Pilgrim's Europe
Head of Fixed Cost Management, Head of Fixed Cost Management
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Head of Fixed Cost Management
Location: Uxbridge (5 days onsite)
Reporting to the Director of FP&A, the Head of Fixed Cost Management will own the planning, control, benchmarking and reduction of Pilgrim's Europe's c. £1bn total fixed cost base (indirect labour, contract services, utilities, R&M, rent & lease, IT, professional fees, insurance, other overheads and depreciation & amortisation) across 40+ sites in the UK and Europe.
The Role Will
- Set and embed a cost-aware, low-cost mindset across the business, in line with "every penny is a prisoner" principle.
- Own and industrialise the Zero-Based Budgeting (ZBB) framework across all fixed cost groups, building on the existing site-level ZBB cadence and monthly Costs Dashboard.
- Identify and drive cross-site cost-reduction projects grounded in internal and external benchmarks, ensuring each site operates at the right cost level for its scale, mix and category.
- Own the fixed-cost gap-up target and the tracking of delivery against it into the P&L.
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Responsibilities
- Lead and develop the Group-wide Zero-Based Budgeting (ZBB) framework and governance model.
- Own planning, forecasting and reporting for a c.£1bn fixed cost base, including depreciation and amortisation.
- Drive a cost-conscious culture centred on the principle that "every penny is a prisoner".
- Identify, prioritise and deliver cross-site cost reduction initiatives through internal and external benchmarking.
- Lead monthly cost reviews with senior operational and finance stakeholders.
- Develop and enhance cost dashboards and reporting through Anaplan, Qlik and other BI tools.
- Own indirect labour cost governance, recharge mechanisms and central cost controls.
- Partner with Engineering and Operations to ensure CAPEX investments deliver planned savings and financial benefits.
- Coach and develop analytical talent whilst leading cross-functional cost improvement programmes.
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Requirements
- Qualified accountant (ACA / ACCA / CIMA) with 8+ years post-qualification experience.
- Deep FMCG / food / manufacturing background, ideally multi-site and multi-entity.
- Proven track record building and running a ZBB or Zero-Overhead programme at scale (£500m+ overhead base).
- Strong benchmarking and project delivery experience, with a demonstrable savings track record.
- Advanced Excel, and fluency in Anaplan, SAP and Qlik (or equivalent BI).
- Senior stakeholder management with Exec, Engineering, Supply Chain, Opex and Site GM audiences; comfortable challenging cost owners with data.
- Willingness to travel across UK and European sites (AVZ, France, Ireland, Northern Ireland).
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