FP&A Accounting Manager

Want to help us bring happiness to the world? Want to join an ambitious and fast growing global biscuits and confectionery business investing heavily in iconic global brands, infrastructure and people? Then this is the place for you.
As proud bakers and chocolatiers and custodians of iconic global brands, we don’t compromise on the quality of ingredients in our products or on the people we hire. We are looking for entrepreneurial spirits who share our passion for bringing happiness to our consumers and who embody our Winning Traits.
To succeed at pladis you need to be

purpose-led ,

resilient

and

positive

to succeed here because we expect pace and

agility , we insist on

collaboration

and demand accountability. If that is your thing, then pladis offers global ambition, a clear Vision and roadmap for success, challenge, and unrivalled opportunities to learn and make an impact
Click “Apply” to get started.
Role Purpose

The Accounting Manager sits within the FP&A team and has

end ‑ to ‑ end

accountability for the UK&I

month ‑ end

close and SG&A accounting , ensuring

timely

delivery,

high ‑ quality

outputs, and strong financial discipline across the Finance function.

The role leads the

• day ‑ to ‑ day
• operation of the
• month ‑ end
• close , including oversight and management of the
• offshore Management Accounting team , setting clear standards, expectations, and timelines to ensure a predictable,
• well ‑ controlled
• close.
• The role also carries direct line management responsibility for an FP&A Analyst with specific accountability for Direct Marketing spend,
• providing
• day-to-day guidance, objective-setting, and performance oversight for this individual.

Operating as a

n

accounting lead within FP&A, the role is the owner of

P&L integrity for SG&A

• , combining technical accounting judgement with strong process ownership and
• cross ‑ functional
• business partnering. In particular, the role partners closely with

HR and IS

• , providing clear oversight of
• actual and forecasted spend , ensuring costs are well understood, appropriately controlled, and consistently reflected across accounting outcomes and
• forward ‑ looking
• views.
• The focus of the role is on

ownership, control, and continuous improvement
, ensuring accounting outputs are robust, explainable, and trusted by FP&A, Financial Accounting, and functional leadership.

Key Responsibilities

• 1.
• Month ‑ End

Close Leadership

Own and coordinate the

UK&I

month ‑ end

close process , with specific accounting ownership for UK&I SG&A.

Lead the

• day ‑ to ‑ day
• execution of close activities , including management of the
• offshore Management Accounting team , ensuring clear ownership, sequencing, and deadlines.

Ensure close activities are

Timely and predictable

Clearly owned with

• appropriate review
• and
• sign ‑ off
• Performed in line with group accounting policies and financial controls
• Act as the primary escalation point for close issues, resolving problems pragmatically and at pace.
• Drive continuous improvement in close efficiency, quality, and discipline.
• Ensure a clean,
• well ‑ understood
• bridge from actuals to forecast and plan.

• SG&A Accounting Ownership & Business Partnering

Own the

end ‑ to ‑ end

accounting for SG&A , ensuring costs are:

Complete and accurately recorded

Correctly classified and

allocated

Consistently reflected across actuals, forecasts, and plans

Act as the

finance lead for SG&A accounting outcomes
, partnering particularly closer with HR and IS

Provide clear visibility and challenge on

actual and forecasted spend , ensuring variances are understood, explainable, and actioned where

appropriate .

Act as point of accountability for SG&A

month ‑ end

results, including:

Accruals and prepayments

Provisions and estimates

Review of material movements versus prior period and forecast

Apply accounting judgement consistently, balancing technical accuracy with commercial understanding.

• P&L Integrity, Review & Governance

Act as custodian of

SG&A P&L integrity

, ensuring:

• Clear ownership of cost lines
• Consistent application of accounting policies
• Robust and supportable use of judgement and estimates

Engage directly with

Cost Centre Managers

to:

• Ensure SG&A spend is well understood, appropriately planned, and clearly explained
• Challenge cost trends, timing, and classification where
• required
• Reinforce accountability for cost control and financial discipline

Review and challenge unusual items, trends, or reclassifications, working collaboratively with:

Cost Centre Managers

HR and IS business partners

FP&A colleagues

Provide direct line management for the FP&A Analyst responsible for Direct Marketing spend, including regular 1:1s, objective-setting, performance reviews, and professional development support.

Ensure accounting outcomes are

• transparent, explainable, and auditable , with no reliance on
• post ‑ close
• fixes or unexplained variances.

Maintain

high ‑ quality

documentation supporting key judgements, estimates, and cost ownership.

• Controls, Standards & Best Practice

Ensure SG&A accounting and close processes

operate

within a

strong financial

controls

framework .

Define and embed

clear standards and expectations

for:

Accrual quality

Documentation and audit evidence

Review and approval processes

• Share best practice across Accounting and FP&A teams, improving consistency and reducing
• key ‑ person
• dependency.
• Partner with Internal Audit and Control teams, addressing findings promptly and sustainably.

Key Relationships

Direct Reports

FP&A Analyst – Direct Marketing

Wider FP&A Team

Wider Finance Function

Offshore Management Accounting team

HR Leadership

IS Leadership and Technology Finance

Finance Transformation

Internal/External Audit

Group / Regional Finance

Skills & Experience

Essential

• Qualified accountant (ACA / ACCA / CIMA or equivalent).
• Strong technical understanding of P&L accounting and
• month ‑ end
• close.
• Proven experience owning close processes in a complex organisation.
• Experience leading or coordinating offshore or
• shared ‑ service
• teams.
• Confident applying judgement, challenging constructively, and setting standards.
• Ability to translate accounting detail into clear, practical outcomes for
• non ‑ finance
• stakeholders.

Desirable

Experience in

• SG&A ‑ heavy
• environments.
• Exposure to SAP or a similar ERP.

Experience

• operating
• in
• audit ‑ facing
• control environments.
• Experience of line managing or directly developing at least one team member, with the ability to set clear
• objectives
• and build capability.

What Success Looks Like

• Month ‑ end
• close is
• predictable,
• well ‑ controlled , and trusted .
• SG&A results are clean,
• well ‑ explained , and distribution clearly owned by Finance.
• HR and IS have clear visibility of actual and forecasted spend, with no surprises.

Accounting issues are

identified

early and resolved at source, not during audit.

Best practice is

shared and embedded , not reliant on individuals.

FP&A

• operate
• as
• one coherent finance team .
• The FP&A Analyst is well-supported, clear on priorities, and producing trusted Direct Marketing reporting.

pladis is an Equal Opportunity Employer, committed to hiring a diverse workforce. All openings will be filled based on qualifications without regard to race, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, marital status, veteran status, disability, age, religion or any other classification protected by law.
We operate a strict Preferred Supplier List. If you are a recruitment agency and wish to submit candidate to be considered for this vacancy, you must have agreed to, and signed, our terms of business.
We will not accept CVs from any other sources other than those currently on our PSL. We will not pay a fee for any candidate that has not been represented by a provider on our PSL.