Finance Director - Cobb & Jones Recruitment Limited : Job Details

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

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

• Formal Accountancy Qualification?
• Previous experience of working in a subsidiary as part of a larger Parent company or Group?
• Available to start work in September, latest early October?
• Experience of working in an industry that generates it’s revenue over long-term projects (i.e. construction or fit-out), revenue recognition and WIP are crucial elements of this remit?

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.
• Management accounts including project reporting
• WIP Calculations
• Group reporting requirements
• Forecasts
• Balance sheets
• Job profitability analysis
• Utilisation reports
• Variance analysis
• Financial dashboard
• 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.
• Audit and statutory accounts preparation (London/Paris/Others as required)
• Payroll related returns and compliance
• VAT related returns and compliance
• 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 Head of / Director 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:

• £100k - £125k basic salary
• 20% bonus
• Hybrid working