Finance Manager

Accountancy Action; Essex; On-site; GBP 50,000 - 70,000; Full time

Job summary

Accountancy Action is seeking an experienced Finance Manager to take ownership of the financial and commercial management of the business. The role combines accounting, project costing and QS-style responsibilities, guiding projects from quotation through to invoicing and payment.

You will lead day-to-day finance, manage VAT, payroll, and month-end processes, and provide commercial insight to protect margins and drive profitability across current and future projects.

Qualifications

• Qualified or part-qualified accountant with ACA/ACCA/CIMA preferred.
• Strong experience preparing management accounts.
• Analytical mindset with excellent attention to detail.
• Strong Excel skills and able to work with large data sets.

Responsibilities

• Manage day-to-day finance and accounts using Xero.
• Manage project/job costing and compare quoted vs actual costs.
• Monitor project profitability and identify cost variances.
• Raise and manage invoices and accounts receivable.
• Manage purchase ledger and supplier invoices.
• Take responsibility for VAT including VAT returns.

Skills

Analytical mindset

Attention to detail

Strong Excel skills

Education

ACCA/ACA/CIMA qualification

Tools

Excel

Job description

Role

My Client is looking for an experienced and commercially minded Finance Manager to take ownership of the financial and commercial management of our business. The role combines finance, accounts, commercial management, job costing and Quantity Surveying (QS)-style responsibilities, overseeing projects from initial quotation through to completion, final invoicing and payment.

Responsibilities

• Manage the day-to-day finance and accounts function, maintaining accurate financial records and taking ownership of the company's accounts using Xero.
• Manage project/job costing, comparing quoted and budgeted costs against actual expenditure throughout each project.
• Monitor project profitability and margins, identifying cost overruns, unexpected expenditure, margin erosion and other commercial issues requiring management attention.
• Manage variations and additional works, ensuring changes in scope and additional chargeable work are identified, recorded, priced, agreed and invoiced.
• Raise and manage customer invoices, ensuring completed work, variations and all other chargeable items are invoiced accurately and promptly.
• Manage accounts receivable and credit control, monitoring outstanding balances, chasing overdue payments and resolving customer invoice queries.
• Manage the purchase ledger and supplier accounts, including processing and checking supplier/subcontractor invoices against agreed quotations, purchase orders and project costs.
• Take responsibility for VAT, including VAT reconciliations, preparation and submission of VAT returns and maintaining accurate supporting records.
• Take responsibility for payroll, ensuring wages/salaries, overtime, deductions, pensions and other payroll information are processed accurately and on time.
• Manage month-end accounting procedures, including bank and ledger reconciliations, journals, accruals/prepayments where applicable, debtors, creditors and work-in-progress reviews.
• Review customer purchase orders, scopes of work and commercial terms, identifying discrepancies or potentially unfavourable conditions and escalating these to management where appropriate.
• Review and control subcontractor and supplier costs, checking quotations, agreed rates, applications and invoices and investigating discrepancies where required.
• Liaise closely with management, operations, customers, suppliers and subcontractors to obtain missing information, resolve commercial/accounting queries and ensure projects progress smoothly from quotation to payment.
• Improve internal commercial and financial processes, particularly around quotations, purchase orders, job costing, variation tracking, invoicing and the flow of information between operations and accounts.
• Provide commercial and financial support to management, using accurate financial information and project performance data to assist with pricing, decision-making and future profitability.

Experience

• Qualified or part-qualified accountant (ACA/ACCA/CIMA) preferred
• Strong experience preparing management accounts
• Analytical mindset with excellent attention to detail
• Strong Excel skills and able to work with large data sets.
• The successful candidate should have strong practical experience within accounts, finance, commercial management, project costing or a similar role, together with excellent attention to detail and commercial awareness.