Head of FP&A

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

Salary paying up to £110,000 per annum.

Are you ready to take the lead in shaping the future of planning and performance reporting at the heart of a fast-growing, high-impact business?

As Head of FP&A at Hotel Chocolat, this is your opportunity to step into a highly visible, senior finance role with the scope to influence our strategic agenda as we continue integrating into the Mars ecosystem. You'll own all core planning and reporting processes across the Group, translating performance data into clear, forward-looking insights that drive decision-making and meet the evolving requirements of Mars FP&A. From leading the Integrated Value Creation Plan and 18-month rolling forecast to redefining our forecasting cycle and embedding it across the business, you’ll play a critical role in how we plan, adapt, and grow. We’re looking for a hands-on, solution-focused leader who thrives on delivering clarity, collaboration, and continuous improvement — someone who’s confident setting the pace and bringing complex ideas to life with simplicity and impact.

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….

• Lead the development and delivery of the financial planning process for Hotel Chocolat across all functions of the business – building from the 3-year plan into annual plan and S&OP in partnership with the S&OP lead and business owners.
• Steer on reporting framework delivery and process efficiencies to enable effective & systemised period close reporting and reconciliation.
• Lead the relationship with Mars FP&A to enable successful collaboration and effective performance dialogue.
• Oversee and develop a team of 4 to successfully manage the FP&A planning and reporting requirements for the annual plan (AEP) and periodic performance tracking.
• Act as a critical member of the Finance Leadership Team (FLT), with collective responsibility for functional performance.
• Engage broad exposure across the business including Exec, Directors group and Senior Leadership Teams.
• Act as a key connector across Finance Business Partners, ensuring the right level of collaboration, tracking of financial plan and performance delivery against critical value-driving initiatives.
• Business partner with Hotel Chocolat Group Functions, lead interaction and planning with Mars FP&A counterparts.
• Responsible for leading month end planning and reporting process and consolidation of actual results, submitting into Mars through Helios / OneStream.
• Present results to key stakeholders, including monthly CFO review and preparation of reporting templates.
• Deliver expert storytelling and joining the dots between business activities and financial performance.
• Hold accountability for planning and delivery of all main processes with financial outputs – IVCP, AEP and quarterly rolling forecast processes, year-end estimates, including setting the process and timetable, holding stakeholders to account, meeting Hotel Chocolat needs and Mars requirements.
• Perform ad-hoc business analysis projects to support decision making.
• Co-ordinate the Hotel Chocolat Group’s investment approval process (mainly Capital expenditure).

Who You are…

Essential

• Qualified finance professional (ACA, ACCA or CIMA)
• Experience running an annual budgeting process in a complex business
• Exposure to a Group Reporting function within a large corporate
• Advanced modelling skills
• High attention to detail
• A great collaborator; resilient
• Excellent communication skills, able to translate complex ideas in a simple way
• Demonstrable people leadership experience across a Finance function

Desirable

• Retail and / or Manufacturing experience
• Experience of using Microsoft D365 and Anaplan

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 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