Financial Controller

Forge Talent; Manchester; On-site; GBP 70,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

Forge Talent partners with a high-growth private equity-backed business in Cheshire to appoint an ambitious Financial Controller. This pivotal leadership role will drive financial control, improve operational performance and support the next growth phase.

Reporting to the Finance Director, you will own the day-to-day finance function, lead a seasoned team, oversee treasury, cash flow, reporting, working capital and continuous improvement initiatives.

Qualifications

• ACA, ACCA or CIMA qualified.
• Experience as Financial Controller, Finance Manager or Senior Finance Manager.
• Strong treasury, cash flow forecasting and working capital management.

Responsibilities

• Own the monthly management accounts process and ensure timely reporting.
• Deliver weekly reporting packs, KPIs and commercial insight to the SLT.
• Support budgeting, forecasting and financial planning activities.
• Maintain robust financial controls and ensure reporting accuracy.
• Lead treasury and daily cash management; manage banking relationships.
• Produce cash flow forecasts and visibility of future liquidity.
• Optimise working capital and strategies for deployed cash.
• Drive finance process improvement, controls, efficiency and scalability.
• Partner with stakeholders to continually improve finance operations and automate where possible.

Skills

Treasury management

Cash flow forecasting

Working capital management

Financial reporting

Process improvement

Automation & AI in finance

Stakeholder management

Education

ACA/ACCA/CIMA qualification

Job description

We are partnering with a high-growth, Private Equity-backed business in Cheshire to appoint an ambitious Financial Controller. This is a pivotal leadership role within the finance function, offering the opportunity to drive financial control, improve operational performance and support the next phase of the company's growth journey.

Reporting into the Finance Director, you will take ownership of the day-to-day finance function, leading a well-established team while overseeing treasury, cash flow, financial reporting, working capital and continuous improvement initiatives. This role is ideal for someone who enjoys combining strong technical finance with commercial thinking and operational leadership.

Key Responsibilities:

• Own the monthly management accounts process, ensuring accurate and timely financial reporting.
• Deliver weekly financial reporting packs, KPIs and commercial insight to the senior leadership team.
• Support budgeting, forecasting and financial planning activities.
• Maintain robust financial controls and ensure reporting accuracy across the business.
• Support year-end statutory reporting and external audit requirements.
• Take ownership of the Group's treasury function and daily cash management.
• Produce accurate cash flow forecasts and provide clear visibility of future liquidity.
• Optimise working capital and develop strategies around the deployment of available cash.
• Manage banking relationships and oversee all banking facilities.
• Monitor funds in, funds out and collections to maximise cash performance.
• Drive finance process optimisation, improving controls, efficiency and scalability.
• Identify opportunities to simplify processes and remove unnecessary manual activity.
• Partner with internal stakeholders to continually improve finance operations.
• Champion the use of automation and AI across the finance function, reducing manual processes while improving efficiency, accuracy and financial controls.
• Drive a culture of continuous improvement, leveraging data, automation and digital tools to create a scalable, high-performing finance function.

Qualifications & Experience:

• ACA, ACCA or CIMA Qualified.
• Previous experience as a Financial Controller, Finance Manager or Senior Finance Manager.
• Strong treasury, cash flow forecasting and working capital management experience.