Head of Commercial Finance

As we continue our mission to make people and nature happy through chocolate, we’re looking for a Head of Commercial Finance to join our Finance team on a permanent basis.

Salary paying up to £113,300.

Are you a bold commercial finance leader who thrives on turning insight into action and cash into value? This is more than a numbers role — it’s a real change driver opportunity at the heart of our Commercial division, spanning Omnichannel, Category, Marketing, and Customer teams.

We’re looking for someone obsessed with ROI, cash return, and insight generation — a passionate business partner who can shape strategy, influence outcomes, and lead through data. As a key member of the Finance Leadership Team, you’ll help define our ‘Finance Future Fit’ vision, elevate our Business Partnering model, and drive all aspects of Commercial Planning and Reporting. From steering our 18-month rolling forecast to co-piloting the Integrated Value Creation Plan, this is your chance to make an impact where it matters most — turning commercial ambition into measurable success.

Here at Hotel Chocolat, we've adopted a hybrid working pattern where appropriate. For this role it means working 3 days a week on site, with the other 2 days spent working remotely, from home or wherever you like! The on-site location for this role is our Head Office ‘Mint House’ in Royston, Hertfordshire, our home since 1994; just off the A505, ten minutes’ walk from Royston Train station and commutable from London Kings Cross.

As well as a competitive salary and company benefits, you’ll receive 50% discount on all products, and a delicious 70% discount for you and your guests when you stay at our Rabot Estate hideaway on the paradise island of Saint Lucia.

What You’ll Be Doing….

• Ensure the Commercial business is driving P&L and cashflow delivery, managing risks and ops.
• Lead all Planning and Reporting activities for the division, partnering with the Group FP&A team regarding timetable and deliverables.
• Deliver insight generation – what’s driving current business performance and what does that mean for future plans; well-grounded planning assumptions with the right balance of stretch and reality.
• Business Partner with Omnichannel, Category, Marketing, and Customer teams – the right metrics at the right time (simple, robust metrics), insight generation, data led, challenge constructively, bring objectivity to business outlook, collaborate and build great relationships.
• Measure performance of Commercial initiatives, support and challenge objectively all investment proposals – return on investment, post completion reviews.
• Develop segmentation of business across channels and categories to enhance understanding of value drivers and action plan where performance is behind expectations.
• Drive automation in collaboration with the IT team and Digital Transformation program (e.g sales postings).
• Implement initiatives driving simplification, standardisation and centralisation of finance activities.
• Partner with Commercial teams to develop new business strategies covering new market entry proposals, new category and store format proposals and any other opportunities identified.
• Ownership of half year and year end external audit information as required for all Commercial areas.
• Ambassador for continuous improvement to help drive and support change across all Commercial functions and Finance. Specifically lead development of Category and Channel P&Ls.
• Leadership and development of a team of 9 with responsibility for embedding ‘high performing team’ principles, driving improved engagement and effectiveness of the team.

Who You are…

Essential

• Qualified finance professional
• Finance experience working within Commercial business units
• Excellent communication, influencing and stakeholder management skills
• Line management or people management experience

Desirable

• Previous finance experience gained working for a branded consumer goods business
• Experience working in a retail business

Who We Are…

We’re one of the UK’s favourite premium chocolate brands, with a range of products spanning luxury gifts, alcohol and our pioneering drinking chocolate system, the Velvetiser™.

A cacao pod takes years to grow – it can’t be rushed if it’s going to be just right for our products. The same can be said for Hotel Chocolat, which originally started as a mint production company before we realised it was luxury chocolate that we were really passionate about.

Now, we’re market leaders in the industry. What began as an online-only business grew to over 135 stores across the UK, and we’re still growing… Today, we’re multi-category, multi-channel, and multi-territory, and our customers, colleagues, cacao farmers and suppliers all benefit from the success we make together.

To learn more about us and read about our People Pledge – our commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion – click here: hotelchocolat.com/uk/engaged-ethics/our-people.html