WHAT DOES A GROUP FINANCE MANAGER DO?

Published: May 12, 2025 - The Group Finance Manager oversees the timely preparation of consolidated management accounts and statutory reports, delivering monthly financial statements with detailed variance analysis within strict deadlines. This position manages cash flow reporting and forecasting, supports strategic decision-making through insightful financial reporting, and leads the budgeting and forecasting processes. This role drives financial modeling for new initiatives and ensures executive teams have access to accurate data to evaluate business performance effectively.

A Review of Professional Skills and Functions for Group Finance Manager

1. Group Finance Manager Duties

  • Statutory Reporting: Ensure accurate and timely statutory and management accounting and reporting.
  • Intercompany Reconciliation: Agree inter-company balances with other group companies.
  • Group Synergies: Look for synergies between the group companies.
  • Financial Analysis: Analyse and present monthly financial results.
  • Regulatory Compliance: Ensure compliance with all legal, tax and financial laws and regulations.
  • Cash Monitoring: Closely monitor cash flow and timely settlements of suppliers and clients.
  • Risk Management: Risk management and internal controls.
  • Business Forecasting: Forecasting and modelling of business scenarios.
  • Budget Management: Drive the annual budgeting/forecasting and reporting timetable and process linking with the individual entities across the Group, ensuring accuracy and timelines as well as quality content output for Board evaluation and review.
  • M&A Support: Providing analytical and technical support to Group M&A initial reviews and full due diligence reviews alongside a wider internal team and external advisory teams.
  • Inventory Control: Review and recording of monthly inventory/manufacturing activity, liaising with the supply chain in completing inventory reconciliations to stock listings.
  • Cost Accounting: Involvement in the standard costing process and variance accounting for the group on all products.

2. Group Finance Manager Details

  • Management Reporting: Responsible for the production of consolidated management account packs.
  • Statutory Accounts: Preparation and production of statutory accounts.
  • Financial Statements: Preparation and presentation of detailed monthly financial statements including profit and loss accounts, balance sheet, cash flow, variance analysis and commentaries, within 7 working days of month end.
  • Cash Reporting: Review cash position weekly & provide detailed reporting on monthly cash flow and rolling 3-month cash forecast.
  • Stakeholder Communication: Effectively communicate management accounts and reports so that the Operational and Executive boards fully understand key data and are consequently able to make informed decisions on areas of the business.
  • Performance Accounting: Working with the Senior Management Team to account for department performance.
  • Budget Forecasting: Leading the annual budget and forecast process.
  • Executive Reporting: Produce reports for the Executive team.
  • Business Reporting: Lead the reporting for the business to enable decision makers to access accurate information directly.
  • Financial Modelling: Financial modelling of new business initiatives.
  • Monthly Reporting: Lead the monthly reporting process.

3. Group Finance Manager Responsibilities

  • Financial Reporting: Reporting Financial, Statutory and ASX.
  • Management Reporting: Monthly management reporting, budgeting and forecasting.
  • Cashflow Management: Balance sheet, cashflow management and business modelling.
  • Variance Analysis: Analysis & variance reporting against key performance drivers.
  • Executive Support: Partnering with the Executive Leadership Team, providing commercial support and analysis on products, customers and marketing investments.
  • Commercial Analysis: Assistance with commercial negotiations and analysing business opportunities.
  • Stakeholder Management: Handling key external relationships including audit, banking and legal.
  • Reporting Systems: Implementing and maintaining appropriate reporting systems and controls.
  • Cross-Functional: Broad remit with cross-functional involvement including HR, IT, Investor Relations, Risk Management, Strategy and Company Secretarial.
  • SOX Compliance: Prepares and maintains documentation for Sarbanes-Oxley compliance.
  • Control Testing: Performs internal control reviews and testing within the company to ensure accuracy and compliance with internal policies and procedures.
  • Group Reporting: Assist in the preparation of Group financial statements including 20-F filing and quarterly/annual reports.

4. Group Finance Manager Job Summary

  • Team Development: Direct report to the Head of Group Reporting, playing a key role in the development of the team.
  • Group Reporting: Managing the monthly Group reporting including the delivery of timely, accurate financial information.
  • Process Improvement: Expected to challenge the status quo of processes and formalising documentation and controls.
  • Results Analysis: Own the monthly Group results analysis to PE owners and the Group CFO, clearly documenting and articulating drivers for variances to budget, key accounting judgements, and opportunities/risks to the budget for the year.
  • Forecast Modelling: Support the budgeting and forecasting cycles, modelling the balance sheet and cash flow.
  • Annual Reporting: Production of the Group Annual Report & Accounts including the Strategic Report and subsidiary statutory accounts.
  • External Reporting: Quarterly external results presentations and announcements in line with external debt obligations.
  • Investor Insight: Support with analysis and insight for external investor queries.
  • Technical Papers: Production of technical papers for key judgment areas.
  • Accounting Compliance: Ensuring the Group is compliant with all relevant technical accounting pronouncements and standards.
  • Stakeholder Relations: Building strong relationships with key stakeholders including the external audit team and across the business.
  • Control Assurance: Ensuring appropriate financial controls and processes are in place to ensure accurate and timely production of financial information.

5. Group Finance Manager Accountabilities

  • Committee Reporting: Providing the relevant content and information to the Audit Committee and Disclosure Committee papers.
  • Disclosure Support: Working alongside the Group Reporting team to ensure appropriate disclosure of the relevant accounting matters in the Group's Financial Statements.
  • Audit Engagement: Proactively engage the auditors working on accounting matters affecting the Functions.
  • SOX Framework: Ensuring the appropriate SOx framework is considered in all accounting matters and accounting advice to the function considers control implications.
  • IFRS Guidance: Taking on additional ad-hoc project-related responsibilities to provide appropriate IFRS guidance to the broader business and into the Group Reporting team.
  • Finance Partnering: Business partner to the Associate Director of Finance.
  • Statutory Compliance: Liaise with external accountants to ensure all Statutory Accounts are accurate and produced in a timely fashion.
  • Board Reporting: Producing monthly, quarterly, 6-monthly & annual management information reports and monthly Board packs to set deadlines (including P&L and Balance sheets) for the CEO, Investors, and each group company’s board.
  • Strategic Advisory: Advise on investments, budgets, strategy, targets, and cost savings.
  • Cash Management: Managing cash flows 
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