Finance Manager - Shared Services (UK)

Advantage Smollan Limited

Wokingham

Hybrid

GBP 65,000 - 70,000

Full time

38 hours ago

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Benefits offered by this job

Medicash

Enhanced company pension

Enhanced sick pay

Life insurance

EV salary sacrifice scheme

Enhanced paternity leave

Enhanced maternity leave

Adoption leave

Cycle to work scheme

Referral programme

Perkbox

Taste Card

Job summary

Advantage Smollan Limited in Winnersh, Wokingham, is seeking a Finance Manager - Shared Services (UK) to lead the European financial accounting, AP, AR and employee expense operations. This senior role reports to the Group Head of Finance Shared Services and manages three direct reports.

You will drive process improvements, ensure SLAs, support month-end close, and partner with cross-functional teams to optimise controls and reporting.

Qualifications

Fully qualified or part qualified accountant (CIMA/ACCA/ACA).
Strong transactional finance knowledge with operational management experience.
Experience managing GL and transactional finance teams and across multiple entities.

Responsibilities

Lead daily AP, AR, employee expenses, and payment processing across European entities within SLAs.
Develop, lead & coach three direct reports (AR Team Lead, AP Team Lead & Financial Accountant).
Proactively manage backlog, unapplied cash, blocked invoices and aged ledger items.
Partner with Group Accounting and Treasury for month-end close and reconciliations.
Drive continuous improvement, automate workflows and reduce spreadsheet dependencies.
Enforce group policies and segregation of duties and support internal/external audits.
Maintain KPI visibility and data-driven improvements across transactional functions.
Collaborate with FP&A, Procurement, HR and commercial teams to resolve bottlenecks.

Skills

Transactional finance

Team leadership

Stakeholder management

Process improvement

Communication

Education

CIMA/ACCA/ACA

Tools

SAP BPC

Board

Dynamics 365 Finance

Chrome River

Medius Flow

Blackline

SAP SAC

Microsoft Office

Job description

Overview

Finance Manager - Shared Services (UK)

Permanent, Full Time

Salary: £65,000 - £70,000 per annum + annual company bonus

Hours: Monday to Friday, 37.5 hours per week

Location: Winnersh, Wokingham, RG41 5TP (Hybrid)

We're looking for a Finance Manager to lead our Shares Services finance operations. This is a senior role reporting to the Group Head of Finance Shared Services. This is a key operational management role responsible for the day-to-day delivery and performance of Financial Accounting, Accounts Payable (AP), Accounts Receivable (AR) and Employee Expenses across multiple European entities. We are looking for someone who is comfortable getting into the detail, understanding what is happening in the transactional processes, resolving issues, challenging the process and personally driving actions through to completion. You will lead a team of finance professionals while remaining close enough to the operation to identify problems early, remove blockers and ensure that agreed service levels are consistently achieved.

What you'll be doing:

End-to-End Operational Oversight: Lead the daily delivery of AP, AR, employee expenses, and payment processing across European entities, ensuring transactions are accurately processed within agreed SLAs.
Team Leadership: Develop, lead & coach three direct reports (AR Team Lead, AP Team Lead & Financial Accountant), setting clear targets, manage workloads, and coach the team through complex issues, stepping in directly during peak periods like month-end to drive performance.
Backlog & Exception Management: Proactively manage daily transaction queues to resolve unapplied cash, blocked invoices, and aged ledger items before they become accounting risks.
Month-End & Financial Close: Partner with Group Accounting and Treasury to maintain tight cut-offs, clean ledgers, and seamless reconciliation support for month-end reporting.
Continuous Improvement & Automation: Challenge manual workarounds, reduce spreadsheet dependencies, and optimise systems to automate and standardise workflows.
Governance, Risk & Compliance: Enforce group policies, delegated authority limits, and segregation of duties, acting as a primary point of contact for audit requirements.
KPI & Operational Reporting: Maintain clear performance visibility across all transactional functions, using data trends to address root causes and streamline operations.
Cross-Functional Stakeholder Management: Collaborate with FP&A, Procurement, HR, and commercial teams to resolve dispute bottlenecks, manage expectations, and improve end-to-end processing.

What we are looking for:

Fully Qualified or Part Qualified Accountant (CIMA/ACCA/ACA)
Strong transactional finance knowledge with practical operational management experience.
Significant experience in transactional and commercial finance, experience managing GL and transactional finance team.
Strong understanding of end-to-end finance processes.
Demonstrable experience managing transaction volumes, backlogs and operational KPIs.
Strong understanding of financial controls and reconciliation processes.
Experience working across multiple entities and/or jurisdictions.
Proven ability to investigate and resolve complex transactional issues.
Experience implementing or improving finance processes.
Strong communication and stakeholder management skills
Ability to work independently and take ownership of issues through to resolution.