Head of Financial Control * £80,000 - £85,000 * Hybrid working * 27 days annual leave ( bank holidays) * Generous pension scheme * Free Parking An exciting opportunity has arisen for an experienced finance professional to lead the Financial Control function at a well-established, regulated financial services provider. Reporting to the Director of Finance, you will manage a team of six and play a key role in ensuring the integrity of financial systems, reporting, and regulatory compliance. This is a broad and hands-on leadership role, ideal for a qualified accountant who thrives in a collaborative, values-driven environment with scope for process improvement and operational influence. Key Responsibilities * Oversee the day-to-day operation of the Financial Control function. * Ensure strong financial systems, reconciliations, and internal controls are in place and maintained. * Lead all aspects of month-end and year-end processes, including trial balances and statutory reporting support. * Supervise and develop a team of 6 finance staff. * Maintain the integrity of the general ledger and its reconciliation with internal systems. * Review and submit key regulatory returns (e.g., MLAR, PSD, BOE) within required deadlines. * Oversee daily banking, payment processes, and treasury back-office controls. * Support internal and external audit processes. * Collaborate on funding arrangements and ensure separation of collateral and cash as required. * Provide budget support to internal stakeholders and maintain financial mandates. * Engage in continuous improvement of financial processes and controls. * Stay up to date on changes to accounting standards, tax legislation, and financial regulations. Skills & Experience: * Fully qualified accountant (ACA, ACCA, CIMA) with substantial post-qualification experience. * Experience working in a regulated financial services environment (e.g. building society, banking, lending) * Knowledge of back office treasury function. * Strong knowledge of financial control, month-end close processes, and statutory accounts preparation. * Solid understanding of UK regulatory and tax reporting requirements. * Proven ability to manage, lead and develop finance teams. * Comfortable managing third-party relationships and external audit engagement. * Strong organisational, problem-solving, and communication skills. * Process-driven with a continuous improvement mindset. Refer a friend and earn £100! If you have a friend who is also searching for a new opportunity in the local area, recommend Optima and if we place them (providing they complete their 3-month probation period), you will receive a £100 retail voucher of your choice! Please note that if you have not been contacted within 5 working days, then unfortunately on this occasion your CV has not been shortlisted. By applying for this vacancy, you accept Optima Recruitment Limited’s Privacy and GDPR Policy which can be found on our website and therefore gives us consent to contact you. Optima Recruitment Limited are acting as a recruitment agency in relation to this vacancy and are an equal opportunities employer