across international markets and multi-jurisdiction businesses would be advantageous, as would exposure to business transformation, turnaround or growth environments.

Who Will Succeed Here?

The successful candidate will be more than a technically strong finance professional.

You'll be a visible leader, trusted advisor and natural relationship builder. You'll have the credibility to influence at senior levels, the commercial mindset to focus on what matters most, and the resilience to thrive in a dynamic business environment.

Most importantly, you'll be someone who enjoys being close to the business, understands how organisations create value, and can help turn financial insight into commercial outcomes.

Why Clarks?

This is a rare opportunity to join a globally recognised brand at a key point in its transformation journey. You'll work directly with senior leaders, shape commercial decisions across multiple markets, and have a genuine opportunity to influence the future success of the business.

If you're a commercially driven finance leader looking for a role with visibility, impact and strategic influence, we'd love to hear from you.

UK HQ, 40 High Street, Street, Somerset, United Kingdom

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