Interim Head of Finance

Founded in May 2015, Papier is a London based start-up, which has raised £60m+ million since launch. Papier’s collection of stationery products, from notebooks & diaries to notecards and wedding invitations, is designed to feed curiosity and contemplation, to invite people to uncover the possibility of a blank page. The business is growing and internationalising rapidly, particularly experiencing growth in the US across both D2C and wholesale channels.

Finance plays an outsized role at Papier: in addition to the usual responsibilities for book-keeping, financial control & reporting and compliance to play a central role in enabling and risk managing fundamental changes to the business as it executes its growth strategy.

The company is seeking an interim Head of Finance for 6-9 months as maternity cover, starting from August. The role reports directly into the CFO and manages a team of 4. It is fundamental to both the company’s day-to-day operations and its strategic execution.

Responsibilities

• Lead the finance function to ensure best rigour and accountability of core processes and outputs
• Ensuring the business retains accurate and detailed financial records: supervise bookkeeping & reporting processes, making updates as required by changes to the business
• Produce timely and insightful financial reporting: oversee monthly management reporting processes and prepare accompanying commentary to aid understanding amongst senior management, the Board and investors
• Cost control: supervise monitoring of departmental budgets and provide functional leaders with a first escalation point for departmental budget issues
• Deliver financial insight to the wider business: use recurring and ad-hoc financial reporting to deliver valuable business input
• Ensure reporting remains complaint: as required, ensure the accounting, reporting and statutory reporting evolves to maintain compliance on a Group and entity level
• Support audit where required: Manage any ad-hoc requirements relating to annual audit (note that the company will be re-tendering its audit relationship during Autumn 2024)
• Sales tax & other ongoing compliance: take ownership of supervising sales & other tax reporting & compliance processes, working within the company’s transfer pricing policy. Manage process to claim R&D credit for FY24
• Forecasting: work with the CFO to manage the company’s current and future financial position, working with FP&A to maintain an up to date and accurate view of financial performance including mid-year reforecast in October
• Liquidity & cash management: prepare short term cash flow forecasts to support near term liquidity decision-making
• Maintain a culture of visibility and communication: provide a key point of contact for the rest of the leadership team and offering them subject matter expertise
• Lead the finance team: lead and motivate the Finance team and ensure that they receive appropriate support, training and development to achieve their full potential

Requirements

• Qualified as an accountant (ACA / ACCA)
• Operated at a leadership level within Finance: this could be FC, Head of Finance, Finance Director - titles aren’t everything but prior experience as a functional leader will be required
• Have prior experience of operating in a fast-paced, data-driven VC/PE backed business – since our management team, investors and Board expect fast, detailed and insightful information for decision making
• Come with domain knowledge: require prior experience of some combination of: working in multi-channel consumer goods (D2C and wholesale, Amazon also helpful), using & maintaining Netsuite and /or managing a straight forward international group
• Commercial & analytical mindset with strong Excel and financial modelling skills –we’re an analytical team and business leaders are expected to be hands-on with the detail
• Initiative led and self-motivated, since the CFO has a broad remit covering this and several other functions. You’ll be trusted to run your team.
• Pragmatic and agile mindset – as it’s a fast-paced environment, to which we continually need to adjust

Benefits

• We recognise the need for a work-life balance and offer a hybrid working model of 3 days in the office at Maison Papier, our lovely Camden office.
• 25 days annual leave per year (pro rated for the length of contract)
• 20 days per year to Work from Anywhere (pro rated for the length of contract)
• Private medical and rewards scheme with Vitality Health (including 50% off gym memberships with Virgin Active, Pure Gym and more).
• Enrolment into the Papier Pension scheme through the People Pension.
• £45 monthly cultural allowance
• £75 personal stationery allowance, and £150 to spend on our Occasion stationery for a lifetime special event
• 40% staff discount along with a family and friends discount
• Papier with Purpose. We give back to the community and offer 2 days paid per year to volunteer for a cause you care about.
• Constant access to mental health, well-being resources and support from our in-house first aiders.
• Weekly team lunches & regular cultural trips.
• Our pooches are a part of the Papier team and you may see them from time to time in Maison Papier.
• Inclusive and friendly team who will make you feel welcome from day one.

At Papier, we believe that the diverse perspectives of all paper people deserve to be celebrated. A creative and curious community, we strive to be inclusive and equitable to all. We’re an equal-opportunity employer and do not discriminate against any employee or applicant on any grounds. From hiring processes to day-to-day business, we aim to create an environment that is accessible and safe for everyone. We’re always working towards building a balanced and supportive workplace, with policies and ways of working to ensure everyone can make the most of their time at Papier.