Finance Manager

The Basic Ingredients Ltd

About The Basic Ingredients

Established in 2018, The Basic Ingredients Ltd is a BRCGS Grade AA certified food company headquartered in London with a Dutch trading entity (The Basic Ingredients B.V., Rotterdam). Under our trademark brand Emma Basic, we specialise in clean-label ingredients for home cooking. Emma Basic promises: “Never Any Additives” – no emulsifiers, sweeteners, colourings, or ultra-processed elements such as refined oils.

With a high-performing team of just ten, we generate annual revenues of just under £10 million across the UK, EU and Far East. We move fast, every team member has commercial impact, and you will work directly with the leadership team. You will be professionally trained, trusted, respected and appreciated.

The Role

We are looking for a CIMA-qualified Finance Manager to take ownership of our finance function across our UK and Dutch entities. This is a hands-on, commercially focused role. You will run the day-to-day finance operation, control cash and stock as our two largest balance-sheet items, challenge supplier costs, and partner with the Managing Director on the numbers that drive the business.

Key Responsibilities

Cash and working capital

• Lead the weekly cashflow meeting; prepare the rolling 13-week cashflow forecast and chair the supplier payment prioritisation discussion.
• Manage daily bank balances across UK and NL accounts; flag funding requirements early.

Accounts payable and invoice challenge

• Critically review and challenge supplier invoices prior to MD authorisation – verify pricing against POs and contracts, identify overcharges, recover credits, and hold suppliers to agreed terms.
• Own the accounts payable process end-to-end, supervising the Assistant Accountant on invoice posting, payment runs and supplier statement reconciliations.

Stock and asset management

• Own the integrity of stock as a balance-sheet asset across UK and NL: valuation, ageing, slow-moving and obsolete provisioning, write-offs.
• Lead monthly stock reconciliations between SAP, the warehouse and physical counts; investigate and resolve variances.
• Coordinate periodic stocktakes; partner with the Inventory Buyer on stock-turn analysis and working-capital efficiency.

Reporting and statutory compliance

• Produce monthly management accounts and the monthly stock report, with commentary on variances and key drivers.
• Review and submit monthly UK VAT returns and other statutory returns; manage import duty calculations and HMRC correspondence.
• Lead year-end accounts preparation and act as the primary contact for our external accountants.
• Support the Dutch entity’s reporting and ensure inter-company transactions are properly recorded and reconciled.

Payroll and expenses

• Run monthly payroll and pension contributions; own the incentive pay calculations.
• Manage employee expense claims and company card reconciliations.

Systems and controls

• Oversee daily bookkeeping and reconciliation across sales, purchase and expense ledgers in SAP Business One.
• Maintain and improve internal financial controls, particularly around invoice approval, payment release and stock movements.

You may be required to undertake other duties from time to time as the Company may reasonably require.

Key Requirements

• CIMA qualified.
• Hands-on experience with SAP Business One (or substantively similar SAP module).
• Proven track record of challenging supplier invoices, identifying overcharges and recovering credits within an accounts payable function.
• Demonstrable experience managing stock as a balance-sheet item, including reconciliations, provisioning and stocktake oversight.
• Strong working knowledge of UK VAT and import duty.
• Experience producing monthly management accounts to deadline.
• Exposure to Dutch reporting or familiarity with EU VAT regimes are desirable.

What We Offer

• Basic annual salary of £50,000.
• Year-end bonus based on Company and personal performance.
• Personal development budget of £2,000 per year – books, courses, certifications and trade events.
• Workplace pension with 5% employer contribution.
• 30 days annual leave (in addition to UK bank and public holidays).
• Free supply of Emma Basic products for personal use.