Financial Director

/ Location:

Bournemouth (with Hybrid Working)

Gama Aviation is seeking a Finance Director to join our Maintenance, Repair and Overall (MRO) team in Bournemouth. Reporting to the Managing Director of the MRO Strategic Business Unit (SBU) and with a dotted line to the CFO, this is a pivotal role within the leadership structure who will work closely with the MD, MRO and the wider management team, acting as a trusted business partner. You will provide financial leadership and deliver the strategic and operational objectives of the SBU, the contracts and the commercial operations.

This role serves as the primary link between the strategic and operational aspects of the business and the financial statements, ensuring that business performance is clearly reflected. In addition, the Finance Director will:

• Collaborate with the CFO, the Head of Business Planning, the Group Financial Controller and other financial leaders across the Group in support of SBU activities and group initiatives
• Act as the linkage between Special Mission, Aircraft Management & Charter, and MRO, ensuring integration and optimal performance across operations

The primary aim of this role is to turn around the performance of the business by driving revenue, reducing costs and increasing profitability in the SBU through:

• Reviewing business performance daily to identify and drive improvements
• Delivering monthly reporting identifying performance, revenue and profit improvement opportunities
• Winning and retaining customers and contracts to achieve sustainable growth

The key finance processes and objectives to be delivered are:

• The monthly management reporting pack including KPIs, operational drivers, and performance analysis
• The annual strategic plan, the annual budget, the quarterly forecasts and any scenario planning and re-forecasts
• Cash management and optimisation of cash into the business
• Partnering with the business to maximise performance and to deliver business plans
• Partnering to drive revenue, win and retain contracts optimising profit whilst delivering the required service standards
• Own and present the monthly financial results with profit improvement initiatives and cashflow improvements
• Lead contract reviews across MRO to facilitate understanding of profitability
• Lead business planning of MRO to drive up value

This role requires a sound Qualified Accountant with a proven track record of partnering with Business Leaders to provide effective, proactive and insightful commercial support to execute strategy whilst simultaneously ensuring the integrity of the financial statements is maintained at all times. You will be a commercially savvy individual with strong financial planning, reporting, accounting experience as well as excellent contract management expertise, communication and stakeholder management skills to influence and collaborate at a senior level.

/ About us:

Gama Aviation is a hugely diverse business that offers much more than perhaps its name would suggest. Yes, we fly but we also save lives, provide mission critical intelligence, and build systems that deliver decisive advantage.

With operations in the UK, Jersey, Europe and the Middle East, a career with us can offer travel, personal growth opportunities and the ability for long-term progression in a fast paced and dynamic service industry.

/ Responsibilities:

• Own the timely and accurate presentation of monthly financials together with key performance indicators, working closely with the commercial teams to ensure the financials reflect the reality of the commercial status. This will require working closely with the accounting teams to ensure the numbers are aligned to and a subset of the financial statements from which they are derived, ensuring balance sheet integrity
• Provide refreshed forecast information of future profit and loss performance, trends, drivers of revenue, gross profit and costs as well as cash flow forecasts including working capital management and capex. In addition, maintain a rolling program of financial risks and opportunities to support plans to meet full year targets
• Working very closely with the executives to develop a suite of reports to measure operational metrics
• Ownership of the financial inputs for quarterly re-forecasts and the annual budget process, all based on bottom-up assumptions
• End to end ownership of the development and implementation of a standard financial model for business development (including the development of a financial model to facilitate Plc Board approval), ensuring completeness of inputs and a comprehensive audit trail of support for all supporting data points
• Working closely with the accounting department and the Group Financial Controller to determine appropriate accounting including for example IFRS determinations and accounting policies in operationally focused areas
• Leading the production of the annual strategic plan. Take the lead role in generation of financial budgets from this strategic plan
• To participate in a leadership capacity including strategic sessions including on projects such as semi-annual appraisal of the risk register
• Working with the business on commercial opportunities and customer facing scenarios
• Work closely with the CFO to support other corporate business development opportunities e.g. supporting M&A, JV and other such opportunities
• Partner with the Special Mission and MRO Bid Teams to develop robust pricing for all MRO components of future bids
• Support the timely and successful completion of year end Group reporting requirements as is required, which may require the creation of high-quality papers providing clear summaries of key issues
• Promote the establishment and maintenance of a strong financial and operational control environment, supported by clear policies, procedures and reporting underpinned by a continuous improvement philosophy. Key processes are to be created where they do not exist, and regular testing should occur to ensure controls are functioning as intended. This will be supported by maximising the use of group systems to increase accuracy, efficiency, relevance and speed of reporting
• Influence non-financial colleagues to develop a well-balanced, highly skilled, engaged team who are clear on their objectives and are provided with development opportunities according to their individual needs
• Other projects as they may arise from time to time

/ Skills, Qualifications and Experience required:

• Experienced financial professional with significant leadership experience
• Qualified accountant with commercial experience of a MRO organisation
• Contract management experience is desirable including exposure to activity based costing principles
• Mix of corporate and operational skills
• Knowledge and experience of producing monthly/quarterly financials to firm deadlines
• Used to Group reporting requirements and experience of dealing with auditors
• An understanding of commercial agreements and legal issues with good commercial "feel"
• Experience of identifying issues using financial data and driving business improvement plans as is required
• An ambitious person hungry for success
• Prepared to get 'stuck in' and make it happen
• Drive and commitment
• Able to enthuse and motivate those around them
• Commercially focused with a strong grasp of business principles
• Good relationship builder at all levels (internally & externally)
• Exceptional communication skills at all levels
• Comfortable with Group reporting requirements
• Ability to handle high levels of pressure and critical decision making
• Ability to travel to Farnborough HQ and other MRO sites on a regular basis

/ In addition to a Competitive Salary, we will offer you:

• Comprehensive Private Healthcare (after successful passing of probation) *
• Free Car Parking
• 2 Paid Volunteering Days each calendar year (subject to line manager approval)
• Investment in Training, Qualifications and Professional Development

* (Subject to insurance underwriting)

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