Financial Controller

THE COMPANY: BLUE SKIES LIFESTYLE LTD

Blue Skies Lifestyle is a Bournemouth-based luxury travel agency proudly entering its 21st year of success. Founded by directors Andy and Fran Castle, Blue Skies Lifestyle has gone from strength to strength, positioning its prmary travel agency brand, Ski In Luxury, as a leading luxury ski chalet rental agency worldwide. Subsequent brand success stories within the group are Ultimate Luxury Chalets, Alps In Luxury, and Villas In Luxury offering chalets and villas across Europe and beyond, serving some of the most discerning travellers in the world.

The company has an incredible, close knit and commercially focused team who all share a passion for the mountains and luxury travel, taking great pride in their roles and being a part of its continued success. Blue Skies are looking for the right person to wholly own the finance function and help take it forward.

The Finance Controller will lead and manage the finance function at Blue Skies Lifestyle Ltd, providing robust financial control, accurate reporting, and proactive analysis to support the company’s strategic and operational objectives.

This is a hands-on, autonomous role covering all aspects of financial management, statutory compliance, and day-to-day financial operations. The postholder will work closely with the Directors to maintain the financial health of the business, drive continuous improvement, ensure all regulatory obligations are met, and act as the primary point of accountability for the finance function.

The role is full-time and office-based in Bournemouth.

• Lead on all internal and external audit activity, ensuring the business maintains robust financial controls and audit-ready records at all times.
• Ensure full compliance with UK and international anti-money laundering (AML) legislation and fraud prevention obligations.
• Monitor and maintain compliance with all relevant financial regulations, including HMRC requirements, Companies House obligations, and applicable international financial regulations affecting the business.
• Maintain company compliance records, including all payments out and into the business, invoicing, contact information, receipts, and GDPR-related financial data.
• Audit all contacts and contract terms, flagging discrepancies and ensuring adherence to agreed commercial terms.

• Manage all aspects of UK VAT compliance, including application, preparation, audit, and submission of VAT returns to HMRC.
• Handle international VAT obligations applicable to a UK-based company, ensuring correct treatment of cross-border transactions.
• Maintain up-to-date knowledge of VAT legislation and proactively manage any changes affecting the business.

• Run the end-to-end payroll process using Xero Payroll, ensuring accuracy and full compliance with PAYE, National Insurance, and statutory payment obligations.
• Manage pension administration including auto-enrolment obligations and accurate Nest submissions.
• Process employee onboarding and offboarding through Xero, including tax code setup, starter and leaver administration, and final pay calculations.
• Process P60 and yearly obligations
• Ensure accurate calculation, recording and processing of employee pay, reimbursements, bonuses, and statutory payments including SSP and SMP.
• Maintain compliance with Real Time Information (RTI) reporting requirements.

• Oversee all day-to-day financial operations including sales and purchase ledgers, cashflow management and bank reconciliations across multiple accounts of different currencies.
• Manage movement of funds between company accounts to maximise interest and maintain appropriate liquidity for business operations.
• Maintain accurate and current records of all amounts owed and owing, ensuring proactive invoice and payment management across multiple currencies.
• Lead credit control activity, including confident and professional pursuit of overdue payments.
• Manage operator and supplier relationships, ensuring contract terms are clearly understood, adhered to, and enforced where necessary.