Finance Manager

Finance Manager £50,000–£60,000  Benefits Greater Manchester Are you a hands-on Finance Manager who is keen to help a growth business through the next stage of their expansion? If you can work well with business owners, review controls and processes, provide insightful commercial information that will influence business decisions and become a trusted business partner to an established and growing sales team, this could be an ideal opportunity for you.

Although industry experience is not essential, if you have experience working in a consultancy, recruitment or other people-led service business this sits well with our client’s sector. You will also need to be pragmatic and have a hands-on approach towards the day-to-day requirements and you will be coaching, developing and mentoring an Accounts Assistant. This is an ambitious, entrepreneurial consultancy business that has grown successfully while maintaining a close-knit, people-focused culture.

Their continued success means that they are now looking for this commercially minded Finance Manager to take ownership of the finance function and play an increasingly important role as the business continues to scale. This is not a role for someone who wants to produce a set of monthly accounts and simply hand them over. Supported by the Accounts Assistant, you’ll remain close enough to the detail to genuinely understand what is happening within the business.

At the same time, you’ll work closely with the leadership team, providing meaningful financial information, improving processes and helping them make better commercial decisions. What will you be doing? You’ll take ownership of the monthly management accounts process, ensuring that reporting is accurate, timely and genuinely useful to the people running the business. Alongside this, you’ll:
Develop management information and KPI reporting around revenue, gross profit, performance, costs and profitability. Provide commentary and commercial insight rather than simply reporting historic figures. Manage cashflow, working capital and forecasting. Oversee the balance sheet and maintain appropriate financial controls. Support budgeting, forecasting and wider business planning. Review existing finance processes and identify ways to make them more efficient, robust and scalable.

Improve the quality and visibility of financial reporting as the business grows. Support and oversee the Accounts Assistant. Work closely with operational teams to understand performance and provide practical financial support. Become increasingly involved in wider commercial projects and business decisions. The emphasis is very much on combining strong management accounting fundamentals with commercial curiosity and a willingness to improve how things are done.

What are we looking for? You’ll already have strong experience in management accounts and be comfortable owning month-end. Just as importantly, you’ll enjoy getting under the skin of a business. You’ll probably be someone who can happily get into the detail when required, but who can also step away from the spreadsheet and explain what the numbers actually mean to non-finance colleagues.

Experience with in recruitment, consultancy, staffing or another people-led professional services environment would be particularly useful, although it isn’t essential for the right person. You’re likely to bring:
Strong management accounting experience. A good understanding of cashflow, balance sheets and financial controls. Confidence working with owners and senior stakeholders. Commercial awareness and curiosity. An ability to turn numbers into clear, practical insight. A proactive approach to systems, processes and reporting. Strong Excel and systems capability. A…