Join our fast-growing start-up as our first Finance Manager! – An opportunity to grow the finance function and for you to grow with the business!
Key role summary points:
We need you to
- Hit the ground running! – Quickly get to grips with existing systems, record keeping, reporting and information control.
- Be the financial cornerstone of our exciting and rapidly growing start-up; you will have a solid understanding of our financial position and be the gatekeeper of all transactions.
- Evolve our financial systems so we are streamlined for efficient growth.
- Develop a suite of financial reports including KPIs and performance metrics.
- Lead our financial forecasting and modelling to assist with financial and investment planning, working closely the senior team.
With the right attitude, values and abilities we will support you to grow/move into a senior leadership position.
- An energetic, passionate, values-driven person who achieves the big goal – maintaining control at all times.
- You will need to be strategic, pragmatic and foresee problems on the horizon, solving them ahead of time.
- Drive rapid progress whilst building efficient and happy workstreams. (Positive energy/style are key qualities, driving our culture, purpose and values through our projects.)
- Build excellent relationships across all organisation types, and from executive level to people on the front line, despite delivery pressures
- Provide S3’s steering group with appropriate visibility, assurance and governance control.
Sound like you? Then check out the role and desired attributes below but remember, you DON’T need to tick all the boxes!
Aspect – Strategic and entrepreneurial
Responsibilities you’ll have
- Managing S3’s financial position and modelling outlook.
- Manage our bookkeeper, accountants and various software suppliers.
- Lead the set-up, refinement and scale-up of all financial systems, processes and procedures, including leading and supporting staff members to use these systems effectively.
- Own all financial information and processes end-to-end, from capturing input data and supporting documentation, to preparing and presenting financial reports and dashboards for the leadership team.
- Define and evolve financial reporting and the finance capabilities of our company as we grow; be a natural and personable leader that is comfortable hiring and training new finance employees.
- Support our strategic outlook by preparing financial models for specific areas of growth. Participate in viability and profitability assessments.
- Build financial models for new venues, and aggregate models for portfolio planning. Lead multivariate stress testing, and make recommendations incl. treasury planning and investments.
- Prepare corporate performance reports for review by the senior team, a non-exec CFO and company investors.
Optional/stretch for experienced candidates
- Owning S3’s overall financial strategy, and related sub-strategies and elements e.g. corporate finance; legal and financial structuring; commercial venue portfolio; community partnerships)
- Support / lead our fundraising initiatives, by preparing investment case financial models and summary reports.
- Work with the CEO, senior team and non-exec CFO to structure investment and financing deals.
Experience and qualities we need you to have
Minimum of 5 years’ experience of:
- Preparing monthly management accounts including rolling P&L and forecast outturn to year-end.
- Preparing cash flow forecasts and monitoring cash position. Periodic reports to the CEO and senior team.
- Annual budget setting including full budget P&L and cash flow forecast.
- Preparing long term business plans with detailed considerations over years 1 to 5 and generalised assumptions thereafter. Including aggregated business plans that bring together multiple cost-centres (venues in our case).
- Building and maintaining excellent partner and supplier relationships
- Natural and personable leader comfortable hiring and training new employees.
- Preparing models for specific scenarios / initiatives / diversifications etc.
- Supporting HR processes (e.g. staff remuneration, leave & absence management etc.
Desirable
- Preparing budget P&Ls for new projects or initiatives that have not yet launched.
- Preparing risk registers and being the owner of financial and wider risks.
- Multivariate stress testing of business plans.
- Preparing materials for investment rounds.
Specific skills and knowledge
- Relevant recognised UK accountancy qualifications.
- Proficient in administering enterprise resource systems particularly accounting, cash management workforce management. Ideally including Xero, Dext and Access
- Intermediate to advanced user of MS Excel.
- Intermediate user of MS 365 applications.
- HMRC and companies house filing requirements, intervals, deadlines etc.
- Be comfortable using collaboration tools for centralising information. Examples will include Monday.com and MS SharePoint.
Desirable
Knowledge and experience in the following sectors:
- UK property
- Construction.
- Social impact
- Environmental sustainability
- Sports and leisure
Aspect – Adaptability and Creativity
Responsibilities you’ll have
- Be a “can-do” solution orientated person that brings a mindset of process and efficiency to wider areas of the business where there is overlap with finance and performance reporting.
- Support wider company processes and procedures such as HR, development projects and operations scheduling.
- Lead some non-financial subject areas within the business such as insurances, subscriptions and some core/central business relationships such as our HQ landlord re HQ office accommodation.
Experience and qualities we need you to have
- Experience of a dynamic and fast-moving environment.
- A broad understanding of wider business functions.
- initiating and setting up new systems.
- dealing with suppliers and owning supplier relationships.
Specific skills and knowledge
- Strong understanding of wider business processes, especially HR.
- Natural problem solver mindset.
Desirable
- Strong general IT skills across multiple programmes and platforms.
Aspect – Leadership and Management
Responsibilities you’ll have
- Compliance: incl. statutory submissions e.g. HMRC, pension providers and Companies House.
- Identify risks in advance, escalating to CEO and senior leadership team as appropriate. Managing financial risks, opportunities and change.
- Confidently bring your voice into team meetings and workshops, bringing both industry good practice, and opinions drawn from comparable personal experience.
- Reporting regularly to the CEO and strategy group with progress and update reports.
- Review and audit key outcomes and, where important, process adherence.
Experience and qualities we need you to have
- overseeing statutory filings and delegating appropriately to external consultants to ensure compliance at all times.
- Managing risks and defined margins of tolerance with a proactive approach to solutions..
- Bringing a confident voice around principles of strong financial management.
Desirable
- Experience of leading and growing a team.
Specific skills and knowledge
- An uncompromising approach to probity and integrity.
- Naturally personable and flexible with colleagues that may not have an understanding of financial processes. – Prioritise EQ alongside professional ability.
Desirable
- Vocational / professional certification in leadership / personal communication etc.
** Scope will vary project to project as we have a wide range of venue models and sizes. Responsibility to deliver projects will be held by project managers/leads including our operations team, various internal and external project managers/leads e.g. delivery partners and suppliers
General
- Required relevant experience
- 5 years experience in a comparable role(s) with responsibility for leading a finance function or significant part.
- Flexible working Likely 3 days on site in London, with 2 days working from home/remotely
- Role type: Full time (default Monday to Friday 08:30 – 17:30 but we have a flexible working approach)
- Currently eligible to work In the UK (no sponsorship available)