We re now looking for a talented and highly organised Head of Audit & Financial Reporting to join and play a vital role in supporting our business. Guided by our values, integrity, bold, impactful, humble and community; you will help us shape a workplace and culture we can all be proud of. The Head of Financial Reporting & Audit is a senior technical role responsible for the integrity of statutory reporting, audit delivery, and financial control across the group. The role will lead the end-to-end execution of all external audits (Innovate, Cucina, mid-year IFG Group, Dolce & Hutchison), function as the primary technical interface with auditors and tax advisers and ensure full compliance with applicable accounting standards and regulatory requirements. This position requires deep technical accounting expertise, strong audit leadership, and the ability to operate confidently in a complex, multi-entity environment. Key Role Responsibilities: Statutory Reporting & Technical Accounting
Statutory Reporting & Technical Accounting
* Lead the preparation, review, and finalisation of statutory financial statements across multiple legal entities in accordance with UK GAAP.
* Own all technical accounting matters, including complex judgements, estimates, and disclosures.
* Draft and review technical accounting papers, ensuring robust support for significant accounting positions.
External Audit Leadership
* Full ownership of four concurrent external audits, including planning, coordination, and completion.
* Act as the primary point of contact for external auditors, managing all technical queries and judgemental areas.
* Lead audit status meetings and control the audit narrative with senior stakeholders.
Financial Controls & Compliance
* Own the financial control framework over statutory reporting and close processes.
* Design, document, and test key financial controls, ensuring compliance with internal governance standards.
* Lead responses to audit control findings and ensure timely and effective remediation.
Tax & Advisory Interface
* Act as the finance lead for engagement with external tax advisers, including corporation tax, deferred tax, and statutory tax disclosures.
* Review tax-related numbers and disclosures in statutory accounts, ensuring technical accuracy and audit readiness.
Senior Stakeholder & Finance Team Support
* Provide authoritative technical accounting guidance to senior finance stakeholders.
* Review work prepared by other finance team members to ensure statutory and audit quality standards are met.
Qualifications and Experience
* Fully qualified accountant (ACA / ACCA / CA or equivalent) with minimum 3-5 years of PQE.
* Training and/or post-qualification experience in a Top audit firm.
* Strong track record in statutory reporting and audit delivery within a complex organisation.
* Proven experience managing multiple audits simultaneously.
* Deep technical knowledge of UK GAAP, including disclosures.
* Strong experience dealing with complex accounting judgements and technical papers.
Personal Attributes
* Technically rigorous with exceptional diligence.
* Confident, credible, and authoritative when dealing with auditors and advisers.
* Comfortable challenging audit positions where appropriate.
* Calm under pressure and able to manage competing audit demands.
* Strong sense of ownership and accountability for statutory outcomes.
If you re a collaborative, solution-focused professional who thrives in a busy and purposeful environment, we d love to hear from you. Join us and be part of a team that is transforming lives through the power of food, making a genuine difference for students across the UK.
At Impact Food Group, we re more than just a school caterer. We re on a mission to create a positive food culture and help more students enjoy healthier, better-quality food. Making a positive social impact is at the heart of everything we do. We re constantly learning, evolving, and improving every way, every day. Through our industry-leading brands Innovate, Hutchison, Cucina, and Chapter One we cater for over 800,000 students and operate in more than 900 schools nationwide, growing every year.
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