Finance Manager

Sagoss Group; Henley-on-Thames; On-site; GBP 70,000 - 95,000; Full time

Job summary

Sagoss Group, a UK technology and private healthcare group based in Henley-on-Thames, seeks a hands-on Financial Controller to lead the finance function across three businesses. You will drive cash conversion, protect margins, challenge costs, and support teams with quotes, tenders and price increases.

The role combines day-to-day control with strategic commercial initiatives, empowering scalable growth. This is a full-time, permanent position reporting to the Managing Director.

Qualifications

• Hands-on finance leadership experience in growing SMEs or multi-entity businesses.
• Strong knowledge of UK accounting processes and VAT compliance.
• Advanced Excel and Microsoft 365 skills; IT-savvy with data focus.

Responsibilities

• Own the complete finance function across three Sagoss businesses with emphasis on Sagoss.
• Ensure accurate accounting, reporting and compliance, and timely year-end obligations.
• Strengthen cash flow via invoicing, credit control and timely payments.
• Provide commercial finance support for Sales, Bids, pricing and renewals.

Job description

A hands-on finance leadership role across three entrepreneurial businesses, combining rigorous day-to-day control with cash improvement, commercial support, cost savings and scalable growth initiatives.

Location: Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire

Reports to: Managing Director

Employment: Full-time, permanent

Package: Competitive and commensurate with experience

ABOUT THE GROUP

Sagoss

A UK technology business delivering intelligent parking and transport solutions. Its 360-degree platform combines software, ANPR, payments, portals and connected hardware to help customers manage parking operations efficiently across thousands of locations.

A medical market-access consultancy helping healthcare technologies and products navigate UK and international markets through market-access strategy, regulatory compliance, health economics and related commercial support.

A private, CQC-registered medical and aesthetic clinic in Henley-on-Thames, providing a growing range of private healthcare, wellness, skin and non-surgical services in a discreet, patient-focused setting.

THE OPPORTUNITY

This is not a maintenance-only finance role. The successful candidate will personally run the finance function while acting as a commercial partner: improving cash conversion, protecting margin, challenging cost, helping teams quote quickly and accurately, and implementing smart initiatives from idea through to measurable result.

ROLE PURPOSE

• Own and deliver the complete finance function across the three businesses, with the majority of time focused on Sagoss.

• Ensure accounting, reporting and compliance obligations are accurate and completed on time.

• Strengthen cash flow through prompt invoicing, active credit control and eliminating avoidable payment delays.

• Provide commercial finance support to Sales and Bids, including quotations, tenders, upsells, renewals and annual price increases.

• Identify and implement practical cost-saving, automation and profitability initiatives.

• Build scalable finance processes and controls in Xero.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

1. Finance Operations, Accounting and Compliance

• Own the purchase ledger, sales ledger, bank and card reconciliations, journals, accruals, prepayments, fixed assets, intercompany entries and control accounts.
• Run payment runs, reconciliations, month-end close and year-end preparation.
• Prepare accurate management accounts for each business and the group, including profit and loss, balance sheet, cash flow, variance analysis and commentary.
• Manage payroll, pensions, PAYE/NI data and relevant HMRC submissions.
• Prepare and submit VAT returns and maintain a compliance calendar for HMRC, statutory, tax and filing deadlines.
• Coordinate statutory accounts, corporation tax support and year-end information with external advisers.

2. Invoicing, Credit Control and Cash Management

• Ensure customer invoices are raised accurately and promptly with the correct supporting information.
• Maintain a live invoice pipeline so completed work, recurring charges, projects, licences, services and approved upsells are not missed or delayed.
• Own credit control end to end: contact customers, resolve queries and elevate overdue accounts appropriately.
• Issue a weekly aged-debt report with actions and dates for material overdue balances.
• Produce and maintain a rolling 13-week cash-flow forecast, highlighting risks, collection priorities and payment timing.
• Improve working capital through better billing discipline, payment terms, deposits, milestone invoicing, supplier terms and collection processes.

3. Commercial Finance, Quotations and Pricing

• Work closely with Sales and Bids to prepare, review and release customer quotations and tender pricing within required deadlines.
• Build cost and margin models covering products, hardware, installation, implementation, support, software, third-party costs and ongoing service commitments.
• Challenge assumptions and ensure commercial terms protect margin, cash flow and delivery capacity.
• Prepare quotations for upsell sales and ensure approved upsells move from quote to acceptance, invoicing and collection.
• Own the annual pricing review for existing customers, including increases, contract and renewal schedules and verifying new prices are billed correctly.
• Support contract renewals, new business cases, investment decisions and scenario modelling.
• Provide customer, product, project and contract profitability analysis.

