Finance Project Controller – Advanced Manufacturing Scale-Up

Location: Coventry Hours: Full time Salary: Up to £70,000 plus car / car allowance, 33 days holiday (including bank holidays), pension, bonus, life assurance, employee assistance programme, wellbeing support, and flexible benefits including cycle to work scheme

About the role: Unipart Manufacturing is launching a flagship, fast-paced manufacturing project in Coventry, combining high-volume electrification assembly with complex injection moulding inputs. Fully aligned with Unipart's Sector and Growth Strategy and The Unipart Way Forward Plan, this critical project is scaling from zero to over 200 production colleagues within just four months. We are seeking a driven, commercially astute Finance Project Controller to partner with project operational leadership. Reporting directly to the manufacturing Head of Finance with a dotted line into the Project General Manager, you will build scalable financial systems, manage supply chain commitments, control manufacturing costs, and enforce rigorous governance as we ramp up to full production volume.

As part of your key responsibilities, you'll

Financial Governance and Controls - Design, implement, and maintain scalable financial controls and accounting processes in full compliance with Unipart statutory requirements

Operational Reporting and KPIs - Deliver weekly financial flash reports to operational leadership and track operational financial KPIs to drive contract profitability and cost control

Month-End Execution and Management Accounts - Lead the accurate preparation of monthly management accounts, group reporting packages, variance analysis, and balance sheet reconciliations

Product Costing and Inventory Valuation - Maintain precise product costing models, manage standard costing, and control material/process variation alongside production and procurement teams

CAPEX, OPEX and Cash Flow - Closely monitor project capital and operational expenditure against budget while managing rolling cash flow forecasts to optimise working capital

Commercial and Contract Growth - Partner on commercial negotiations, engineering change reviews, and strategic planning to secure long-term, margin-accretive growth

Tax, Statutory and Customs Compliance - Oversee statutory records, UK GAAP, VAT, RDEC, and UK Customs/Duty deferment processes to minimise financial exposure on imported goods

System Implementation and Scaling - Leverage manufacturing ERP/MRP systems to build robust data models, maintaining both hands-on detail and strategic oversight as the team grows

About you: We'd love you to have the following skills and experience, but please apply if you think you'd be able to perform well in this role!

Professional Qualifications - Qualified accountant (ACA, ACCA, or CIMA) with demonstrable post-qualification experience

Manufacturing and Scale-Up Track Record - Proven background delivering finance control within a fast-paced manufacturing facility, ideally through a rapid scale-up phase

Technical Accounting Mastery - In-depth knowledge of inventory accounting, standard costing, product costing models, UK GAAP, VAT, Corporation Tax, and RDEC

ERP Systems and Implementation - Hands-on experience operating manufacturing ERP/MRP systems (system implementation or optimisation experience is highly desirable)

Customs and Trade Exposure - Practical understanding of UK Customs, duties, and trade compliance processes for imported manufacturing components

Data and Spreadsheet Capability - Advanced spreadsheet skills with the ability to manipulate large, complex operational datasets and build financial models

Commercially Focused Leadership - Pragmatic business acumen with strong interpersonal skills to challenge operational teams, manage contract variations, and influence stakeholders

About Unipart: We are a supply chain performance improvement partner. We Design, Make, Move, and Improve components in our customers' supply chains, keeping their operations and assets moving and working better, for longer. Through our commitment to continuously driving operational efficiencies, we improve performance - saving time, cost, and carbon. Our ambition is to be the driving force behind efficient, resilient, and sustainable supply chains.

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion: We believe that a great workplace is one where you can bring your whole self to work. Our recruitment process is designed to be accessible, inclusive, and based entirely on merit. We define merit through a combination of technical skills and the core behaviours that help our people thrive at Unipart. We welcome applications from everyone, regardless of background or circumstances. We are committed to a policy of equal opportunity that exceeds our statutory obligations under the Equality Act 2010 and subsequent legislation. Whether it's your age, disability, neurodiversity, gender identity, family status, or any other characteristic that makes you 'you' - it is your talent and potential that we value most. Adjustments for you: We want you to perform at your best. If you require any reasonable adjustments or have specific accessibility needs at any stage of the application or interview process, please let us know. We are here to support you.

You may have experience in the following: Finance Project Controller, Project Accountant, Financial Controller, Plant Controller, Manufacturing Finance Manager, Site Finance Manager, Management Accountant, Cost Accountant, Commercial Finance Manager, Finance Business Partner, Operations Finance Manager, Standard Costing, Inventory Accounting, ERP/MRP, UK GAAP, RDEC, Customs and Duty Deferment, Automotive, Electrification, Injection Moulding

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