Head of Finance H/F

I’m recruiting for my client, major restaurant chain, a Head of Finance for their Paris office. This is a permanent position and with, ideally, a start date as soon as possible.

Key responsibilities

• Full ownership of France monthly management accounts and the month end processes
• Ensuring timely and accurate production of monthly management accounts
• Develop and maintain a robust process for balance sheet reconciliations
• Implement, monitor and maintain internal controls, continuously improving existing processes
• Supporting the forecasting and annual budgeting process for the French business by working closely with the UK Head of Commercial Finance
• Business partnering the French Managing Director, Operations and Marketing teams, and provide analytical insight and commercial decision-making support across all areas of the French business
• Prepare weekly and monthly commentary on the French business performance to be reported into the UK Head Office
• Liaising with the Company’s external auditors to ensure the smooth running of the business’s audit
• Ensuring compliance with statutory reporting requirements including preparation and filing of annual accounts for all Group entities
• Ensuring compliance with tax legislation and making all necessary filings including VAT and Corporation tax returns
• Review, sign-off and ownership of payroll (payroll function itself is outsourced)
• Ensuring all legal filings are made on time
• Lead, motivate and develop a team of Finance professionals
• Support the CFO with ad hoc requirements

Key skills, competencies and experience

• Qualified accountant (such as DSCG/ DEC/ Master CCA) with significant post-qualified experience in French GAAP and IFRS
• Proven experience of managing the month end and audit process
• Strong leader, collaborator and communicator
• Fluent in French and English
• Demonstratable experience of leading and developing a team
• Business partnering experience with ability to build collaborative working relationships with internal business customers, and communicate and influence at all levels of seniority
• Demonstrate a hands-on approach with ability to roll the sleeves up and get into the detail
• Commercially minded and a problem-solver
• Proactive and inquisitive
• Resilient under pressure with ability to maintain high attention to detail while working at pace under pressure
• Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel and ERP systems (experience of SAGE a plus)
• Preferably hospitality or retail experience but not a must

In our company values we aim for equity at all stages of the recruitment process, please let us know if we can do anything to make the process more accessible to you.