Finance Manager - Buying & Merchandising

Overview:

This roles plays a critical part in driving profitability by focusing on stock loss and business wide margin initiatives. In addition, the role provides the financial rigour and challenge to our Reselfridges proposition, business partnering the Buying Team and ensuring all offerings are financially robust.

Selfridges’ profit delivery by driving accurate stock accounting, analysing and improving stock loss performance, and business partnering with the Inventory team. The role also business partners and This role ensures financial integrity across all stock-related processes and leads initiatives to minimise shrinkage, improve stock visibility, and optimise working capital. The role also supports initiatives across the end to end stock workflow to help deliver improvements in efficiency.

As a Finance Manager, you will:

Act as the primary finance partner to the Inventory Team, Operational Excellence Team, Reselfridges Buying Team and Head of Commercial Buying, offering challenge, guidance, and commercial support.
Evaluate and support the financial impact of major strategic initiatives, including Stock Productivity, Profit Navigation (margin improvement), and RFID. As part of this, provide robust cost–benefit analysis to inform and shape investment decisions.
Alongside the Reselfridges Buying Team, evaluate the end to end financial impact of new Reselfridges propositions, managing the balance between commercial benefit and practical implementation.
Ensure financial integrity across all stock-related processes ensuring that information is accurate and understood.
Own the end to end month end process of stock loss, including reporting, ensuring timely delivery to stakeholders with a clear narrative on performance.
Present stock loss performance at monthly Executive Review meetings, articulating risks, opportunities, and required actions with confidence and clarity.
Analyse trends and variances in stock loss to provide clear insight which can drive action to reduce stock loss, strengthen controls, and improve operational efficiency.
Identify weaknesses in stock movement processes (including receipting, transfers, RTV, and write offs) and drive corrective actions that address root causes.
Collaborate with the Inventory team to enhance physical stock count processes, improving accuracy, governance, and compliance.
Lead stock accounting controls, ensuring full compliance with internal policies and external audit requirements.
Champion continuous improvement initiatives to strengthen stock controls, reduce stock loss, and embed best practice across the business.
Own the stockloss budgeting and forecasting process, ensuring accuracy, transparency, and accountability across stores.
Develop and maintain forward looking stock loss models to support strategic planning, scenario analysis, and operational decision making.
Manage and develop one Finance Analyst through coaching, fostering teamwork, and supporting individual development plans.
Deputise for the Senior Finance Manager where necessary

How you’ll do it…you will be:

CIMA or ACA or ACCA qualified.
Able to build strong stakeholder relationships in a challenging but collaborative way.
Highly commercial, able to manage the broader perspective, whilst maintaining attention to detail and a ‘can do’ approach.
Demonstrates strong problem-solving skills, uses initiative and proactively seeks creative alternative methods to resolve issues and problems.
Strong people management skills with experience of managing, motivating and developing a team.
Highly analytical with advanced Excel and strong data interpretation skills.
Excellent organisational skills with the ability to prioritise own and teams’ workload and deliver to tight deadlines.
Energetic and self-motivated, able to work independently, and as part of a team.
Ability to influence peers and upwards.
Good working knowledge of financial systems, and advantageous to have experience in stock accounting.