Finance Manager

LEX Diagnostics Limited; United Kingdom; On-site; GBP 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Pension 10% + 3%

Private medical insurance

Life insurance

25 days holiday + bank holidays

Discounts & memberships

Job summary

Lex Diagnostics Limited in Cambridge seeks a hands-on Finance Manager to own the site’s finances. You’ll manage accounts payable/receivable, general ledger, cash, and month-end, while leading weekly cash flow forecasting and the budgeting cycles.

You will prepare monthly management packs for the site CEO and senior team, liaise with external auditors and tax advisors (including RDEC), maintain a clean balance sheet and robust controls, and partner with operations and global finance to turn

Qualifications

• Fully qualified accountant with experience in fast-moving environments.
• Knowledge of IFRS or UK GAAP and strong month-end controls.
• Advanced Excel skills and ability to partner with operational leaders.

Responsibilities

• Manage day-to-day financials for the Cambridge site (AP/AR, GL, cash, month-end).
• Own weekly cash flow forecasting and annual budgeting cycles.
• Prepare monthly management packs for the site CEO and senior team; liaise with external auditors and tax advisors (RDEC).
• Maintain balance sheet cleanliness and tight controls; collaborate with global finance, treasury, and shared services.

Skills

Fully qualified accountant

IFRS/UK GAAP knowledge

Advanced Excel

Stakeholder management

ERP experience

Education

Chartered accountant (ACA/ACCA/CIMA)

Tools

SAP

Syteline

Job description

Most finance roles leave you buried in month end while someone else makes the decisions that matter.

This one doesn’t.

You’ll take full ownership of the Cambridge site’s finances at a company that has just gone from independent UK biotech to part of a major global organisation. Lex Diagnostics builds ultra fast cartridge based PCR systems that deliver results in minutes, not hours. The technology is already changing how clinics work. Now the finance function needs to keep pace as we scale manufacturing, commercialise the first products, and integrate with a much larger parent company.

What you’ll actually do

You’ll run the day-to-day financial management of the site — accounts payable and receivable, general ledger, cash, and a controlled month end. You’ll own the weekly cash flow forecast so leadership always knows where we stand. You’ll lead the quarterly forecasting and annual budgeting cycles, challenge the numbers that come in, and turn them into plans people can actually use.

You’ll prepare the monthly management packs that go in front of the site CEO and senior team, and you’ll be the main point of contact for the external auditors and tax advisors (including Research and Development Expenditure Creditor RDEC). You’ll keep the balance sheet clean and the controls tight. And you’ll spend a lot of time talking to operational leaders and colleagues in global finance, treasury, shared services, corporate accounting, so the numbers support real decisions rather than just reporting them after the fact.

This is a hands on role. You’ll still get your hands dirty in the detail, but the real value is in the insight and the partnership.

Who this will suit

You’re a fully qualified accountant (ACA, ACCA, CIMA or equivalent) who has already run financial management, reporting and business partnering in a fast-moving environment. You know your way around month-end, statutory accounts, budgeting and forecasting. You’re comfortable with IFRS or UK GAAP and you understand how proper controls actually protect a growing business.

You’re good with numbers and better with people. You can sit with an operational manager and help them see the financial consequences of their choices without making them feel stupid. You can prioritise when everything feels urgent.

Advanced Excel and experience with an ERP (SAP or Syteline are useful) will make the first few months easier. Any exposure to US GAAP or RDEC claims is a bonus, not a requirement.

The practical bits

• 12-month fixed-term contract
• Hybrid — minimum three days a week onsite SG86EE
• Flexible around the busy periods (month-end, year-end, budget season)
• No regular travel expected

You’ll report to the offsite Finance Director and work closely with the site leadership team.

Benefits

• Employer pension contribution of 10% (+3% personal contribution)
• Private Medical Insurance
• Life insurance
• 25 days’ annual holiday plus bank holidays
• Discounts and memberships to local sports facilities and the theatre