Lead Finance Manager

Lead Finance Manager (Capital & Investments) – 12 month secondment/Fixed Term Contract
£55,000 to £70,000 + excellent benefits (Work Level 5) (80% contract will be considered as well)
Manchester - We’re now working in a hybrid way, with colleagues dividing their time between home/remote working and the office (typically once a week). You can find out more about our hybrid working policy at here.

We’re looking for a Lead Finance Manager to join our Capital and Investments team at Co-op. This is a high-impact role where your expert financial insight and strategic guidance will help shape investment decisions that keep our business moving in the right direction.

If you’ve got a sharp analytical mind, a knack for influencing key stakeholders, and the ability to spot opportunities where others just see numbers, this is the job for you.

What you’ll do

• Lead and coach the supporting finance analyst with their role and development.
• Lead on training, coaching, and communications for the wider finance team and Co-op colleagues.
• Manage investments through to the Board – owning the process for the team and ensuring papers are timely, summarised appropriately, and fit for purpose.
• Provide support on any ad-hoc analysis and projects, helping to prepare high-quality outputs.
• Ensure tasks and resources are allocated appropriately, on investment appraisals as well as post-investment reviews.
• Use your technical knowledge and experience to identify process improvement opportunities.
• Identify and escalate potential finance risks, ensuring all activities align with our risk management framework.
• Provide professional advice and guidance up to senior management level, sharing expertise to support effective decision-making.
• Ensure that governance over financial decision-making is maintained and effectively operated.

This role would suit people who have

• A professional accountancy qualification (e.g., ACA, CIMA, or ACCA) or equivalent experience.
• Experience of investment appraisal techniques and modelling to support effective decision-making.
• A track record of effective financial risk management.
• Strong organisational skills and a flexible approach, comfortable working in a fast-paced business environment with multiple and/or changing priorities.
• The ability to create actionable plans that align with wider objectives and strategies.

Why Co-op?

If you've got the skills and experience we're looking for, we can offer you a competitive salary and great benefits package which includes 30% off Co-op branded products in our food stores (as well as other discounts on Co-op products and services). You’ll also get:

• Private healthcare.
• An annual bonus (based on personal and business performance).
• 28 days holiday (rising to 32 with service) plus bank holidays.
• A pension with up to 10% employer contributions.
• Access to a subsidised onsite gym (at our Manchester HQ).
• Coaching and training to support your career development.
• Wagestream – a money management app that gives you access to a percentage of your pay as you earn it.
• Grocery Aid – 24/7 access to a range of emotional, financial, and practical support services for you and your family.

Building an inclusive work environment

At Co-op, we’re proud to do things a different way. As one of the world’s largest co-operatives, owned by millions of members, community is at the heart of what we do. Since our Co-op was founded in 1844, we’ve had a clear social purpose, and everything we do as a business helps to build a fairer world for our members, customers, colleagues, and communities.

We’re actively building diverse teams and we welcome applications from everyone. If you have a disability, we can make reasonable adjustments to our recruitment process according to your needs. We're also part of the Disability Confident scheme, meaning we'll always offer an interview to disabled candidates who apply through the scheme if they meet the minimum criteria for a job.

If we invite you to take part in the recruitment process for any of our jobs, we’ll ask you if you need any reasonable adjustments to enable you to participate.

You can find out more about our recruitment process at here.

You can find out more about the Disability Confident scheme and all our commitments to diversity and inclusion at here.

We reserve the right to remove a vacancy before the scheduled closing date.

As part of your application, you'll need to complete an online assessment. This assessment typically takes between 45-60 minutes. If you're a current Co-op colleague, this does not need to be completed.