Financial Controller

ICAEW; Fareham; On-site; GBP 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

ICAEW is partnering with a fast-growing, investor-backed organisation seeking an ambitious FC to lead a small finance team and drive financial insight across the business. You will build credibility with operational teams and translate financial data into meaningful commercial insight that supports growth.

You will own the day-to-day finance function, including monthly management accounts, statutory reporting, budgeting, forecasting and cash flow management, while driving continuous improvement

Qualifications

• Qualified accountants (ACA, ACCA, CIMA or equivalent) with strong technical expertise and commercial curiosity.
• Experience leading or mentoring finance teams and strong financial and management reporting.
• Hands-on, pragmatic operator in a fast-paced growing environment with stakeholder management.

Responsibilities

• Oversee monthly management accounts, statutory reporting, and ledger management.
• Provide insightful financial analysis to support key business decisions and budgeting.
• Partner with operations to drive forecasting, cash flow, and process improvements.

Education

Professional accounting qualification (ACA/ACCA/CIMA) or equivalent

Job description

Your new company

Hays are delighted to be exclusively partnering with a fast-growing, investor-backed organisation that has experienced significant growth over recent years and continues on an exciting scale-up journey. As the business evolves, they are seeking an ambitious and commercially minded FC to lead a small finance team whilst playing a key role in driving financial insight, operational decision-making and process improvement across the organisation. This is not a role for someone who wants to sit behind a spreadsheet all day. The successful candidate will enjoy building relationships across the business, spending time with operational teams and translating financial data into meaningful commercial insights that support growth.

Your new role

Reporting into senior leadership, you will take ownership of the day-to-day finance function while helping to shape the future direction of finance as the business continues to scale. Leading a small finance team, you will oversee the production of monthly management accounts and statutory reporting, whilst maintaining responsibility for financial reporting, controls and ledger management. The role will also involve delivering insightful financial analysis to support key business decisions, alongside project accounting and performance analysis across a range of strategic initiatives. Working closely with stakeholders across the organisation, you will play a key role in budgeting, forecasting and cash flow management, while driving continuous improvement across finance processes, controls and reporting. Acting as a true business partner, you will build strong relationships with operational teams and serve as a key bridge between finance and the wider business, ensuring financial information provides meaningful commercial insight rather than simply reporting the numbers.

What you'll need to succeed

We are keen to speak with qualified accountants (ACA, ACCA, CIMA or equivalent) who combine strong technical expertise with genuine commercial curiosity. The successful candidate will bring experience of leading or mentoring finance teams, alongside a strong grounding in financial and management reporting. You will enjoy getting under the skin of a business, understanding the operational drivers behind performance and using this knowledge to provide meaningful insight. We are looking for someone who is hands‑on, pragmatic and comfortable operating within a growing, fast‑paced environment, with the communication skills and stakeholder management capability to build credibility across the organisation. Strong analytical thinking, commercial judgement and problem‑solving abilities will be essential.

One of the most exciting aspects of this opportunity

is the chance to help shape how finance leverages technology as the organisation continues to grow. The business is seeking an individual with a genuine interest in Business Intelligence, data analytics and the use of technology to drive better decision‑making. You will be naturally curious about how management information and dashboard reporting can be enhanced, how finance processes can be streamlined through automation, and how emerging AI tools and agents can improve efficiency across the finance function. Whilst you do not need to be a technical expert, you should have a keen interest in identifying opportunities to generate deeper insights from both operational and financial data, helping finance become an increasingly strategic partner to the wider business.

What you'll get in return

This is an excellent opportunity to join a high‑growth organisation that has scaled significantly in recent years and continues to invest in its future. The successful candidate will benefit from significant exposure to senior leadership and key decision‑makers, with the opportunity to influence how the finance function evolves as the business continues its growth journey. Offering a broad and varied remit, the role combines financial and management reporting, commercial analysis and operational business partnering within a hands‑on environment where your contribution will have a visible and measurable impact. In return, the business can offer excellent career development prospects, making this an outstanding opportunity for an ambitious finance professional looking to grow alongside a successful and expanding organisation.