Financial Controller

Fletchers Solicitors; Manchester; Hybrid; GBP 100,000 - 125,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading law firm in Manchester is seeking a dynamic Financial Controller to oversee financial control, reporting, and compliance. This pivotal role involves preparing financial statements, managing cash flow forecasts, and leading a small team. The ideal candidate will hold a professional accounting qualification and have significant experience in financial reporting and analysis. This is a great opportunity to contribute to a growing firm known for its supportive workplace culture and flexible working practices.

Benefits

Bonus scheme

35 days holiday

Pension scheme

Life Assurance Policy

Flexible working environment

Qualifications

• Proven experience in financial accounting and reporting.
• Strong knowledge of accounting principles, standards, and regulations.
• Ability to work under pressure and meet deadlines.

Responsibilities

• Prepare and consolidate financial statements for the group.
• Conduct regular reconciliations of balance sheet accounts.
• Develop and maintain cash flow forecasting models.
• Approve monthly payroll and prepare bonus accruals.
• Prepare and submit timely VAT and corporation tax returns.
• Prepare annual group statutory accounts in compliance with regulations.
• Respond to ad‑hoc data and analysis requests.

Skills

Financial accounting

Reporting skills

Analytical skills

Attention to detail

Communication skills

Education

Professional accounting qualification (e.g., ACCA, ACA, CIMA)

Job description

We're on the lookout for a dynamic and detail-oriented Financial Controller to become a key part of our ambitious and growing team at Fletchers Group. In this pivotal role, you'll take full ownership of financial control, reporting, and compliance across the business, laying the foundations for scalable and sustainable growth. This role will report directly to the Group CFO and will play a key part in supporting strategic decision‑making and financial leadership across the organisation. It's a hands‑on leadership position where you'll immerse yourself in the day‑to‑day operations to assess current capabilities, identify gaps, and set the stage for future transformation. Alongside building a high‑performing team, you will also lead a revamp of our reporting processes; streamlining outputs to make them faster, more accurate, and more insightful. It's a great opportunity to join a private equity‑backed business that's expanding rapidly both organically and through acquisition. Your insights and direction will be vital in shaping the future of the finance function and helping to drive the business forward. If you're a proactive, commercially minded finance professional ready to make a real difference, we'd love to hear from you.

Responsibilities

1. Production of Monthly Group Management Accounts and MI Packs:
   • Prepare and consolidate financial statements for the group, including profit and loss statements, balance sheet, and cashflows
   • Working with FP&A to prepare management information (MI) packs with key financial metrics, variance analysis and commentary for our banking partners
2. Balance Sheet Reconciliations:
   • Conduct regular reconciliations of balance sheet accounts to ensure accuracy and integrity of financial data
   • Investigate and resolve any discrepancies or variances identified during the reconciliation process
3. Cash Flow Forecasting:
   • Develop and maintain cash flow forecasting models to provide accurate projections of group cash flow
   • Monitor cash flow performance against forecasts and provide recommendations for optimising cash management
4. Approve monthly payroll, and prepare bonus accruals:
   • Review and verify payroll calculations, ensuring accuracy and compliance with relevant regulations
   • Prepare and maintain monthly bonus accruals
5. VAT, CT, P11d, and PSA Reporting:
   • Prepare and submit timely and accurate VAT returns, corporation tax (CT) returns, P11d forms, and any other required tax filings
   • Ensure compliance with tax laws and regulations, keeping abreast of any changes that may impact reporting requirements
6. Production of Annual Group Statutory Accounts:
   • Prepare and coordinate the production of annual group statutory accounts in compliance with applicable accounting standards and regulations
   • Coordinate and liaise with external auditors during the annual audit process
   • Prepare financial schedules and supporting documentation to facilitate the audit process
7. Companies House Filing:
   • Prepare and file necessary documents and reports with Companies House, ensuring compliance with statutory filing deadlines
8. Provision of Data, Analysis, and Insight:
   • Respond to ad‑hoc data and analysis requests from management, providing accurate and meaningful insights to support decision‑making processes
9. Management Responsibilities:
   • Lead and manage a small team of finance professionals
   • Provide guidance, support, and mentorship to team members, promoting their professional development

Qualifications

• Professional accounting qualification (e.g., ACCA, ACA, CIMA)
• Proven experience in financial accounting and reporting
• Strong knowledge of accounting principles, standards, and regulations
• Excellent attention to detail and accuracy
• Strong analytical and problem‑solving skills
• Effective communication and interpersonal skills
• Ability to work under pressure and meet deadlines

Desirable Skills and Experience

• Experience in the Legal sector
• Use of a case management system
• Commercially led

Fletchers is a fast‑growing, dynamic law firm specialising in personal injury and clinical negligence law, with outstanding rankings in both The Legal 500 and Chambers & Partners. Following several strategic acquisitions, we've evolved into the Fletchers Group, with ambitious plans for continued growth and innovation.

We work across England, with offices currently in Manchester, Liverpool, Leeds, Bolton, Southport, Newcastle, Reading, Birmingham, Northampton and Cambridge. We believe we offer our colleagues the best hybrid and flexible working practices, balancing working from home with time collaborating and socialising with colleagues in our modern offices. We aspire to be the best place to work in the legal sector. Our workplace culture is inclusive, informal, and supportive, with a strong focus on colleague wellbeing and happiness. We are proud to offer some of the best hybrid and flexible working arrangements in the industry – because we understand that balance drives performance. At Fletchers, we also value connection and collaboration. We create exciting opportunities for teams to come together and thrive.

Whether you're starting your career or aiming for leadership, you'll find a clear path to progress and development here – from apprenticeships and professional qualifications to senior roles and Partnership. We seek out a broad range of challenging, high‑quality legal work, enabling our people to build meaningful and progressive careers. And we don't just talk about development – we invest in it, with a significant proportion of our colleagues working towards relevant qualifications at any given time. We reward those who help build our success and live our values.

Fletchers Group is an inclusive employer with a diverse workforce: we welcome applications from any and all backgrounds. We’re committed to providing a culture and environment where everyone can thrive, understanding and celebrating that no colleague is the same. We’re proud of our work on the Disability Confident scheme, and we are signing up to other diversity standards to reflect our ethos.

Benefits

• 35 hours working week
• Bonus scheme (subject to targets being met)
• 35 days holiday a year including bank holidays and Christmas Closure; you also have an option to purchase up to 3 extra days' holiday per year, until you long service award the 3 days after your 5th, 7th, and 9th full year of employment
• Pension scheme with tax‑efficient salary‑sacrifice option
• Life Assurance Policy
• Medicash policy to cover some dental, optical and other medical expenses
• Company sick pay
• Enhanced Maternity, Paternity and IVF schemes
• Flexible, agile working environment with a positive work‑life balance
• Varied calendar of funded company social events (check out Fletchers Group on LinkedIn)
• Monthly voucher awards for winning nominees