Financial Controller

We Do Group; Aberdeen City; On-site; GBP 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

We Do Group partners with an international energy services business to recruit a Financial Controller for its European operations. The role is not a conventional FC; it combines controls with high-impact commercial finance and strategic leadership.

You will lead European finance for a £100m+ operation, focusing on project accounting, business partnering, forecasting and cash management. Based in Aberdeen with a three-day office pattern.

Qualifications

• Qualified accountant ACA/ACCA/CIMA or CA, or equivalent.
• Experience as Financial Controller or commercial/operational finance.
• Strong business-partnering and stakeholder-management skills.

Responsibilities

• Partner with senior operational and commercial leaders across Europe.
• Drive insight around revenue, margin, cash and project profitability.
• Challenge performance and identify opportunities for improvement.
• Support pricing, tendering and wider commercial decisions.
• Lead budgeting, forecasting and strategic planning.
• Drive improvements in working capital and cash.
• Lead and develop a team of Project Accountants.
• Build a stronger commercial business-partnering culture.
• Own European reporting, month-end, balance sheet and financial controls.
• Improve how Finance works with the Shared Service Centre.
• Drive process improvement, automation and finance transformation.
• Represent European Finance on strategic projects.

Skills

Business partnering

Stakeholder management

Operational finance

Project accounting

Education

ACA/ACCA/CIMA/CA or equivalent

Job description

Commercial | Operational | Transformation

We Do Group are partnering exclusively with an international energy services business to recruit a Financial Controller for its European operations.

This is not a traditional Financial Controller role.

Yes, you will own the controls, reporting and financial integrity – but the real opportunity is far broader.

This is a highly operational and commercially focused leadership role, working closely with senior leaders to improve performance, challenge decisions and help shape how the business moves forward.

The finance function has recently been through a major transformation, with transactional activity moving into a Shared Service Centre. The next phase is about shifting the focus from producing the numbers to using them.

You will lead the European finance team across a £100m+ operation, developing the Project Accounting function and creating a much stronger business-partnering culture.

That means getting close to operations. Understanding project performance. Challenging margins. Improving forecasting. Supporting commercial decisions. Driving cash and working capital. Identifying where value is being lost and doing something about it.

You will still own the fundamentals – month-end, reporting, controls, balance sheet and governance – but the ambition is to increasingly move activity away from the regional team and create more capacity for commercial, operational and strategic finance.

It is a broad, visible and genuinely varied leadership opportunity.

WHAT WILL YOU BE DOING?

• Partnering with senior operational and commercial leaders across Europe
• Driving insight around revenue, margin, cash and project profitability
• Challenging performance and identifying opportunities for improvement
• Supporting pricing, tendering and wider commercial decisions
• Leading budgeting, forecasting and strategic planning
• Driving improvements in working capital and cash
• Leading and developing a team of Project Accountants
• Building a stronger commercial business-partnering culture
• Owning European reporting, month-end, balance sheet and financial controls
• Improving how Finance works with the Shared Service Centre
• Driving process improvement, automation and finance transformation
• Representing European Finance across wider strategic projects and initiatives

WHAT ARE WE LOOKING FOR?

• A qualified accountant – ACA, ACCA, CIMA, CA or equivalent
• Strong Financial Controller, Commercial Finance or operational finance experience
• A genuinely commercial mindset and interest in how the business operates
• Strong business-partnering and senior stakeholder-management skills
• Experience leading and developing finance teams
• Experience within a project-led, multi-entity or international environment
• Someone comfortable moving between strategic conversations and getting into the detail
• A proactive, energetic and improvement-focused approach
• Shared Service Centre experience would be useful, but is not essential

The successful candidate could come from energy, engineering, industrial services, infrastructure or another project-led environment.

What matters is finding someone who wants to be in the business, not sitting on the sidelines reporting on it.

Someone commercially curious, operationally engaged and confident enough to challenge senior stakeholders – while maintaining the financial discipline expected of a strong Controller.

If you want a conventional, reporting-led Financial Controller position, this probably isn't it.

If you want a role combining financial control, commercial influence, operational exposure, transformation and leadership, this is an exceptional opportunity.

The position is based in Aberdeen, with an expected working pattern of approximately three days per week in the office.