Financial Controller

The Niche Partnership; Southampton; Hybrid; GBP 85,000 - 89,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid work

6–8 weeks of training & development

Wellbeing & family leave

Volunteering leave

Flexible working

Job summary

The Niche Partnership is seeking a Financial Controller who will lead three managers across technical accounting, management reporting and financial operations, supported by a broader team of around 22. You will report to the Finance leadership team and enjoy the autonomy to set direction in a hybrid Southampton-based role.

This role emphasizes improving processes through automation and AI while preserving strong financial controls.

Qualifications

• Proven experience in senior finance roles (e.g., Financial Controller, Head of Finance).
• Experience leading managers who lead teams, not only individual contributors.
• End-to-end ownership of annual reporting, statutory accounts and external audit.
• Experience with Audit & Risk Committee or board and external auditors.

Responsibilities

• Lead three managers across accounting, management reporting and financial operations, plus ~22 staff.
• Set clear expectations and empower managers to lead their teams.
• Oversee financial control, annual report, statutory reporting, year-end and external audit.
• Build strong relationships with senior leaders, auditors and the Audit & Risk Committee.
• Identify opportunities for smarter automation and AI to improve processes while preserving controls.
• Drive improvements to make finance easier and more efficient without compromising financial control.
• Contribute to shaping the finance systems roadmap with technology partners.

Skills

Financial leadership

Team leadership

Strategic planning

Automation/AI

Stakeholder management

Education

ACA/ACCA/CIMA professional qualification

Job description

Step up from leading a finance team to leading the leaders who run it. This Financial Controller role gives you responsibility for three experienced managers and a wider team, with the freedom to set the direction rather than getting dragged into every detail.

You’ll inherit a finance operation that works well, so this isn’t a turnaround. The opportunity is to make a good function better: challenging established routines, improving processes and using automation and AI intelligently, while protecting the controls behind the numbers. You’ll have real influence over how finance evolves, backed by a salary of £85,000-£89,000, up to 10% bonus and hybrid working with three days a week in Southampton.

The emphasis on candidate benefit, concise requirements and curiosity follows recruitment-advert principles that an advert should persuade rather than read like a job description

Reporting to the Finance leadership team, you will be responsible for:

• Leading three managers across technical accounting, management reporting and financial operations, with a wider team of around 22
• Setting clear expectations and giving your managers the autonomy to lead their own teams
• Overseeing financial control, the annual report, statutory reporting, year-end and external audit
• Building strong relationships with senior leaders, auditors and the Audit & Risk Committee
• Challenging established processes and identifying opportunities for smarter automation and AI
• Ensuring improvements make finance easier and more efficient without compromising financial control
• Helping shape the finance systems roadmap, working alongside technology specialists and delivery teams

What you will need:

• Previous experience in a similar senior finance role, such as Financial Controller, Group Financial Controller, Head of Financial Control, Head of Finance or senior Financial Reporting role
• A recognised professional accountancy qualification, preferably ACA, ACCA or CIMA
• Experience leading managers who themselves lead teams, rather than only directly managing individual contributors
• End-to-end ownership of annual reporting, statutory accounts and external audit
• Experience working with an Audit & Risk Committee or board and building effective relationships with external auditors
• Evidence of leading finance transformation or process improvement through your management team
• Strong financial control and technical accounting knowledge, combined with the judgement to know when to challenge and when to delegate
• The ability to bring people with different roles and levels of technical expertise behind the same vision

What you will get:

• Up to 10% performance-related bonus
• 28 days' annual leave plus bank holidays, increasing with service
• Hybrid working, with three days per week in the Southampton office
• Flexible working options
• Enhanced family leave, including paid partner leave
• Learning and development support, coaching and mentoring
• Wellbeing support
• Volunteering leave and matched fundraising

We take your application seriously and WE RESPOND TO EVERY APPLICATION because getting a job is hard enough.

The Niche Partnership complies with all relevant UK legislation and doesn't discriminate on any protected characteristics.