Assistant Finance Manager/Controller - Italy

At Morgan Advanced Materials, our rich history and dedication to innovation define who we are. Since our establishment in the UK in 1856, we have expanded globally, now operating across 70 sites in 18 countries. Our goal is to create a more sustainable world and enhance quality of life. We actively pursue this purpose through the development and production of advanced materials. 

Within our business unit, we specialise in innovating cutting-edge carbon, graphite, and carbide products that deliver outstanding performance. We use our expertise to tackle complex challenges across many diverse industries to provide effective solutions for our valued customers. 

Our products are shaping a better future; from enabling electric cars to charge faster and drive longer distances to maximising the operational efficiency of wind turbines. We are proud to help generate power for billions of people, deliver water to drought-stricken regions, improve the efficiency of industrial pumps, and protect lives both on the land and in the air. 

Key Figures: Revenue £1,114.7m (2023), ~8,500 employees, manufacturing in 20+ countries, and a global customer portfolio. A UK PLC with head office located in Windsor, Berkshire UK.  Listed on London Stock Exchange; Member of the FTSE 250 Index.

The Assistant Finance Manager is a developmental role where the candidate will be responsible for the ordinary general ledger management with the double ledger in Italian and IFRS GAAP, cash management, internal audit management and support to all site departments to be compliant with the Morgan code and rules, month end STAR reporting (including forecast and budget in team with the Management Accountant), statutory, tax and control activities for Carbon Italy  Performance Carbon division, in an efficient and effective manner in line with the Morgan Code and the Country laws.

After a short orientation phase and transition duties with the current assistant, he/she will take the role and manage the Finance Dept. working in team with the Management Accountant and reporting directly to the Financial Controller.

Responsibilities

Essential Duties & Responsibilities

• Support site cost controlling elements for overheads, depreciation and collaborate with the Management Accountant to manage and control the cost accounting, manufacturing variance analysis, stock cut-off etc.
• Collaborate with site management to model and analyze financial data to support strategic and tactical initiatives e.g. costing for request for quotation (RFQ), non-financial KPI analysis such as line utilization and energy consumption, capital spend projections etc.
• Manage the Finance Dept. to ensure all transaction accounting work is completed in line with expected timelines e.g. reconciliations, reporting, annual stock valuation roll update etc., and support team where local assistance is required e.g. stock and fixed asset verification. These activities are managed closely with the Management Accountant.
• Work closely with Site management Team, Financial controller and his assistant for forecasting and budgeting processes for the operation.
• Work closely with Financial controller, Tax consultants, Audit teams for Statutory Accounts and tax return processes.
• Support the use of lean tools to drive efficiency and effectiveness improvements throughout the cost controlling function.
• Get the responsibility to manage the new IT system Dynamics 365 to maintain updated it in the both ledgers: Italian Gaap and IFRS one. It is responsible to manage the audit on the data posted in the system.
• Ensure all aspects of the operational finance are in line with group accounting policy, group internal control procedures and UK Corporate Governance Code (UK SOX / Fortify). Support internal and external audits for the business as appropriate.
• Bank and cash management: he/she will get the attorney for the second bank transaction signature (valid only if it will be used together with a Board Director signature).
• Take an active part in delivering a high commitment to Environment, Health and Safety under Morgan’s ‘ThinkSAFE’ Program and to the Group-wide ethics and compliance program.

Job Description

We are looking for an ambitious Assistant Finance Manager that, followings the laws, the Morgan code and the Financial Controller guidelines, will manage the company financial, tax and reporting aspects. Its task is to ensure that the company complies with all the obligations required by law, the accounting procedures up to compliance with Morgan Group, Statutory, and tax deadlines. In addition its duty is to manage the new Dynamics ERP in both ledger for Italian and the IFRS Gaap.

The role will cover:

• Budgets & financial statements (including Morgan STAR entries)
• Financial forecasting, P&L simulations and Pricing/Margin analysis (this part covered in collaboration with the Management Accountant)
• Customer invoicing and receipting
• Supplier payments and expenses
• Debt collection and cashflow management
• VAT ledger
• Employee payroll and expense reconciliation ((for TEC charged to marginal costs the reconciliation for IFRS are to be done together with the Management Accountant)
• When needed, work together the Management Accountant and the Financial Controller to calculate the break-even and ROI evaluation of commercial deals
• Company's fiscal and legal compliance
• Company’s books: maintain updated the Shareholders and Board of Directors ones
• ERP operations and finance modules
• Audit point of reference (internal and external)

Qualifications

Essential:

• Graduate, ideally qualified in business administration/accountancy or equivalent
• Ability to communicate in English
• Great experience of financial reporting, analysis, statutory, tax and controls within a company that is part of a global multinational manufacturing business
• Worked for two or more years in one “Big Four” Audit firm
• Knowledge of IFRS other than the Italian Gaap
• Good experience of cost accounting, manufacturing variance analysis, inventory control etc
• Good experience in finance, tax and statutory management
• Excellent Microsoft Office skills, especially Excel (and Power BI preferred)
• Good inter-personal skills with the ability to work with a diverse team in our own plant, PC division and externally
• Ability to influence and persuade people within the organization.
• High energy with an ability to demonstrate resilience in achieving goals/targets.
• Methodical, organized and an eye for detail
• Persistence, ability not to accept no for an answer
• Excellent time management and ability to perform under tight deadlines

Desired:

• Experience of business partnering
• Experience of improving processes, procedures and systems
• Knowledge of global ERP systems (MS Dynamics preferred)