Finance Director Western Europe
Kingspan Group is a highly successful international building materials manufacturing organisation. With 2017 annual revenues of over €3.7bn, and a trading profit at of €377.5m, the Group operates through five divisions: Insulated Panels, Insulated Boards, Light + Air, Access Floors and Environmental.
Kingspan’s strategy is to focus on developing high-performance materials that are specifiable to their end markets and that can demonstrate a clear performance differential to those of its competitors. The Group’s strengths in innovation and product development, coupled with its drive to produce the highest quality materials at the lowest possible cost, support this strategy. This has enabled Kingspan to create a market-leading position in each of its core divisions, which the Group is growing geographically – both organically and through acquisition. In total, the Group has 111 manufacturing sites around the world, and approximately 12,000 employees.
A highly acquisitive Group, Kingspan has integrated its existing lighting business with four acquisitions, the German based Essmann Group the North American based Bristolite Daylighting Systems and CPI Daylighting Systems and most recently Brakel Group to create its new Light + Air Division.
The division offers energy efficient, sustainable lighting, natural ventilation and smoke management solutions for the roof and façade non-residential sector and has major operating entities in the UK, Ireland, Germany, the Benelux, France and North America with sales offices in Poland and Hungary. Kingspan Light + Air has just approximately 1,500 employees with revenues of €300m. This Division operates through four regional leaderships teams – Western Europe; Southern Europe; CEER; and North America.
Role: Finance Director Western Europe which has existing operations in The Netherlands, Belgium, Slovakia (manufacturing) UK and Ireland.
Reporting to: Managing Director Western Europe
This role will play an instrumental role in driving Western Europe strategy as a member of the Regional senior management team.
Key Responsibilities:
• In conjunction with local Heads of Finance, to lead the local Finance, IT and HR teams to provide timely and accurate management information on a daily, weekly and monthly basis. Provide commentary on business performance highlighting any issues of concern.
• Working closely with the Regional MD, playing a key leadership role within the Region.
• Play an active role in the development of a strong team and close knit culture within the Region in particular within the senior management team. Creating an ethos and environment where ‘can do’ attitudes, comradery and high achievement will flourish.
• In conjunction with Regional leadership team develop and implement Regional strategic plans with the objective of continually growing the business and maximising profit.
• Lead the process for reporting, budgeting, forecasting and strategic planning.
• Ensuring a robust internal control environment is maintained across the Region. Liaise with Group internal audit, leading the preparation for internal audits and remediation of internal audit findings.
• Ensure acquisitions are integrated within the Region effectively and have suitable systems in place to control both manufacturing and sales processes.
• Improving the impact, and understanding, of financial reporting on business performance.
• Providing analysis and delivering insight that links financial reports to business strategies.
• Providing effective commercial procedures, or initiating change, to ensure key operational, commercial and financial targets are delivered.
• Building partnerships and maintaining strong relationships with all senior managers and their teams
• Build positive relationships with Divisional Finance function and external auditors and tax advisors.
• Continually challenge existing decisions, processes and data, in order to maximise value for the business.
• Ensure risks and opportunities are highlighted and that forecast sensitivities and risks are identified.
• Monitor closely pricing and margins. Ensure all product and project costings are accurately maintained and ensure process is in place to make accurate estimates.
• Support implementation of Divisional IT and HR Strategies. Build and develop the finance & IT teams to deliver and support the needs of the Region.
• Build and develop the finance & IT teams to deliver and support the needs of the Region.
• Ensure objectives are set for all members of the Finance, IT and HR teams through regular appraisals and training needs identified and acted upon.
• Deputise for MD as required.
Qualifications and Experience
• Professional accountancy qualification with 7+ years post qualification.
• Familiar with working in a plc reporting environment.
• Experience of working in a diverse, multi-site, manufacturing environment.
• Ideally, a background in construction or industrial goods across a number of European and International markets.
• Exposure to post acquisition integration.
• Fully IT literate and experience of implementing major IT projects.
Key competencies
• Ability to work under pressure and meet tight deadlines managing multiple priorities.
• Strategic planning, creative thinker, ‘can do’ attitude
• Strong analytical thinking
• Excellent commercial acumen
• Business focused and service delivery approach
• Team leadership
• Change management and conflict resolution
• Consultation, communication and negotiation skills
• Resilience
• Presentation
• Strong Interpersonal awareness, relationship building
• Ability to influence and negotiate at senior level