optimisede: Interim Group Financial Controller
Location: Central London (3 days per week)
Salary: Up to £120,000 with potential completion bonus
Contract Type: Fixed Term Contract (FTC) or Temporary
Role Overview
Our client, a private-equity backed business in Central London, is seeking an experienced and dynamic Interim Group Financial Controller to join its fast-paced team. This interim role, offering a competitive salary of up to £120,000, is perfect for a hands on professional looking to make a significant impact. The successful candidate will be pivotal in driving financial excellence across the organisation, ensuring robust financial processes and controls, and delivering high-quality financial information to support business objectives.
Key Responsibilities
Processes and Controls
- Collaborate closely with the finance team to produce and distribute precise financial data, maintaining strong financial controls.
- Ensure accuracy and completeness of all financial information and performance KPIs within the company's systems.
- Oversee all transactional finance processes, ensuring efficiency and effective financial controls.
- Develop and maintain meticulous balance sheet reconciliations with a zero-tolerance policy for discrepancies.
Leadership and Management
- Lead and inspire a finance team of approximately 15 members, fostering a culture of continuous improvement.
- Build and maintain strong relationships across the business, promoting best practices and a unified team approach.
- Champion system replacement projects, collaborating with the PMO, IT team, and other business areas to ensure successful implementation.
- Partner with the Head of Accounts Receivable and the CFO to manage working capital, cash collections, and strengthen the balance sheet.
Financial Analysis
- Perform variance analysis on monthly financial performance, providing detailed explanations for variances, particularly regarding people and operating costs.
- Take ownership of operational cashflow forecasting, aiding the CFO in maintaining optimal working capital and cash levels.
- Play a crucial role in the budgeting and forecasting process, ensuring the integrity of financial information.
Tax, Treasury & Compliance
- Actively manage the Group's daily cash and working capital facilities, ensuring robust liquidity and optimized cash positions.
- Produce statutory financial statements for the Group's trading and holding entities, adhering to relevant accounting standards.
- Lead the annual audit process, coordinating with external auditors, the wider finance team, and business leaders to ensure a quality audit.
- Assist the CFO in managing debt compliance, providing accurate covenant reporting.
- Oversee the VAT return process, supporting the business in understanding and administering VAT arrangements for compliance.
- Work with external advisors to complete annual tax returns and manage treasury platforms to handle foreign exchange risk and cash balances.
- Ensure compliance and statutory filings across all geographical jurisdictions.
Other Responsibilities
- Assist with financial due diligence, quality of earnings reviews, and integration of new acquisitions.
- Support the CFO in procurement activities, including contract negotiations, supplier management, androll-outt of new supplier platforms.
- Undertake ad hoc projects as required by the CFO.
Specific Requirements
- Degree-educated and a qualified accountant with a strong commercial mindset, ideally with a background in practice.
- Proven experience in managing end-to-end financial processes and delivering improvements.
- Solid understanding of fast-paced people services businesses and key financial performance drivers.
- Strong technical accounting knowledge with a good grasp of the latest accounting standards.
- Preferably, experience in an international organisation and accounting system implementations.
Key Skills and Experience
- Ability to thrive in a highly pressured, dynamic environment.
- Continuous improvement mindset and willingness to challenge the status quo.
- Excellent communication skills, capable of engaging with executives and non-financial stakeholders.
- Strong leadership and influencing skills, with the ability to build positive relationships across all levels.
- Analytical and structured thinker, able to simplify complex issues.
- Detail-oriented with a commitment to accuracy.
- Problem-solving skills and the initiative to address complex challenges.
- Strong organisational skills, able to meet strict deadlines.
- Team player, willing to assist beyond the formal role.
- High level of discretion when handling confidential information.
Vitae Financial Recruitment Ltd is acting as an Employment Business in relation to this vacancy.