Commercial Finance Manager

Reports to:

Financial Controller

Location:

Manchester, hybrid (in the office Tuesdays and Thursdays) Type:
Full-time, permanent

Rise at Seven is a search and social agency across the UK and US, with a growing European business. We're hiring a Commercial Finance Manager to own the monthly close and be finance's day-to-day partner to Client Services, Operations and the Senior Management Team.

You’ll run a predictable, controlled close across multiple entities. You’ll also turn the numbers into decisions: how we price, which clients and projects make money, where revenue is moving and what that means for cash. Reporting into the Financial Controller, you’ll lead our Finance Assistant and take real ownership of how finance supports a business preparing for its next stage of growth.

The Board's priorities are profitable growth, strong cash and numbers they can trust. This role sits at the centre of all three: it shows where we make and lose money, and gives the Board early sight of what is coming.

This role suits someone who enjoys being in the room with commercial teams as much as being in the detail of a balance sheet.

Month-end close and controls

• Own the monthly close for the UK, US, Holdings and EU entities to a fixed timetable, including accruals, prepayments, reconciliations and intercompany, so the Board has reliable numbers within five working days
• Keep a working paper for every balance, agreed back to source and ready for audit
• Prepare the management accounts and commentary that feed the Financial Controller's board pack
• Run payroll checks and submissions with our UK and US providers, and approve bank payments within agreed limits
• Hold Client Services, Operations and craft teams to account for the inputs the close depends on: signed scopes, timesheets, billing changes and approvals
• Maintain financial controls and segregation of duties as the business scales

• Be finance's day-to-day partner to Client Services, Operations and the SMT
• Support pricing and renewals using the master rate card, and flag discounting, over-servicing and under-pricing early
• Report client and project profitability, recovery, utilisation and staff cost ratios, and recommend actions that protect margin in a business where people are our biggest cost
• Spot scope creep and over-servicing early, and work with Client Services to fix the cause
• Make sure scope and billing changes are contracted properly, with an addendum where needed

• Own the rolling revenue forecast with the commercial teams, explaining every movement month to month and giving the Board early sight of revenue, cash and client risk
• Build and maintain the 13-week cash flow forecast across entities
• Own debtor management and collections, keeping debtor days at or below 60 and accrued income billed promptly
• Track client concentration and flag early when any client approaches 10% of group revenue
• Model the impact of hiring and cost decisions before they are made
• Support the annual budget and re-forecasts

• Own monthly revenue recognition in line with FRS 102, using Dawn, our in-house project and revenue system, so revenue and margin by client and department are right at source
• Reconcile Dawn revenue to the general ledger every month
• Help build multi-entity consolidation and intercompany forecasting as the group grows, using Xero and the consolidation tooling we adopt

• Lead and develop our Finance Assistant, setting clear priorities and standards
• Document processes so the function runs without single points of failure, freeing senior finance time for the commercial work the Board needs

• The close runs to a working day 5 timetable, with a working…