A growing, profitable multi-site private education business is seeking a hands‑on, qualified Financial Controller to take ownership of the day‑to‑day finance function during a period of structured growth and operational maturation.
This is initially a 3 day per week engagement for 3 months. There is potential for the role to convert to a permanent, full‑time position, with the remaining 2 days covering broader operational responsibilities across the group.
Working alongside a Fractional CFO who leads strategic finance and board engagement, you will be the senior in‑house finance lead, responsible for execution, control, and reporting.
Key responsibilities
* Produce a credible, robust, and challengeable set of monthly management accounts
* Own the revenue recognition process end‑to‑end, ensuring accuracy and consistency in a business with monthly variability
* Own customer invoicing, ensuring timely and accurate billing across all sites
* Deliver KPI reporting and weekly aged debtor and creditor reporting, with supporting analysis to inform decision‑making
* Own cash management, weekly payment runs, and loading banking payments, strengthening controls and creditor settlement
* Lead credit control across a customer base with extended payment cycles
* Run payroll administration, including preparing the monthly file for external accountants
* Prepare and submit VAT returns
* Lead year‑end close and manage the audit / year‑end process with external accountants
* Manage day‑to‑day relationships with outsourced accountants and payroll providers
* Line manage a Finance Assistant (with accounts payable support already in place), with a dotted line to the outsourced accounting provider
About you
* Qualified accountant (ACA / ACCA / CIMA)
* Hands‑on SME finance experience – you have personally prepared management accounts, owned revenue recognition, run customer invoicing, processed payroll inputs, submitted VAT returns, and managed credit control
* Strong analytical mindset; able to interrogate the numbers and explain the story behind them
* Strong working capital and cash discipline
* Comfortable operating alongside a Fractional CFO: confident without daily senior oversight, but knows what to elevate and when
* Pragmatic, detail‑oriented, and high‑integrity. This is a doer's role.
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