Finance Director | £60-70,000 - SN

Alexander Mae; West of England; Hybrid; GBP 60,000 - 70,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

23 days annual leave

Bank holidays

2‑week Christmas closure

End‑of‑year performance bonus

Employee Assistance Programme

Health & Wellbeing Programme

On‑site gym

Cycle‑to‑work scheme

Free parking

Optical tests reimbursement

Monthly subsidised lunches

Team social events

Profit sharing

Regular 1:1s

Progression opportunities

Job summary

Alexander Mae is seeking a Finance Director to lead financial strategy and governance. The role reports to the CEO and Board, overseeing budgeting, forecasting, cash-flow, and statutory reporting with a focus on strong financial controls and continuous improvement.

The ideal candidate is a commercially minded, senior leader with excellent analytical and communication skills, capable of influencing stakeholders at the highest level. Hybrid working in Bristol is available.

Qualifications

• Qualified accountant ACA/ACCA/CIMA or equivalent.
• Senior financial leadership at Director/Head of Finance level.
• Expertise in budgeting, forecasting, cash-flow management, statutory reporting and audit.
• Strong commercial acumen with experience in financial modelling, pricing and profitability analysis.
• Advanced Excel and Sage proficiency; able to lead finance teams.
• Desirable exposure to education funding and regulated provision.

Responsibilities

• Advise the CEO and Board on financial strategy, performance and risk to support sustainable growth.
• Lead the preparation of budgets, forecasts, management accounts, cash-flow plans and statutory/Board reports.
• Maintain robust controls across banking, payments, payroll, procurement, debtors and creditors.
• Oversee education funding integrity incl. reconciliation, audit trails and compliance with contractual requirements.
• Drive financial modelling, pricing and profitability analysis for new programmes, tenders and contracts.
• Develop efficient finance systems and processes; integrate Sage with organisational platforms.
• Lead and develop the Finance and Administration/Funding teams; foster accountability and improvement.
• Support governance, risk management and escalation of significant financial/compliance issues.

Skills

Budgeting

Forecasting

Cash‑flow management

Statutory reporting

Audit

Excel

Sage

Financial modelling

Leadership

Education

ACA/ACCA/CIMA or equivalent

Tools

Sage

Job description

The Job:

On behalf of our client, we are seeking a Finance Director to lead the financial strategy of the organisation. This senior leadership role reports directly to the CEO and Board of Directors and oversees budgeting, forecasting, cash-flow management, statutory reporting, and the governance of finance, funding and administration functions. The role requires a commercially minded and strategic leader who can support decision‑making at Board level while ensuring strong financial control, compliance and continuous improvement across the finance function.

Responsibilities will include

• Advise the CEO and Board on financial strategy, performance, investment and risk to support sustainable growth.
• Lead the preparation of budgets, forecasts, management accounts, cash‑flow plans and statutory and Board reports.
• Maintain robust controls across banking, payments, payroll, procurement, debtors, creditors and financial systems.
• Oversee education and training funding integrity, including reconciliation, audit trails and compliance with contractual requirements.
• Drive financial modelling, pricing, profitability analysis and scrutiny of new programmes, tenders and contracts.
• Develop efficient, scalable finance systems and processes, leveraging Sage and integrating with organisational platforms.
• Lead, develop and support the Finance and Administration/Funding teams, fostering accountability and continuous improvement.
• Support organisational governance, risk management and escalation of significant financial or compliance issues.

The Person:

Our client is seeking a commercially minded, strategic leader with exceptional analytical ability, strong communication skills and high personal integrity. The successful candidate will be confident operating at senior level and capable of influencing key stakeholders across the organisation.

• Qualified accountant (ACA, ACCA, CIMA or equivalent).
• Senior financial leadership experience at Director, Head of Finance or similar level.
• Proven expertise in budgeting, forecasting, cash‑flow management, statutory reporting and audit.
• Strong commercial acumen with experience in financial modelling, pricing and profitability analysis.
• Advanced Excel and Sage proficiency, with the ability to lead finance and administration teams.
• Desirable experience within education, skills, apprenticeships, training, publicly funded provision, not‑for‑profit or another regulated service environment and also ideal is knowledge of education funding and funding compliance.

Salary:

£60-70,000

Benefits:

• 23 days annual leave + bank holidays + 2‑week Christmas closure.
• End‑of‑year performance bonus possibility.
• Employee Assistance and Health & Wellbeing Programmes.
• Free on‑site gym and cycle‑to‑work scheme.
• Free parking and reimbursement of optical tests.
• Monthly team meetings with subsidised lunch.
• Team social events.
• Profit sharing.
• Regular 1:1s and opportunities for progression.

The Hours:

Monday - Friday 37 hours per week

The Location:

Bristol, with car parking + hybrid

Contract Type:

Permanent