Finance Manager | £65,000-£75,000 + Bonus | Hybrid | ManchesterWe are partnering exclusively with a high-growth, private equity-backed business to appoint a Finance Manager into a highly visible and evolving role within its finance function.
This position will take ownership of a key trading entity, leading a small team while providing insight into trading performance, gross margin movements, financial controls and balance sheet integrity. The successful candidate will operate at the heart of a complex, high-volume environment, working closely with senior stakeholders to understand performance drivers, improve reporting quality and ensure robust financial governance.
The role requires someone who is naturally curious, commercially aware and motivated by continuous improvement. There will be significant opportunity to enhance processes, leverage automation and AI-driven solutions, solve complex operational and financial challenges, and influence how finance supports the wider organisation.
Career progression is a major attraction. The business is embarking on a substantial finance transformation programme, including a major systems implementation and wider strategic initiatives, creating exposure to high-profile projects and senior leadership. This is an excellent opportunity for an ambitious Finance Manager seeking to broaden their experience in a larger, faster-paced and more sophisticated environment.
Most importantly, you will join a talented and hardworking team at a pivotal stage of the organisation's journey, with genuine scope to make a lasting impact and develop your career.
Key Responsibilities
- Lead the month-end close process for a significant trading entity, ensuring timely and accurate financial reporting.
- Manage and develop a small team, providing mentorship, technical guidance and support for professional development.
- Deliver insightful monthly P&L and gross margin analysis, explaining key business drivers, variances and performance trends to senior stakeholders.
- Take ownership of complex balance sheet reconciliations, ensuring accuracy, integrity and audit readiness.
- Drive a strong financial controls environment, identifying risks and implementing improvements where required.
- Support annual audit processes, coordinating requests and acting as a key contact for auditors.
- Partner with wider finance and operational teams to improve reporting, strengthen controls and enhance business understanding.
- Work closely with budgeting and forecasting teams to support financial planning activities.
- Analyse large and complex data sets to identify trends, opportunities and operational improvements.
- Lead and contribute to finance transformation initiatives, including process redesign, automation projects, AI-enabled solutions and systems implementation.
- Prepare presentations and commentary for senior leadership, providing clear and actionable financial insight.
Candidate Profile
- Fully qualified accountant (ACA, ACCA or CIMA).
- Proven experience operating at Finance Manager level within a complex, high-volume environment.
- Strong technical accounting knowledge, particularly around balance sheet control and financial governance.
- Demonstrated experience leading month-end processes and producing high-quality management information.
- Commercially minded, with the ability to understand and explain business performance beyond the numbers.
- Comfortable working with large data sets and able to translate data into meaningful insight.
- A track record of identifying and implementing process improvements, automation opportunities and control enhancements.
- Strong people management skills, with experience developing and supporting junior finance professionals.
- Naturally curious, proactive and solutions-focused, with a willingness to challenge existing processes constructively.
- Confident communicator, capable of engaging with stakeholders at all levels, including senior leadership.
- Experience supporting systems implementations, finance transformation programmes or major change initiatives would be highly advantageous.
This role would particularly suit an ambitious Finance Manager looking for a 'right place, right time' opportunity, offering exceptional visibility, exposure to senior leadership, involvement in strategic projects and a clear platform for long-term career progression.
INDFIN