Financial Controller

Job Title: Financial Controller (no 1 in finance)

Location: Brownhills, Staffordshire

Package: c. £60,000–£65,000 + company car + performance bonus

Job Type: Full-Time, Permanent

The Company

We’re partnering with a growing international B2B business with an established UK operation in Brownhills. The company is part of a wider global group and the UK entity is set for significant growth over the coming years, including plans to add UK manufacturing as an additional business line.

Finance in the UK has historically been very manual and transactional. The business now wants to move to a modern, insight-led finance function that uses technology and data far more effectively.

This is a rare opportunity for a Financial Controller to take ownership of that change, leading a small team and building a scalable finance function in your own image within a supportive, growth-focused SME environment.

The Role – Financial Controller

This is a true “number one in finance” role for the UK business. You’ll oversee all day-to-day finance activity while also driving improvements in reporting, analysis and controls.

The position is very hands-on: you’ll be close to the ledgers and the numbers, but also expected to stand back, interpret what the data is saying and articulate clear, commercially relevant insight to the UK leadership team and group head office.

You will:

• Take end-to-end responsibility for the UK finance function, from transactional integrity through to board-level reporting.
• Lead and develop a small finance team, setting standards and ways of working, while remaining personally involved in key tasks.
• Act as the primary finance partner to the UK leadership team and the main point of contact for group finance overseas.

Key Responsibilities

Financial Control & Core Reporting

• Own the monthly close and reporting cycle for the UK entity, ensuring accurate, timely results are produced each month.
• Oversee all day-to-day financial processing, ensuring postings, journals and reconciliations are robust and well controlled.
• Maintain a strong balance sheet, with clear reconciliations, appropriate provisions and well-documented supporting schedules.
• Manage cash on a day-to-day and forward-looking basis, including short- and medium-term cash flow forecasting.
• Coordinate annual statutory accounts preparation and act as the key contact for external accountants and auditors.

Business Insight & Performance Analysis

• Build and develop monthly reporting packs for the Managing Director and group, including P&L, balance sheet, cash flow and key KPIs.
• Explain the numbers clearly – providing commentary, variance analysis and explanations that non-finance stakeholders can act on.
• Analyse performance by product, customer or channel where appropriate, highlighting trends, margin drivers and improvement opportunities.
• Support budgeting and reforecasting, challenging assumptions and helping the business understand different scenarios and outcomes.

Process, Systems & Change

• Map existing finance processes and identify areas where manual work, re-keying and spreadsheet dependency can be reduced.
• Standardise and document core processes and controls so they are efficient, repeatable and scalable as the business grows.
• Make better use of the current accounting system (currently Sage) to improve visibility, reporting and control.
• Play a key role in preparing the UK business for a future major systems upgrade to a group ERP platform, working with group colleagues to shape data, processes and reporting requirements.

Compliance & External Relationships

• Oversee VAT returns and ensure compliance with relevant tax and financial regulations.
• Support the effective management of payroll, tax and treasury activities (working with external providers where appropriate).
• Maintain constructive relationships with external stakeholders including auditors, banks and HMRC.

The Opportunity

This is not a “keep the lights on” Financial Controller role. The business is:

• A growing SME UK subsidiary within an international group, with significant forecast growth.
• Adding a new manufacturing vertical in the UK.
• Evolving from a largely manual, transactional finance set-up to a modern, analytical function.

For the right person, this means:

• Real autonomy to design and embed better processes, controls and reporting.
• The chance to introduce clearer, more visual MI and KPIs that help the business make faster, better decisions.
• A central role in shaping how the UK finance function looks and operates as the business scales and systems are upgraded.

If you want to build and improve, rather than simply inherit and maintain, this will appeal.

The Successful Applicant

You’re likely an experienced finance professional who has already operated as a Financial Controller or senior management accountant in an SME or divisional environment, and who enjoys being both hands-on and influential.

You will bring:

• A recognised accounting qualification (ACA, ACCA, CIMA) or equivalent experience in a comparable “number one in finance” role.
• Strong management accounting and financial control experience, including owning a month-end process.
• Proven experience of cash flow management, budgeting and forecasting.
• A solid understanding of balance sheet disciplines, VAT and core financial processes.
• Experience of submitting monthly results into a wider group or head office environment.
• Confidence working with accounting systems (currently Sage) and a genuine interest in how systems and data can be improved ahead of a major ERP upgrade.
• Strong analytical capability – comfortable interrogating data, building reports and drawing out the “so what?” for non-finance colleagues.
• Excellent Excel skills and the ability to build models, scenario analysis and clear reporting tools.
• The credibility and communication skills to work closely with a Managing Director and to engage with group finance.
• A track record of simplifying processes, tightening controls and improving the quality and impact of financial information.