Financial Controller

Cpl UK; City Of London; Hybrid; GBP 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

Royal Museums Greenwich in London is seeking a Financial Controller to lead the financial accounting team, ensure robust controls and reporting to support the organisation's ambitious transformation and capital projects. Reporting to the Head of Finance, you will drive governance, manage statutory accounts and audits, and guide financial strategy across charity and public-sector environments.

Hybrid role offering exposure to world-class museums and significant investment in First Light, with a

Qualifications

• Qualified accountant with leadership in financial controls.
• Experience with external audits and statutory reporting.
• Strong VAT and regulatory compliance knowledge.
• Experience leading change and team development.
• Excellent stakeholder management and communication skills.
• Proactive and strategic mindset.

Responsibilities

• Lead financial accounting and transactions function.
• Maintain financial control environment and compliance.
• Oversee statutory accounts, balance sheet, treasury.
• Lead annual audit process and liaise with auditors.
• Provide technical accounting advice.
• Ensure VAT and regulatory compliance.
• Support finance transformation initiatives.
• Partner with stakeholders to improve governance.
• Contribute to oversight of capital and heritage projects.

Skills

Financial accounting

Financial controls leadership

Audit management

Stakeholder management

Education

ACA/ACCA/CIMA qualification

Job description

Financial Controller

Royal Museums Greenwich

Permanent Full-Time

Salary Negotiable

Hybrid working (typically 3 days per week onsite in Greenwich)

Help shape the future of one of London's most iconic cultural institutions. Royal Museums Greenwich is home to the National Maritime Museum, Royal Observatory Greenwich, Cutty Sark, Queen's House, the Prince Philip Maritime Collections Centre and the Caird Library and Archive. Together, we explore humanity's relationship with the sea, space and our place in the world through world-class collections, pioneering research and engaging public programmes.

This is a particularly exciting moment to join the organisation. We are delivering one of the most significant investment programmes in our history through the First Light transformation of the Royal Observatory Greenwich, a major capital project designed to improve accessibility, visitor experience and engagement with science for future generations. Alongside this, we continue to strengthen our commercial performance, expand audience reach and build organisational resilience in an increasingly dynamic and challenging funding environment.

As Financial Controller, you will play a pivotal leadership role in ensuring the organisation has the robust financial stewardship, controls and reporting required to support these ambitions. Reporting to the Head of Finance, you will lead the financial accounting team, helping to drive continuous improvement, strengthen governance and provide the foundation for informed decision making across the Museum.

This role offers the opportunity to influence strategic initiatives, support significant capital investment programmes and contribute to the ongoing modernisation of finance systems and processes.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead and develop a high-performing financial accounting and transactions function.
• Ensure the integrity of the Museum's financial control environment and compliance framework.
• Oversee all aspects of financial accounting, including statutory accounts preparation, balance sheet management and treasury activities.
• Lead the annual audit process and maintain strong relationships with internal and external auditors.
• Provide expert technical accounting advice across the organisation.
• Ensure compliance with VAT and other regulatory requirements.
• Support the delivery of finance transformation initiatives, systems improvements and process automation opportunities.
• Partner with stakeholders across the organisation to improve financial awareness, governance and decision making.
• Contribute to the financial oversight of major capital and heritage projects.

About You

You will be a qualified accountant (ACA, ACCA, CIMA or equivalent) with strong technical accounting expertise and a proven track record of leading financial control functions.

We are interested in candidates from the charity, cultural, public sector or commercial environments who can demonstrate:

• Significant experience of financial accounting and financial controls leadership.
• Successful management of external audits and statutory reporting processes.
• Strong knowledge of VAT and regulatory compliance.
• Experience leading and developing teams through change and continuous improvement.
• Excellent stakeholder management and communication skills.
• The ability to combine attention to detail with a pragmatic and customer-focused approach.
• A proactive mindset and a desire to help shape the future of a function and organisation.

Why Join Royal Museums Greenwich?

This is an opportunity to contribute to an organisation with a unique national and international profile at a time of significant investment and transformation. You will join a collaborative leadership team committed to innovation, inclusion, sustainability and delivering exceptional experiences for visitors, researchers and communities.