Financial Controller

Stokenchurch Full-time

Are you a commercially minded, technically strong qualified accountant looking for genuine ownership of a finance function?

We are recruiting a hands-on Financial Controller to join a growing business near High Wycombe. Reporting directly to the Managing Director, this is the number-one finance role in the business: a senior, highly autonomous position with full responsibility for the integrity, delivery and development of the finance function.

The opportunity

This is not a role where you simply review a team's output. You will take personal ownership of the numbers, lead a robust and proactive month-end process, and ensure the business has accurate, insightful financial information to support confident decision-making.

As the most senior finance professional in the organisation, you will operate without a Finance Director above you. You will have genuine technical accountability, a direct voice with the Managing Director, and the opportunity to shape processes, improve systems and support the business as it continues to grow.

Key responsibilities

As Financial Controller, you will:

• Lead the monthly management accounts process, ensuring timely and accurate delivery.
• Prepare and review reconciliations, prepayments, accruals, fixed assets and depreciation.
• Produce consolidated and branch-level P&Ls, including analysis against budget and prior year.
• Review gross-profit performance and investigate significant variances.
• Manage the monthly payroll journal and oversee payroll-related information.
• Ensure VAT records are accurate, reconciled and submitted correctly.
• Take ownership of year-end audit preparation, audit files and liaison with auditors and tax advisers.
• Lead the annual budgeting process, working with colleagues to collate assumptions and produce budget P&Ls.
• Manage statutory compliance, including relevant HMRC and Companies House filings.
• Prepare and maintain a rolling cashflow forecast, highlighting risks and managing banking relationships.
• Work with ERP and reporting-system providers to enhance reporting, ledger configuration and finance processes.
• Coordinate finance and administration colleagues on escalated matters, systems queries and process improvements.

About you

You will be a fully qualified accountant - ACA, ACCA or CIMA - with the confidence, judgement and resilience to succeed as the number-one finance person within a growing business.

You will also bring:

• Strong experience of producing management accounts and running disciplined month-end processes.
• Excellent reconciliation skills and a determination to investigate and resolve variances thoroughly.
• The ability to analyse transaction-level data and manage complex financial information accurately.
• A hands-on approach: you are happy producing the detail as well as interpreting it.
• The confidence to raise issues clearly and constructively with the Managing Director, auditors and external advisers.
• Previous experience as a senior standalone finance professional, or clear readiness to take on this level of responsibility.

Location and flexibility

The position is based at the company's Head Office in Stokenchurch. Regular on-site presence is important due to the senior, hands-on nature of the role; however, a modest, structured hybrid arrangement - such as one fixed work-from-home day per week - can be discussed once you are established in the position.

If you are a proactive, commercially aware finance professional seeking a number-one Financial Controller role with real accountability, influence and long-term scope, we would welcome your application.