Finance Manager – Full Time – Clyst St Mary

Catering; Exeter; On-site; GBP 50,000 - 60,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

25 days annual leave

Birthday day off

Life assurance 4x salary

Cycle2Work scheme

Enhanced sick pay

Job summary

Catering in Exeter is seeking an experienced Finance Manager to own the finance function within a growing SME. You will work closely with the CFO and provide detailed management accounts, budgeting, forecasting and robust financial controls.

You will bring strong accounting experience, ACA/ACCA/CIMA/AAT or equivalent, excellent Excel skills and a proactive, improvement-focused approach. Hybrid or office-based working in Exeter offered.

Qualifications

• ACA, ACCA, CIMA or AAT qualification, or be qualified by experience.
• Proven experience in financial control and management accounting.
• Experience preparing finalised management accounts.
• Strong Excel and financial systems knowledge.
• Excellent attention to detail and stakeholder management.

Responsibilities

• Produce detailed monthly management accounts with commentary and analysis.
• Lead and continually improve monthly financial reporting.
• Support budgeting, forecasting and progress analysis.
• Oversee day-to-day finance function and controls.
• Manage relationships with auditors, tax advisers and regulators.

Skills

Financial control

Management accounting

Budgeting

Forecasting

Financial analysis

Working capital management

Stakeholder management

Excel proficiency

Communication skills

Process improvement

Education

ACA/ACCA/CIMA/AAT qualification

Tools

QuickBooks

Job description

Are you an experienced Finance Manager who enjoys being close to the numbers, improving processes and making a genuine impact within a growing SME?

This is an excellent opportunity to join an innovative Exeter-based technology business. Working alongside the CFO and Finance Business Partner, you will take ownership of key day-to-day finance activities while helping to strengthen financial controls, reporting and processes across the business.

This is a varied, hands‑on Finance Manager position offering far more than routine month‑end reporting. You will combine financial control and management accounting with budgeting, forecasting, analysis, working capital management and continuous improvement, while supporting the CFO on wider projects.

Previous manufacturing, engineering or technology experience would be beneficial but is not essential. Previous experience working within an SME environment is important.

The Role

Reporting directly to the CFO, your responsibilities will include:

• Producing detailed monthly management accounts, including commentary and analysis
• Preparing supporting financial analysis and schedules to provide meaningful insight to the business
• Leading and continually improving monthly financial reporting
• Supporting financial planning and analysis, including budgets, forecasts and progress analysis
• Overseeing the day-to-day finance function
• Working closely with an outsourced transactional support resource responsible for areas including invoice processing and obtaining proof of purchase
• Ensuring accurate data entry and completeness of journal transactions
• Identifying opportunities to improve financial controls, processes and operational efficiencies
• Managing liquidity, working capital requirements and inventory controls
• Identifying and mitigating financial risk and ensuring robust financial controls and systems are maintained
• Overseeing finance compliance requirements including VAT, payroll, statutory accounts and R&D
• Supporting other departments with financial information and analysis
• Managing relationships with external stakeholders including auditors, tax advisers, lawyers, investors and regulatory bodies
• Supporting the CFO with ad-hoc financial and business projects

About You

We are looking for an experienced finance professional who can operate confidently within an SME and work with a high degree of autonomy.

You will ideally have:

• A strong track record within financial control, management accounting or a Finance Manager role
• Previous experience working within an SME environment
• Proven experience preparing finalised management accounts
• Strong financial reporting and analytical skills
• Experience of budgeting, forecasting and financial planning
• A good understanding of working capital, financial controls and compliance
• An ACA, ACCA, CIMA or AAT qualification, or be qualified by experience
• Confidence using Excel and financial systems
• The ability to inherit and work independently with existing Excel spreadsheets without compromising reporting accuracy
• Strong organisational skills and the ability to work to tight reporting deadlines
• Excellent attention to detail and accuracy
• Strong communication and stakeholder management skills
• A proactive, collaborative and improvement-focused approach
• Experience within manufacturing, engineering, automotive or technology would be advantageous, although this is not essential.
• The business currently uses QuickBooks, so previous experience would be useful but is not stated as essential.

Working Pattern

This role will be predominantly office-based in Exeter.

The company’s working hours operate between 8:00am and 6:00pm, with employees working 7.5 hours per day.

Occasional hybrid working can be accommodated, although the successful candidate should expect to be predominantly based in the Exeter office.

Salary & Benefits

£50,000-£60,000 depending on experience, plus:

• 25 days’ annual leave plus UK Bank Holidays
• An additional day off for your birthday
• Vitality health insurance for the employee, spouse and dependants from day one
• Life assurance at four times salary from day one
• Long Term Incentive Plan – eligibility to sign up after three months’ service
• Cycle2Work scheme after six months
• Enhanced sick pay after six months’ continuous service
• Enhanced paternity leave after 12 months’ continuous service
• Enhanced maternity leave based on length of service
• Enhanced adoption leave in line with maternity/paternity provisions

This is an opportunity for an experienced Finance Manager to join an ambitious SME where you can take real ownership of the finance function, work closely with senior leadership and contribute to the continued development of the business.

Salary: £50000 – £60000/annum

Job Type: Permanent

Location: Exeter