4. Cost Saving, Profitability and Growth Initiatives

• Review supplier spend, software subscriptions, payment-processing charges, insurance, banking, utilities, premises, purchasing, stock and outsourced services for savings and efficiency opportunities.
• Identify duplicate, low-value or uncontrolled spend; renegotiate contracts and introduce appropriate purchasing and approval discipline.
• Develop and implement improvement proposals with clear costs, benefits, timing and return on investment.
• Maintain a savings and value-creation tracker showing forecast, approved and realised benefits.
• Bring ideas proactively to improve margin, recurring revenue, cash generation and operational efficiency.

5. Reporting, Forecasting and Decision Support

• Create a concise weekly finance pack covering cash, collections, invoicing, sales pipeline, committed spend and immediate risks.
• Deliver accurate and timely monthly management reporting.
• Lead annual budgeting, rolling forecasts and scenario planning across the group.
• Develop KPIs and dashboards covering revenue, gross margin, recurring revenue, debtor days, overdue debt, cash conversion, project performance and operating costs.
• Translate numbers into recommendations, explaining what has changed, why it matters and what action should follow.
• Support senior leaders with decision ready information.

6. Xero, Systems, Controls and Scalability

• Act as the internal owner and expert user of Xero across the group, including chart of accounts, tracking categories, bank rules, integrations, reporting, user access and data quality.
• Use Xero and connected tools to automate repetitive work, reduce manual errors and improve speed, visibility and control.
• Review and improve finance workflows, approval routes, customer and supplier setup, billing processes and reporting structures.
• Document standard operating procedures and maintain a controls framework proportionate to an entrepreneurial business.
• Create a finance function that can scale.

7. Collaboration, Customer Contact and Personal Ownership

• Build effective working relationships with Sales, Bids, Operations, Technical, Service, Clinical and leadership colleagues.
• Communicate confidently and professionally with customers and suppliers, including conversations about overdue balances, pricing, terms and disputed invoices.
• Operate with a high level of autonomy: understand the requirement, investigate the facts, decide the next action and follow through.
• Move between transactional detail and strategic work as priorities change.
• Handle confidential information with sound judgement and maintain a practical, calm and solutions-focused approach under pressure.

CANDIDATE PROFILE

This role is likely to suit an established Financial Controller, experienced Finance Manager or senior management accountant who has worked in a growing, owner-led SME or multi-entity environment and now wants broader influence. The successful candidate will be equally comfortable closing the month, chasing a late payment, challenging a supplier cost, building a bid model and presenting a commercial recommendation.

ESSENTIAL EXPERIENCE AND CAPABILITY

• Demonstrable experience owning a broad, hands-on finance function, ideally within a growing SME, scale-up, owner-managed business or multi-company group.
• Strong practical knowledge of UK accounting processes, month-end, management accounts, payroll, pensions, VAT, HMRC requirements, cash flow and year-end support.
• Advanced, hands-on capability in Xero is essential; the successful candidate must be able to configure, improve and use the platform without relying on others.
• Proven success improving credit control, invoice timing, working capital and cash collection while maintaining constructive customer relationships.
• Commercial finance experience supporting quotations, bids, pricing, margin analysis, upsells, renewals and customer price increases.
• Evidence of identifying and implementing cost savings, process improvements, automation or stronger controls with measurable results.
• Strong Excel and Microsoft 365 capability, confidence with data and a generally IT-savvy approach.
• Ability to manage competing priorities, work independently, meet deadlines and maintain accuracy in a fast-changing environment.
• Clear written and verbal communication, including the confidence to explain financial matters in plain English.

QUALIFICATIONS

• A recognised accounting qualification or relevant progression route, such as AAT, ACCA, CIMA or ACA.
• Fully qualified, part-qualified or qualified-by-experience candidates may be considered where their practical experience and track record are strong and directly relevant.

PREFERRED EXPERIENCE

• Previous work in an IT, software, technology, parking, transport or service-led business.
• Experience supporting more than one legal entity, business unit or sector.
• Exposure to healthcare, private clinics, regulated services, medical products or market-access consulting.
• Experience introducing finance-system integrations, workflow automation or dashboards.