Job Title: Financial Controller
Location: Preston area (on-site)
Salary: £60,000-£70,000 + benefits
Reporting to: Finance Director
About the Company
Our client is a scaling PE backed service business in the Preston area who are entering an exciting phase of growth and transformation. With a focus on strengthening its operational and financial infrastructure to support future expansion, Sowena Group have been retained to recruit for a Financial Controller.
The Role
Reporting to the Finance Director, the Financial Controller will lead transformation of the finance function. This is a high-impact role focused on embedding strong governance, improving reporting capability and building scalable financial processes to support continued growth.
This position offers a clear pathway to Finance Director designation for the right individual, making it an excellent opportunity for someone looking to step into a broader leadership role. The successful candidate will take ownership of financial control, reporting and systems, while supporting strategic decision-making across the business. This is a hands-on role requiring someone comfortable operating in a fast-paced, evolving environment.
Key Responsibilities
* Ownership of the month-end close process
* Produce high quality monthly management reporting for senior stakeholders
* Deliver insightful financial analysis, including performance tracking and variance analysis
* Business partnering with operational teams to support profitability and cost management
* Lead the implementation of a new accounting system and oversee the system integration to ensure accurate and efficient reporting
* Review and improve finance processes to improve control and efficiency
* Develop systems and reporting frameworks to support future growth
* Design and implement appropriate financial controls and governance frameworks, ensuring compliance with statutory and regulatory requirements
* Maintain strong balance sheet oversight, including cash flow and working capital management
* Act as the key contact for external advisors and audit processes
* Lead annual budgeting and forecasting, including cashflow forecasting
* Support strategic planning, scenario planning and financial modelling
* Manage and develop the finance team, promoting accountability, accuracy and continuous improvement
About You
* Qualified accountant (ACA, ACCA or CIMA)
* Experience in a hands-on role in a growing or mid-sized business environment
* Proven track record of finance transformation or systems implementation
* Strong commercial awareness with the ability to translate financial data into insight
* Advanced Excel skills and strong systems capability
* Confident communicator with the ability to engage stakeholders at all levels
* Experience using Xero would be beneficial
Why Join?
* Clear progression path to Finance Director in a PE backed business
* Opportunity to shape and build a finance function
* Strategic involvement in business growth and decision-making