Head of Finance

Location: London (Paddington) - hybrid

About the Role

We are seeking a commercially astute and strategically minded Head of Finance to join our Paper Sourcing & Recycling business.

This is a high-profile leadership role responsible for providing market insight, pricing strategy, forecasting, and financial analysis that supports business performance across our Paper, Recycling, and Packaging operations. The role is critical in helping the business understand the short- and long-term drivers of paper and fibre pricing, enabling informed decision-making and supporting profitability throughout commodity pricing cycles.

Working closely with senior leaders across the business, you will lead pricing governance, forecasting, transfer pricing, performance analysis, and integrated business planning activities while ensuring stakeholders have access to accurate, insightful, and commercially relevant information.

This is an exceptional opportunity for an experienced finance leader who combines strong commercial acumen, strategic thinking, and the ability to influence at senior levels.

Key Responsibilities

Business Partnering

• •Develop a strong understanding of commodity price cycles and key drivers including energy, fibre and manufacturing costs. Analyse information from multiple sources to develop long-term pricing strategies and price ranges
• •Work with Paper Sourcing teams to challenge and validate market assumptions before presentation to senior stakeholders
• •Partner with Recycling, Paper and Packaging teams to model pricing scenarios and understand financial impacts across the value chain
• •Engage senior stakeholders to explain market dynamics and pricing assumptions
• •Support the Integrated Business Planning process and improve planning and execution across the business

Performance Monitoring

• •Benchmark paper and fibre buying performance using external market information. Share performance insights with commercial teams and support pricing improvement strategies
• •Manage competitive buying savings and track performance against market indices and third-party pricing data
• •Partner with the Paper Finance team to identify and monitor improvement opportunities across the division

Transfer Pricing

• •Ensure transfer prices are calculated and invoiced accurately. Manage stakeholder communications and pricing queries
• •Ensure fiscal transfer prices comply with transfer pricing policies
• •Calculate index prices and communicate them to Paper and Packaging stakeholders

Month-End Responsibilities

• •Ensure margins are accurately reported in line with Group requirements. Complete reconciliations and reporting for sales, purchases and margins within required timelines
• •Analyse the impact of price movements on sales and purchasing performance, and produce management information covering volumes, margins and supplier mix

Budget & Forecast

• •Lead the paper and fibre pricing forecast process, taking ownership of margin forecast accuracy
• •Calculate external purchase costs, identify forecast risks and opportunities

Leadership & Strategy

• •Support the Paper Sourcing & Recycling leadership teams with long-term strategic scenario modelling and pricing strategies
• •Coach and develop the finance team, building business partnering capability and ensuring the business receives appropriate financial support and insight

About You

• •University degree with a finance qualification and significant post-qualified experience
• •Experience in senior finance roles with strong expertise in financial accounting, governance and controls. Experience in of working on transfer pricing is advantageous
• •Proven track-record in strategic finance support and evaluation of long-term opportunities and risks
• •Commodity pricing analysis experience is advantageous
• •Financial modelling, scenario planning and forecasting experience
• •Reporting and analytical systems knowledge
• •People leadership experience
• •Comfortable navigating an international, matrix environment, capable of influencing without authority
• •Ability to build and maintain strong relationships and influencing at all levels of the organisation.

About us

We are DS Smith, together with International Paper, we are a global leader in sustainable packaging solutions and other fibre-based products. We believe a better, more sustainable tomorrow is possible with the right people, who challenge and support one another to enact positive change. We employ more than 65,000 colleagues in North America and Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA), who are experts in innovation, manufacturing, design, sales, sustainability, supply chain, and much more. Together with our customers, we make the world safer and more productive, one sustainable packaging solution at a time. Become part of a world-leading organisation and do your best work with us!

To fulfil our purpose of redefining packaging for a changing world, we aim to build a diverse, motivated, and engaged workforce. Our goal is to create a culture of inclusion where everyone is treated fairly, differences are valued, and everyone has an equal opportunity to succeed.

Our people come from diverse backgrounds, bring different perspectives, ideas and experiences to generate unique solutions focused on present and future sustainability challenges. We welcome all candidates to apply, even those not meeting all criteria

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