Head of Commercial Finance and FP&A

Established in Somerset in 1971, Mulberry has grown to be the largest maker of luxury leather goods in the United Kingdom. With a contemporary take on British heritage and a focus on responsible craft, our ambition is to create progressive luxury. 

Sustainability has been part of the Mulberry ethos since the brand's inception, in recognition of our purpose-driven approach, in 2024 we proudly achieved B Corp Certification. 

Today, we are a global brand, but our values remain the same; we are committed to improving our impact on people and the planet. If these are values you share, we would love you to join our team.

The Role:

A true commercial leader with an inquisitive nature and the drive to collaborate with, as well as challenge commercial, product, supply chain and other business counter parts, to generate and deliver improved commercially in a brand strong retail business.

You will be responsible for setting up and driving a clear, transparent and commercially measured Financial Planning & Budgeting process, delivering insights and analysis through business partnering across the different business areas, and the ability to bring to life for the Exco & Board the underlying trade and profitability performance through presentation, dashboard and narrative.

As a global business, an appreciation for complexity of multi country, multi-currency is a must, as well as a true retail analytical understanding – margin, stock, LFL, costs as % to sales ratios, investment decision analysis, opportunity cost analysis, sensitivity modelling are essential

Reporting to the CFO, and working closely with the CEO and the Exco, this is an exciting opportunity for a skilled commercial leader, with great leadership and people skills, the ability to develop and deliver through and with a small team (prioritization and clear communication is key) and be at the forefront of an exciting turnaround and profitability delivery.

You will epitomise the Mulberry values, creating and maintaining a working environment consistent with those values. Having a flexible leadership style is key to developing managers who vary in experience and skill set – a mentoring and development approach will lead to expert delivery from the team.

Duties & Responsibilities:

- Lead and co-ordinate the Group budget process, challenging submissions where appropriate and providing budget update reports and insight for budget holders and budget presentations to the Board. Ensuring close working with the ExCo and their teams so that the whole company is aligned on assumptions, delivery targets, and have a clear “one version of the truth”.

- Lead and co-ordinate the Group forecast process; consolidating quarterly forecasts from business partners, identifying risks and opportunities within the forecast and designing and producing insightful forecast commentary – turning into a rolling monthly forecast for the Exco to navigate the business and make quick decisions.

- Work with the CFO to develop an evolving 3-year strategic plan in conjunction with the business, identifying strategic opportunities, including measurements and progress against targets.

- Manage the capex budget, challenging and supporting investment projects and preparing monthly capex reporting analysis and insight for the ExCo and Board.

- Assist the CFO in the preparation of Investor Relations materials to bring to life the journey to the market and interested shareholders and stakeholders.

- Be the hub of commercial reports and analysis, including KPI dashboards, and competitor analysis.

- Play a key role in driving performance by providing insight, analysis and recommendations in relation to growth assessment and improvement, financial sustainability and investment cases to enable sound decision making.

- Responsible for delivering weekly and monthly performance reporting. Reviewing and challenging proposals/ business cases.

- Working collaboratively across Financial Control and FP&A, the teams will deliver month end results, with clear and insightful analysis and commentary re performance v Budget and LY, but also the forward-looking impact of said performance. A deep dive into margin achievement v assumptions, and production efficiency within the mix will be an exiting part of this role and team.

- Facilitate understanding of operational variances and provide early warning system on cost overruns/revenue shortfalls – this role will partner on business, not just financial, performance.

- Build strong, collaborative relationships with all senior leaders and key stakeholders to understand performance and drive strategic decision-making.

- Ensure investment appraisals of strategic opportunities are accurate and in line with strategic goals.

- In partnership with the Group Financial Controller, identify and deliver continuous improvements to financial operational controls, procedures and systems.

- Lead ad-hoc projects, including detailed financial modelling.

- Lead and engage a small team of qualified and part qualified finance professionals to develop strong business partnering relationships.

- Support the function to improve systems and adopt new systems and drive capabilities.

Team:

- Lead, engage and develop a commercial business partnering team who feel empowered and informed to deliver strong business partnering relationships.

- Create a positive and inclusive environment, one which is collaborative, respectful and supportive, where everyone feels valued and good performance is rewarded and recognised.

- Understand the strengths and abilities of your team, driving talent management, managing performance and addressing any issues or concerns with credibility.

Culture:

− Embrace and demonstrate the Mulberry values and behaviours: honesty, dynamism, and a community-oriented spirit. 

− Support Mulberry to deliver an inclusive culture, through behaving in a way that is open-minded and respectful towards others, and understanding that your views, opinions, and experiences may not always be shared by your colleagues.

− Act as an ambassador for Mulberry and communicate positively about the brand.

Sustainability:

− As a certified B Corp business, it is important to incorporate environmentally responsible practices into your work wherever possible. Support the businesses ‘Five C’s’ strategy in addressing and improving Climate, Cultivation, Craft, Culture and Circularity. Promote a greener, more sustainable future.

− Support to foster an environment where diversity is embraced and all individuals feel valued, respected and included. Promote equity, empathy and understanding and demonstrate this commitment within your internal and external communities. 

Skills & Knowledge Required:

- Qualified accountant (ACA/ACCA/CIMA)

- Excellent knowledge of Hyperion ideally, as well as experience with other systems

- Previous experience in FP&A role preferred due to need for robust and clear end ot end process

- Innovative and solution oriented, with proactive attitude and with track record of delivering projects

- Outstanding analytical and excel skills

- Outgoing personality able to communicate and partner with internal department heads and external advisors

- Flexible to cater to peaks in business demands and ad-hoc projects

- Ability to manage, develop and motivate staff

- System skills and being adept with new technology is important, as well as a desire to improve. Experience with Hyperion and Planning Tools & systems is highly sought.

Mulberry is an equal opportunities employer and we are passionate about hiring and developing the best talent. All hiring decisions are made only on the basis of qualifications, skills or experience and as they relate to the particular role. If you need us to make any adjustments to our application or interview processes to enable you to be at your best, please email us at [email protected].