ROLE PURPOSE
The Finance Manager will provide the financial control, management information and commercial insight needed to support a growing training business. This is a hands-on management finance role with regular interaction at Senior Leadership Team level. The postholder will turn accounting information into clear decisions, strengthen controls and ensure management has reliable visibility of cash, profitability, expenditure, balance-sheet positions and financial risk.
PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTABILITIES
1. Produce accurate and timely monthly management accounts, including profit and loss, balance sheet, cash flow and supporting commentary for the Senior Leadership Team.
2. Maintain and develop rolling cash-flow forecasts, including regular reconciliation to actual performance and clear identification of short-term and medium-term cash risks.
3. Lead budgeting, reforecasting, scenario modelling and sensitivity analysis to support commercial decisions, investment choices and business planning.
4. Provide financial insight to managers, including cost analysis, margin analysis, project and contract profitability, expenditure trends, opportunities for savings and areas requiring corrective action.
5. Own core balance-sheet control schedules, including accruals, prepayments, deferred income, accrued income, fixed assets, depreciation, amortisation and other material reconciliations.
6. Work with operational and accounting functions to improve financial controls, delegated approvals, purchasing discipline, invoice approval processes and supplier payment governance.
7. Oversee the financial validation and approval workflow for supplier invoices, ensuring expenditure is authorised, supported, correctly coded and consistent with agreed commercial terms.
8. Support the management of apprenticeship, adult skills, Skills Bootcamp and other funded activity, including reconciliation of funding income, payments, delivery profiles and potential clawback exposure where applicable.
9. Prepare financial information for Board and Senior Leadership Team reporting, explaining performance, variances, risks and recommended actions in clear commercial language.
10. Maintain oversight of management costs, headcount, contractors, suppliers and other recurring expenditure, ensuring commitments are visible and appropriately controlled.
11. Support debtor and creditor management, supplier reconciliations, invoice generation and resolution of disputed or overdue balances where finance input is required.
12. Maintain high-quality accounting records and support effective use of Xero and associated finance systems, working with external accountants, auditors and advisers when required.
13. Identify and implement practical improvements to finance processes, reporting and controls without creating unnecessary bureaucracy.
14. Act as a trusted finance partner to senior leaders and managers, constructively challenging assumptions and helping translate strategic and operational plans into financial consequences.
15. Be flexible in working across group and group subsidiaries to create consolidated management accounts and cashflow as required.
REQUIREMENTS
The following criteria are essential. The successful candidate will be able to demonstrate:
1. Experience producing management accounts, including profit and loss, balance sheet and cash-flow reporting.
2. Strong commercial finance capability, with practical experience of budgeting, forecasting, scenario modelling and management reporting.
3. The confidence to work with senior leaders and managers, challenge constructively and convert financial information into practical recommendations.
4. Strong Excel skills, including the ability to build and maintain robust financial models and analyse large or complex datasets.
5. A sound understanding of balance-sheet reconciliations, accruals, prepayments, deferred and accrued income, fixed assets and month-end controls.
6. Experience of implementing or improving financial controls, approval processes and finance operating procedures.
7. Excellent attention to detail, numerical accuracy and the ability to work with confidential and commercially sensitive information.
8. The ability to work independently, prioritise effectively and operate comfortably in an environment where processes are evolving.
9. A practical, solutions-focused approach and willingness to work across both detailed finance tasks and higher-level commercial analysis.
PREFERRED
The following would be advantageous but are not essential:
1. Working towards, part-qualified or qualified CIMA, ACCA, ACA or equivalent. Strong relevant experience will be considered in place of formal qualification progress.
2. Experience within further education, apprenticeships, adult skills, publicly funded training or another contract-funded environment.
3. Experience using Xero or a comparable cloud accounting platform.
4. Experience working in an SME or owner-led business where the finance function combines control, reporting and commercial partnering.
PERSONAL SPECIFICATION
1. Commercially minded and able to see beyond the numbers to the operational decision behind them.
2. Comfortable taking ownership and building structure where processes are not yet fully mature.
3. Credible and clear communicator who can work effectively with both finance and non-finance colleagues.
4. Constructively challenging, evidence-led and prepared to raise issues early rather than allow problems to drift.
5. Highly organised, resilient and able to manage competing priorities and deadlines.
6. Curious, improvement-focused and willing to develop systems and processes as the organisation grows.
7. Acts with discretion, integrity and sound professional judgement.
ROLE CONTEXT
This role is intended to strengthen the organisation's management finance capability and financial control environment. The Finance Manager will work closely with the Commercial Director and Senior Leadership Team, while partnering with existing accounting, operational and administrative functions. The role description describes, but does not limit, the main duties and responsibilities and may reasonably evolve as the business develops.
