Group Financial Controller

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:

Reporting to the CFO, this role is the subject matter expert on aspects of P2P, R2R, Month End, Audit, Tax. With expertise in cash flow management and balance sheet oversight, this is a key role for our multi-jurisdiction, multi-entity retail and manufacturing business.

This role has senior visibility, being a key interface with external stakeholders such as the Auditors, day-to-day Banking relationships, Tax advisors – in addition to exposure to senior internal stakeholders such as the General Counsel, CFO, and CEO on key board topics. Exposure to ExCo, PLC Board and Sub Committees will be a regular feature and a great opportunity to relationship build.

In close partnership with the CFO, this role will be part of the development of the finance strategy for Mulberry, the transformation of both systems and processes in the finance and wider business, and a change agent for developing a best-in-class finance team.

The role has a team of Senior Managers, Accountants and junior Accountant roles, and so a strong people leader, with high EQ and experience in people development is a must.

Whilst experience in manufacturing and/or retail is desired, exposure and experience with the key focus areas above, especially in multi-entity, multi-jurisdiction environments, is key.

Hybrid working applies to this role, the successful employee must be on-site at our Chilcompton office minimum 3 days per week. Regular travel to London may also be required.

Duties & Responsibilities:

- Responsible for all aspects of Mulberry Group PLC's consolidated financial reporting and the production of the financial statements for all Mulberry Group subsidiary companies to the timetable agreed with the CFO and external auditors.

- Oversee the preparation of the Mulberry Group PLC interim and full-year financial statements, taking account of all appropriate disclosure requirements.

- Support the CFO on investor relations and strategy planning, at times in partnership with key stakeholders, with an appropriate narrative.

- Responsible for the annual/interim audits and the effective delivery of these in line with the relevant deadlines.

- Oversee the production of effective, concise, and timely financial information to be circulated to the key decision makers within the business.

- In conjunction with the CFO and other senior management, support the identification of KPIs for all functions within the business, and where relevant, apply them to the month-end reporting to enable benchmarking and assessment of efficiency and effectiveness.

- Support key stakeholders with the Group’s annual budget, ensuring the elements concerning Cash Flow management phasing, plus Balance Sheet detail (including working capital, capex) positions are clear and correctly planned.

- Month to month, work closely with the key stakeholders to use the monthly and quarterly P&L forecasting to translate them into appropriate cash flow forecasts for the Group to facilitate effective working capital management.

- Responsible for the tax risk register and compliance across the Group, including PAYE, Corporation tax (UK and overseas), and VAT, supported by the Head of Tax.

- In conjunction with the CFO and Head of Tax, agree on effective tax planning globally.

- Oversee the transfer pricing policy, including all relevant documentation, supported by the Head of Tax.

- Develop a clear understanding of the main risk areas for the business and take steps in conjunction with the CFO to mitigate them.

- Prepare Board papers, presentations and summarise the main financial risks of the Group to the PLC Board.

- Support HR with the payroll process and compliance and be a sign-off for process and values.

- Participate in Group projects to understand the opportunities key stakeholders are modelling and to ensure that the implications and financial risks are understood and quantified from the outset.

- Lead the team in the evaluation of Group systems and plan for the implementation of new finance systems.

- Support development of strategy due to changes in Macro environment (such as changes in jurisdiction laws, duties and tariffs, or other elements that may change operations or financial processes).

- Ensure that treasury and FX risks for the Group are identified and mitigated appropriately.

- Responsible for the development and implementation of the Group’s treasury policy and banking relationships. Whilst the CFO owns the relationship, the Group FC will have exposure and lead elements of the day-to-day relationship.

Team:

- Lead the team to gain commitment and loyalty, ensuring they have a clear understanding of the brand’s and function’s strategic objectives and priorities and remain motivated and engaged to help the achieve these goals.

- Recruit, develop and retain a high performing team.

- Ensure all Senior Managers have succinct training and development plans for their respective teams.

- Ensure all performance and talent review processes are delivered for your team.

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 & Experience Required:

- Qualified through ACA/ACCA or equivalent with strong technical skills, ideally gained through an audit background.

- Post-qualification experience in a multi-entity, multi-jurisdiction environment.

- Experience leading and developing high-performing teams from senior finance to more junior accounting levels reports.

- Strong business partner experience and proven track record of developing outstanding relationships across business areas.

- Strong working knowledge and demonstrable experience of financial reporting for PLC and preparation of statutory accounts with particular reference to IFRS16.

- Experience in all aspects of month-end management accounting.

- The ability to demonstrate collaborative problem-solving.

- Experience in systems transformation and implementation.

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].