The Company:

Baxters Food Group is a fourth-generation privately owned entrepreneurial business which specialises in the manufacturing of premium quality, primarily branded, food products. The Group's product range includes soup, beetroot, chutney, condiments, preserves and meal options.

Since Baxters began operation in 1868 a lot has changed, but their dedication to making only the best quality products has always been at the core of everything they do. The Baxters brand has grown from a humble village store to a global brand with a turnover of circa £450m.

With the sheer scale of operation, Baxters now has sites based throughout the UK and food manufacturing operations in the USA, Australia, and Poland. The science and technology that underlies their process today may be far removed from the little village shop that started it all in Fochabers, but the ethos remains the same - “Be different, be better”.

Baxters now find their product being sold in major supermarket chains such as Asda, Tesco, Sainsbury’s and many more, which has contributed to the large-scale growth of the business. Baxters’ Head Quarters is situated just off Charlotte Square in Edinburgh and oversees the UK & European operation based in Fochabers.

The European Business has a turnover of circa £140m across their sites, which also incorporates two specialist manufacturers, Manor Vinegar, one of Europe’s largest vinegar producers, and Orexis Fresh Foods, a leading London-based chilled foods business specialising in ready-to-eat products.

The Role:

A new vacancy based in Fochabers, Moray has arisen within Baxters Europe, representing an excellent opportunity to join their market-leading team.

This role offers a fantastic opportunity to further your career within a reputable business that has made itself a well-established household name over many years. The successful candidate will report directly to the European Head of Central Finance.

As a business partner to the Operations Management & Site Teams, you will report, analyse and interrogate the European operational performance, providing visibility of performance to drive performance improvement and strengthen controls. In addition, you will be supporting the New Product Innovation process with product costing and analysis.

This is an excellent opportunity for a driven and commercially minded accountant to play a key role in the continued growth of a market-leading business.

• Ensure the accurate accounting of operational costs and stock within Baxters Europe. Develop, maintain and deliver fit-for-purpose reporting, ensuring weekly and monthly reporting of the Operations P&L meets the needs of key stakeholders. Provide commentary & insight into numbers
• In conjunction with the Material Control team, ensure that the daily production reporting processes are delivering a timely and accurate representation of the actual performance of operations
• Provide financial reporting on stock usage and losses (raw, pack & finished goods). Prepare the stock provision calculation for review and complete balance sheet reconciliations for stock to ensure the integrity of information
• Be visible and seen as a support to the Operations teams. Present and explain the financial numbers to non-financial managers in an accessible way to ensure a good understanding of financial performance
• Encourage and support moving production reporting and Oracle into alignment, driving Oracle as the source wherever possible
• Assist in the preparation of budgets and forecasts
• Generate accurate and robust product costings to feed into the NPI process. Drive a more efficient costing process, influencing the relevant stakeholders to ensure costing takes place at the right time and with the right inputs to minimise the time spent reworking costings

The Individual:

• Qualified Management Accountant (ACCA, CA, CIMA or equivalent) with FMCG industry business partnering experience and a track record in building a partnership team structure with clear accountabilities
• Excellent communication and influencing skills – able to build a credible presence across the full business, especially Operations Management and gain buy-in and action to the finance agenda / performance improvement. Can demonstrate their understanding of what good stakeholder management & collaboration looks like
• A leader who consults and supports their team
• Resilient, able to manage multiple tasks to short deadlines and prepared to get hands-on where necessary. Highly organised with strong attention to detail
• A proactive problem solver – a proven ability to identify and deliver improvements
• Strong numerical reasoning and analytical skills. Able to bring insight to non-finance colleagues
• Excellent IT skills

If you would like to hear more about this role, please apply with an up-to-date CV to Will Dodds at Rutherford Cross - [email protected]