Management Accountant

Company Description:

The Barbour story began in 1894 in South Shields in the North East of England. Founder John Barbour began supplying oilskins and other garments to protect the growing community of sailors, fishermen and dockers. Still family owned and now fifth generation, Barbour HQ remains in South Shields. Under the leadership of Chairman Dame Margaret Barbour, Barbour has grown into a lifestyle brand sold in over 55 countries worldwide including Europe, the US and Asia offering a wardrobe of stylish functional clothing, footwear and accessories inspired by the unique values of the British countryside. The iconic Barbour Bedale and Barbour Beaufort wax jackets continue to be made by hand in the factory in South Shields. In 2020, Barbour launched Wax for Life, an overarching name for all of Barbour’s wax services designed to encourage customers to extend the life of their wax garments. Wax for Life includes re-waxing and repairs (first introduced in 1921) and Barbour Re-Loved an upcycling circularity initiative. Each year over 70,000 wax garments are sent back to Barbour globally to be repaired, rewaxed or altered.

Position Overview:

We are seeking an accomplished, commercially astute and professionally qualified Management Accountant to join the Barbour Finance team here at our Head Office in South Shields. This is a high-profile role for a strong accountant who can combine technical financial rigour with confident stakeholder partnership, providing timely, accurate and actionable insight to support decision-making, improve performance and strengthen financial control across the organisation. The Management Accountant will act the finance lead for designated business areas, building a deep understanding of operational drivers, commercial priorities, risk and opportunities. Working closely with senior stakeholders, you will translate financial performance into clear commercial insight, challenge assumptions constructively and support the delivery of strategic and operational objectives.

The successful candidate will take ownership of financial performance reporting, budgeting, forecasting and decision support for their business areas. You will be expected to bring strong management accounting expertise, robust analytical capability, excellent stakeholder management skills and a continuous improvement mindset.

*The role is based at our Head Office in South Shields and the expectation is 4 days in the office and 1 day of homeworking*

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

Management Accounting & Performance Reporting

• Prepare, review and present high-quality monthly management information for designated business areas, ensuring reporting is accurate, complete, timely and clearly aligned to commercial performance drivers.
• Deliver insightful variance analysis against budget, forecast and prior-year performance, clearly explaining the operational and commercial factors behind results and highlighting key risks, opportunities and actions.

Financial Insight & Stakeholder Support

• Act as a trusted finance contact for designated channels and senior operational stakeholders, providing clear financial insight, constructive challenge and value-adding commercial support.
• Partner with cost centre owners and channel leaders to improve understanding of revenue, margin, cost and profitability drivers, supporting better decision-making and stronger financial accountability.
• Build credible and effective relationships across the organisation, ensuring Finance is seen as proactive, commercially focused partner that supports delivery of business objectives.

Budgeting, Forecasting & Planning

• Own the budgeting and forecasting processes for designated business areas, coordinating inputs, challenging assumptions and ensuring financial plans are robust, evidence-based and commercially realistic.
• Monitor performance against targets, identify emerging risks and opportunities, and provide recommendations to support corrective action and performance improvement.
• Support long-term planning, scenario modelling, investment appraisal and commercial decision-making through robust financial analysis.
• Lead orderbook reviews and flash forecasting activity, using current trading information to identify performance trends and provide clear forward-looking insight.

Process Improvement, Controls & Wider Finance Support

• Drive continuous improvement, simplification and automation within finance processes, reporting and analysis.
• Support statutory audit requirements, external reporting and wider Finance team priorities as required.
• Undertake ad hoc commercial analysis and project work to support business priorities.

Skills and Experience:

• Fully qualified accountant: CIMA, ACCA or ACA.
• Strong post-qualification experience in management accounting, financial planning, commercial finance or stakeholder-facing finance roles.
• Proven experience producing high-quality management information, forecasts, budgets and commercially focused analysis.
• Strong numerical, analytical and commercial interpretation skills with the ability to convert data into meaningful insight.
• Experience in a retail, consumer goods, apparel or multi-channel commercial environment desirable.
• Experience using ERP, BI and reporting tools to improve insight, control and efficiency desirable.
• Advanced technical accounting knowledge and strong financial control discipline.
• Working knowledge of Infor ERP systems and reporting is desirable.
• Excellent analytical capability, with confidence manipulating large data sets and drawing out clear commercial insight.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the credibility to influence and constructively challenge senior non-finance stakeholders.
• Strong commercial curiosity and the ability to understand operational processes, business drivers and the causes of financial performance.
• Advanced Excel skills, including modelling, data manipulation and presentation of financial information.
• Strong Power BI or business intelligence capability, with the ability to enhance reporting and self-serve insight.
• Confident cross-functional collaborator with the ability to build trusted stakeholder relationships.
• High standards of accuracy, ownership, pace and professional judgement.
• Proactive, self-motivated and able to operate with appropriate autonomy.
• Strong integrity, accountability and operational discipline.
• Able to balance attention to detail with a pragmatic, business-focused approach.

Benefits:

• Discretionary Company bonus scheme
• Staff discount
• Staff shop
• Healthcare cash plan
• 25 days holiday as standard increasing with length of service plus bank holidays
• Access to training and development activities to support your career development
• Free onsite parking
• Subsidised canteen
• Operate hybrid & flexible working
• 4pm finish on a Friday
• Wellbeing support
• Refer a friend bonus scheme
• Reward & Recognition program
• Length of Service rewards

Note: In the event that a sufficient volume of suitable applications are received, the post may close prior to the specified closing date. Please apply as soon as possible if interested.