Financial Controller - John Lobb

Job Title:                       Industrial Management & Internal Controller, John Lobb

Reporting to:              Head of John Lobb Management & Internal Control, based in Paris

Business Partner:       Industrial, Innovation & CSR Director

Responsible for:         1 Management Controller assistant, based in Northampton

For more than 150 years, John Lobb has been defined by exceptional craftsmanship and a spirit of innovation. Deeply rooted in the Maison’s Anglo‑Saxon heritage, our shoes bring together meticulous handwork and the finest materials, selected with uncompromising care.

At the heart of our Maison are two iconic locations:

• The Paris bespoke workshop, where every pair is crafted using time‑honoured techniques passed down through generations;
• The Northampton Manufacture in England, where our ready‑to‑wear collections are produced with the utmost respect for materials and tradition.

Today, John Lobb is embracing renewal. We are evolving our codes, opening the brand to new sources of inspiration, and imagining a more contemporary expression of masculine elegance, always faithful to our heritage.

A subsidiary of the Hermès Group since 1976, John Lobb has a global presence with around twenty stores across Europe, the United States, China and Japan, as well as a highly selective network of authorised retailers.

Joining John Lobb means becoming part of a community of more than 200 colleagues - artisans, sales advisors and support functions. United, committed, and human‑scaled, our teams bring our excellence and creativity to life with passion every day.

OVERALL OBJECTIVE, NATURE, AND SCOPE

The Industrial Management & Internal Controller is responsible for overseeing the financial performance of John Lobb's manufacturing operations in Northampton. The role involves delivering accurate and reliable financial reporting, complementing quantitative analysis with qualitative insight gathered from operational teams, and proactively identifying opportunities for improvement. The postholder will also be responsible for maintaining and strengthening Internal Control standards across relevant Group processes.

This is an excellent opportunity for a highly analytical individual who is keen to play a meaningful part in the development of the finance function within one of the most iconic names in luxury menswear. The successful candidate will be comfortable working with a high degree of autonomy – the role is based in Northampton, while the broader Finance team sits in Paris – and will be confident engaging with operational and industrial stakeholders on financial matters. A proactive mindset and a genuine appetite for improving processes and deepening analytical frameworks are essential.

John Lobb's Finance team is going through an exciting period of change, with a new CFO and Head of Management & Internal Control recently on board, raising the bar on financial rigour and commercial awareness. The team is looking forward to welcoming their new Industrial Management & Internal Controller and will offer real autonomy and flexibility in return for energy, commitment, and a genuine desire to make an impact. Although John Lobb is wholly owned by one of the world's leading luxury groups, it operates as a close-knit, entrepreneurial business where cross-functional communication, initiative, and analytical drive are absolute must-haves in this role.

The role reports to the Head of Management & Internal Control and maintains close working relationships with the CFO - both based in Paris - as well as with the Industrial Director in Northampton, a fellow member of the John Lobb Executive Committee. The postholder will serve as the Industrial Director's primary Finance business partner, working alongside them on a regular basis.

They will also line-manage an Assistant Management Controller who brings strong operational knowledge of the production environment, supporting and developing them on financial matters.

Finally, the postholder will work in close day-to-day collaboration with the Accounting team (2 people) based in the same Northampton office - building a strong and effective working relationship with this team will be key to success in the role.

The role is predominantly based on-site in Northampton, with occasional travel as required.

MAIN ACTIVITIES

            Management Account

• Financial Closing: 
  • Analyse sales performance and margins, and conduct a comprehensive review of costs (labour, raw materials, equipment, etc.), providing clear explanations, ensuring the accuracy of financial records, and delivering variance analyses against budget and prior-year data
  • Supply the Head of Management Control with the information required to complete the consolidated financial close
  • Oversee stock valuation and the calculation of stock provisions
• Budget, Re-estimates, 3-year plan: 
  • Lead the budgeting process for the manufacturing operations of John Lobb in Northampton, in close coordination with the Paris global finance team, covering P&L (sales, costs and margins) and Capex
  • Partner closely with the Industrial Director to build the budget, translating operational decisions – such as recruitment, supplier changes or product mix shifts – into meaningful financial assumptions 
• Industrial Cost Pricing: 
  • Calculate and maintain standard industrial costs at article level
  • Review and validate bill of material (BOM) accuracy
  • Carry out costing exercises to support pricing decisions for future collections
• Reporting, KPI and dashboards: 
  • Prepare and manage reporting packs covering production volumes, invoicing levels, productivity ratios and order intake, proactively suggesting enhancements where relevant
• CAPEX:
  • Track spend against budget and escalate any overspend risk promptly
  • Challenge the rationale behind investment requests
  • Review and oversee the bidding process

         Internal Control

• Foster a culture of internal control across the entity
• Monitor the creation and updating of internal procedures to ensure compliance with Group and legal requirements across procurement, security & CSR, stock management and HR
• Conduct regular and ad hoc checks to verify adherence to existing procedures
• Define and oversee the annual Internal Control plan for the manufacturing operations of John Lobb in Northampton
• Organise and lead stock-takes, providing recommendations to drive continuous improvement

PERSON SPECIFICATION

       Education & Experience

• Master's degree from a university or business school, with a finance or accounting background
• Proven experience in industrial management accounting (a background in the shoe industry is an advantage, though by no means essential)
• Familiarity with M3 is an advantage

Skills & Personal Attributes

• Strong analytical rigour, with the ability to deliver clear and reliable outputs to the central Finance team 
• A proactive mindset – there is real scope to improve existing analyses and processes, and the right candidate will relish that challenge 
• Highly organised, with the ability to manage shifting priorities without losing sight of tight deadlines
• A natural collaborator, comfortable working across functions and translating operational realities into financial terms
• Self-motivated and able to bring others along – including operational teams who may not always prioritise data requests
• Confident with IT systems and financial tools
• Comfortable delegating, setting clear expectations, and providing constructive feedback to their direct report
• Comfortable being based full-time in Northampton, with occasional travel (to Paris and other Group or Suppliers’ sites)

A creator, artisan and seller of high-quality objects since 1837, Hermès is an independent, family-owned French house that employs nearly 25,185 people worldwide. Driven by its permanent entrepreneurial spirit and consistently high standards, Hermès cultivates the freedom and autonomy of each individual through responsible management. The company perpetuates the transmission of exceptional know-how through strong territorial anchoring that respects people and resources. Sixteen artisanal métiers feed the creativity of the house, whose collections are presented in over 300 stores around the world.