Business Financial Controller - Cobb & Jones Recruitment Limited : Job Details

Business Financial Controller | South East London (Hybrid) | £80k - £100k

Cobb and Jones Recruitment are working exclusively with a niche services organisation in South East London in their recruitment of a new Business Financial Controller to focus on project revenue and project profitability. Reporting into the UK CEO, with a dotted line into the Group CFO, the Business Financial Controller plays a critical role in contributing to the strategic and operational decision making of the Company as a member of the Senior Management Team and acting as Finance Business Partner to the CEO.

To be considered for this role you must be able to answer positively for the following:

Responsibilities:

Driving project performance

• Monitor budgets, margins, and cash flow
• Analyse variances and recommend corrective actions
• Prepare forecasts and contribute to project reviews

Boosting results

• Identify levers to improve profitability and productivity
• Challenge cost and timeline assumptions

Ensuring financial visibility and forecast quality

• Deliver clear dashboards for management
• Provide decision-oriented ad hoc analysis

Supporting operations

• Raise project managers’ awareness of financial impacts and their financial knowledge
• Ensure accurate cost allocation and compliance with analytical rules

Additional

• Manage, prepare, and maintain the Company budget, cost projections and forecasts.
• Deliver and provide recommendations on accurate monthly reporting pack used to facilitate decision making including;

o management accounts including project reporting

o WIP Calculations

o group reporting requirements

o forecasts

o balance sheets

o job profitability analysis

o utilisation reports

o variance analysis

o financial dashboard

o highlight any issues and provide commentary on performance

• Produce additional ad hoc reports for Group Finance and UK management team as required.
• Recommend and implement foreign exchange hedging decisions for the Company.
• Manage statutory responsibilities and compliance of the following (and their respective systems), allocating task responsibility as appropriate, within the Finance team;

o Audit and statutory accounts preparation

o Payroll related returns and compliance

o VAT related returns and compliance

o Pension related returns and compliance

• Ensure Group reporting deadlines are met.
• Design, review and implement finance policy and procedure accordingly to ensure the smooth and effective running of all related activities.
• Take ownership of the systems utilised by the local Finance function, assessing effectiveness and implementing improvements or adjustments as required.

Supervision and Authorisation

• Overview of the purchase invoice and expense processing and payment cycle
• Ensuring fee schedules are in place for live projects
• Overview of the sales invoicing process
• Ensuring that correct sign off has been completed for all financial transactions
• Online payment authorisation
• Review of balance sheet reconciliations
• Reviewing overdue debt and acting as necessary

Profile:

• Experience working in an operational Financial / Business Controller role
• SME experience with an understanding of Group / Parent Company reporting requirements
• In depth knowledge of Project Accounting and WIP calculations
• ACA, ACCA or CIMA qualifications
• Demonstrated ability to anticipate opportunity and risk
• Ability to deliver accurate, high-quality work to deadlines
• Ability to be flexible in role - working outside remit as required.
• Excellent verbal and written communication and interpersonal skills including report writing
• Advanced Excel skills and working knowledge of Xero essential. Knowledge of HFM software beneficial
• Ability to build relationships, influence and lead
• Experience of creating and managing budgets.
• Effective, accurate and engaging presentation skills when delivering to local and Group level management.
• Solutions focused approach when identifying risks.
• Ability to proactively identify and communicate any opportunities for efficiencies and/or adjustment requirements.
• Ability to work flexibly, adapting to new ways of working, collaborating and incorporating other disciplines in development of solutions.
• Excellent time management across multiple priorities, with an ability to prioritise tasks / resources where needed to meet outlined deliverables to deadlines.
• Ability to deliver and respond constructively to feedback.
• Ability to mentor and develop Finance team members, always acting as a role model and positive and supportive member of the team.
• A champion for proactive, continuous learning approaches, individually and for team members.

On Offer:

• £80k - £100k basic salary
• Bonus
• Hybrid working