Finance Manager / Controller

Finance Manager / Financial Controller (Part-Time)

The Opportunity

We are seeking an experienced and commercially focused Finance Manager / Financial Controller to provide strategic financial leadership and oversight across the business. Reporting directly to the Managing Director, this is a senior, hands-on role responsible for ensuring the integrity of financial reporting, strengthening financial controls, driving performance analysis, and supporting informed decision-making across the organisation. Working closely with the Finance Team Lead and wider management team, you will provide clear financial insight, robust governance, and proactive commercial support. This role is ideally suited to an experienced finance professional who enjoys operating autonomously, challenging performance, identifying opportunities for improvement, and contributing to the continued success of a growing SME.

Key Responsibilities

Financial Reporting & Management Accounts

• Oversee the preparation and review of monthly management accounts, ensuring accuracy, consistency and adherence to reporting deadlines.
• Analyse revenue, gross profit, EBITDA, operating costs and overall business performance.
• Provide meaningful financial commentary, highlighting key variances, trends, risks and opportunities.
• Develop and maintain effective management reporting and financial KPIs.
• Monitor performance against budgets, forecasts and prior periods.
• Review balance sheet reconciliations, accruals, prepayments and month-end adjustments.
• Present financial information and recommendations to the Managing Director and senior management team.
• Ensure the integrity and quality of financial information across the business.

Cash Flow & Working Capital Management

• Maintain oversight of cash flow forecasting and working capital requirements.
• Review and challenge cash flow assumptions and forecasts.
• Monitor debtor and creditor performance to support healthy cash management.
• Identify potential cash flow risks and recommend appropriate actions.
• Review stock, work-in-progress and customer balances to optimise working capital.
• Support financial planning and funding decisions.

Financial Controls & Governance

• Review and strengthen financial controls, policies and procedures.
• Ensure appropriate oversight of purchasing, expenditure approvals and payment authorisations.
• Review the accuracy and completeness of financial reconciliations.
• Monitor stock valuation, work-in-progress accounting and associated controls.
• Ensure compliance with relevant accounting standards and statutory requirements.
• Coordinate year-end reporting, statutory accounts preparation and audit activities.
• Act as a key contact for external accountants, auditors, banks and advisers.
• Drive continuous improvement in financial processes and governance.

Budgeting, Forecasting & Financial Planning

• Lead the annual budgeting process and ongoing forecasting activities.
• Analyse actual results against budget and forecast, providing insight into material variances.
• Develop financial models and forecasts to support operational and strategic planning.
• Evaluate capital expenditure proposals, investment opportunities and business initiatives.
• Provide scenario analysis to support decision-making.
• Identify opportunities to improve profitability, cost control and operational efficiency.

Commercial & Operational Performance

• Partner with the Managing Director and operational leadership team to review business performance.
• Analyse project profitability, labour recovery, material costs and gross margins.
• Improve visibility around job costing and work-in-progress reporting.
• Highlight cost overruns and margin risks, recommending corrective actions.
• Provide commercial financial insight to support pricing, contracts and investment decisions.
• Translate financial information into actionable recommendations that support business objectives.

Finance Leadership & Oversight

• Provide senior technical support and guidance to the Finance Team Lead.
• Review the accuracy and quality of financial reporting produced by the finance function.
• Support the resolution of complex accounting and financial issues.
• Identify opportunities to improve systems, reporting and financial processes.
• Foster strong communication between finance and operational teams.
• Support the ongoing development of the Finance Team Lead while maintaining clear accountability and governance structures.

About You

You will be a commercially minded finance professional with strong technical accounting expertise and the confidence to work independently within a senior leadership environment. You will be comfortable analysing financial performance, challenging assumptions, and providing practical recommendations that support business growth and performance.

Essential Experience & Skills

• Proven experience as a Financial Controller, Finance Manager or in a similar senior finance position.
• Strong management accounting, forecasting and financial reporting experience.
• Excellent understanding of cash flow management, working capital and financial controls.
• Experience within an SME or privately owned business environment.
• Strong commercial awareness and business partnering capability.
• Advanced Excel and financial systems knowledge.
• Ability to work autonomously and effectively within a part-time position.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills.
• Proven ability to improve financial processes and reporting standards.

Desirable

• Qualified accountant (ACCA, CIMA, ICAS/CA) or equivalent experience.
• Experience within engineering, manufacturing, fabrication, construction or project-based industries.
• Knowledge of work-in-progress accounting, stock valuation and project costing.
• Experience using Xero and operational management systems.
• Experience managing audits, banking relationships and funding facilities.
• Previous experience supporting growth within an SME environment.

Why Apply?

• Flexible part-time working arrangement.
• Opportunity to play a key role in business decision-making.
• Direct exposure to senior leadership.
• Broad and varied position with genuine commercial influence.
• Ability to shape financial processes, controls and reporting within a growing organisation.

This is an excellent opportunity for an experienced finance professional seeking a flexible, high-impact role where they can combine technical expertise with commercial insight to support business performance and future growth.