Rutherford Cross is delighted to be working with James Jones & Sons Ltd to appoint a Group Management Accountant.

James Jones & Sons Ltd was established over 170 years ago and has developed into one of the largest timber processing groups in the UK. The Group comprises 3 trading arms; Sawmilling, Engineered Timber Products and Pallets. With a turnover of over £150m the business has grown both organically and through acquisition. The Group also has an investment in Stella Jones Inc, North America’s leading producer of pressure treated wood products through its joint venture with Stella SpA, an Italian company.

James Jones & Sons Ltd continues to embrace the same values as those exemplified by its founder, James Jones: to set and maintain the highest standards of quality and service. The business prides itself on being a responsible employer, providing long term and rewarding employment prospects at all its locations across the UK. The company employs 700 people in the UK based at 16 strategically located sites. James Jones & Sons Ltd is the sector leader in environmental management and is widely regarded as a benchmark organisation on sustainability issues.

James Jones & Sons Ltd operates with a lean management team and finance department and a culture where positive opinions on areas for operational improvement are welcomed, and rewarded. As a result of an upcoming maternity cover for the Management Accountant and the planned retiral of the Group Financial Controller in the next two years, a new permanent vacancy has been created. This is a rare, fast-tracked opportunity for a recently qualified accountant to progress from the role of Group Management Accountant to Group Financial Controller in a diverse, dynamic and market leading business.

The Group Management Accountant vacancy is a fantastic opportunity for a recently qualified accountant to build a career with one of Scotland’s most successful businesses. The position has been created with succession planning in mind for the medium to long-term, whilst addressing the requirement to cover core management accounting duties in the short-term. The long-standing Group Financial Controller will be retiring in the next 2 years and as such the business is keen to appoint an individual who has the attributes and ambition to progress to a more senior financial and commercial role. This change is coupled with the existing Management Accountant going on maternity leave in June 2018.

The short-term plan is to appoint an individual who will spend their first year with the company covering the Management Accountant’s role, learning the intricacies of the business. This is a great opportunity for an aspirant Group Financial Controller to gain a thorough understanding of the business of James Jones & Sons Ltd., its finance function, systems and processes at a detailed level. This will equip the right candidate with the knowledge to deliver as they step up to the role of Group Financial Controller.

The existing Management Accountant oversees the transactional finance team of 4 and has great knowledge of the company’s operations. Spending a year working closely with those who occupy sales ledger, purchase ledger and credit control positions will provide the necessary grounding and opportunity for progression for the right candidate.

A major feature required of this opportunity is to become fully integrated in the business across different divisions and operational functions, understanding the key drivers and communicating financial impacts of outcomes in a timely manner to decision makers. This will involve questioning the norm, challenging current processes and being present in operational meetings.

Key to succeeding in the role will be developing the management accounts function, producing accurate weekly and monthly reporting and analysis. The post-holder will also take ownership of the year-end statutory accounting process. These core accounting duties will be carried out whilst developing effective relationships across the business.

The Group Management Accountant position requires an individual who has the drive to become the Group Financial Controller of one of Scotland’s most successful businesses within a 2 years period, whilst having the humility to undertake more routine tasks as part of that short journey.

A summary of the key candidate requirements are as follows:

• Qualified accountant (CA, ACCA, CIMA)
• A pride in delivering a positive contribution to the company
• Attention to detail
• A positive attitude and understanding that learning the more detailed day to day financial processes in the management accounting role is part of a longer-term development plan which may lead to a more senior role in the business
• Confidence to communicate effectively with a range of stakeholders at all levels
• Strong accounting and business acumen
• Enthusiasm to develop an understanding of the driving factors behind a successful manufacturing business
• Sound leadership skills

The role of Group Management Accountant is a short-term step which may lead to the right candidate becoming Group Financial Controller of a highly successful Scottish manufacturing business. It requires a desire to immerse oneself in the detail of the management accounting and gain and understanding of the transactional finance roles. The individual will have to gain buy-in from a range of long-standing stakeholders across the wider business.

The post-holder will be tasked with the production of accurate and timely management accounts. This information will enable the operating units to possess more comprehensive understanding of their performance.

Duties will initially include:

• Production of monthly management accounts
• Preparation of quarterly accounts pack
• Ensure all reporting deadlines are met and all submissions are complete, accurate and timely
• Upload Intrastat and EC sales reports to HMRC
• Oversee month end reporting, managing sales ledger and credit controller
• Perform quarterly stock analysis
• Production of balance sheet & P&L reconciliations for year-end file
• Generate reports for auditors and prepare the year end file
• Take ownership for liaising with auditors when on site
• Provide assistance to transactional finance team as required

Benefits package include:

• Competitive salary
• Extremely attractive Group Personal Pension scheme
• Life Assurance Cover
• Annual bonus