Hutcheon Mearns is delighted to be retained by ESG Drysdale for the appointment of a new Finance Business Partner, based at their Cockburnspath site, easily commutable from East Lothian & the Scottish Borders.
ESG Drysdale is the United Kingdom’s only brassica-focused producer organisation and one of just three vegetable producer organisations nationwide. In 2023, R & K Drysdale (well known to many in the Borders) merged with East of Scotland Growers and as a result, a combined commercial success has seen the group reach circa £55m turnover. With 18 dedicated farmers based in their region that spans 200 miles of rich coastline, ESG Drysdale are proud of their integrated grower network that ensures a resilient and regionally diverse supply chain. Their customers include supermarkets, B2B and foodservice markets nationwide, working with some huge national brands in the process.
As Finance Business Partner, you will play a key strategic and commercial role within ESG Drysdale. You will work closely with operational, commercial, and supply chain teams to drive performance, improve decision-making, and enhance financial understanding across the business. Your insights will support profitable growth, cost control, and investment decisions in a fast-moving environment with tight margins and perishable products. This is a newly created position for what is an exciting time to be joining the business.

DESIRABLE SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE:

• Experience in group or intercompany accounting
• Strong understanding of budgeting processes and financial control
• High level of competence in Excel and experience with financial reporting tools
• Qualifications: ACCA, CIMA, CA or equivalent level/experience
• Previous experience as a finance business partner, ideally in FMCG, food manufacturing, agriculture, or fresh produce
• Strong commercial awareness and understanding of margin management and cost drivers in a low-margin, high-volume environment
• Power query experience/Power BI experience

• Act as a trusted business partner to commercial, operational, and supply chain leaders, providing financial insights and strategic support
• Analyse weekly and monthly performance (volume, margin, yield, waste) and provide detailed & actionable standard costing analysis, commentary and recommendations
• Lead the budgeting and forecasting process for your business units, including scenario planning and sensitivity analysis
• Raising and reconciling self-bill invoices within the group
• Partner with commercial teams on B2B profitability analysis, pricing models, and contract negotiations
• Support supply chain efficiency projects and capital investment appraisals
• Monitor KPIs including stock losses, waste levels, cost-to-serve, and logistics performance
• Translate complex financial data into understandable reports and presentations for non-financial stakeholders
• Collaborate with the central finance team on month-end reporting, accruals, and variance analysis
• Drive continuous improvement in financial processes, systems, and reporting tools
• Ensure compliance with relevant financial controls, audit requirements, and company policies