Financial Controller / Accountant – Freelance / Contract – Part Time – 19576 Ref: 19576

Recruitment Revolution; Stevenage; Hybrid; GBP 80,000 - 100,000; Part time

Job summary

A mission-driven company is seeking an Interim Financial Controller to oversee financial operations in their apprenticeship business. Reporting to the Group Finance Director, you will ensure accuracy across all financial processes and deliver insightful monthly reporting. This role requires a qualified accountant with a strong focus on governance and extensive experience in financial management.

Benefits

Flexible working within a friendly team

Competitive salary and benefits package

Hybrid work environment (60% in office, 40% at home)

Opportunity to work in a dynamic organization

Qualifications

• Minimum 10+ years of relevant post-qualified experience.
• Strong focus on controls, governance, and technical accounting.
• Excellent attention to detail required.

Responsibilities

• Lead all month-end close activities, including ledger management.
• Deliver accurate, timely group Management Accounts.
• Analyze financial performance and recommend actions.

Skills

Attention to detail

Data consolidation

Technical accounting

Advanced Excel skills

Governance focus

Education

Qualified accountant (CIMA, ACA, ACCA)

Job description

Join a mission-driven team making a real impact in education.

Real Group is looking for a talented and detail-focused Interim Financial Controller to take the lead on financial operations within our dynamic and growing apprenticeship business.

Reporting to the Group Finance Director, you’ll ensure accuracy, integrity, and efficiency across all core financial processes-from ledger management to insightful monthly reporting.

If you thrive in a fast-paced, purpose-led environment and are passionate about using your financial expertise to support meaningful change, we’d love to hear from you.

The Role at a Glance:

Financial Controller
Stevenage Office – 1 to 2 days in office
£350 per day
Part-time 3 days per week - Temp
Reporting to: Group Finance Director

Values: Inclusivity, Positivity, Curiosity, Integrity, Growth, Sustainability
Awards: 2022 Education Investor Award for ‘Exporting Excellence” and Several Courses Shortlisted for the 2023 and 2024 Teach Awards
Product / Service: Innovative fusion of psychology, education and technology
Purpose: Develop and execute the marketing strategy for our key brands and educational courses in order to achieve ambitious growth targets.

Your Skills: Minimum 10+ years of relevant post-qualified experience. Strong focus on controls, governance, and technical accounting. Strong data consolidation skills.
Advanced Excel skills.

About Us:

At Real Group, we’re all about empowering educators and changing lives. Whether it’s teachers, education professionals, or psychologists, we deliver cutting-edge development and training courses that inspire and transform. Delivered face-to-face, online, or blended, our innovative approach fuses psychology, education, and technology to push boundaries and make a real difference across the globe.

Globally recognised as trailblazers in our field, we’re on an exciting growth journey—expanding our existing courses and creating new products and services to help shape the future of education.

Founded by educational psychologists, we pride ourselves on a positive, people-first culture where our values drive everything we do. Diversity, inclusion, and ethical practice aren’t just words to us—they’re our foundation.

Every day, we focus on what matters most: empowering educators, promoting inclusive practices, and positively impacting children’s lives. If you’re ready to join a forward-thinking, values-driven company making waves in education, let’s talk!

The Financial Controller role:

We're looking for a driven Financial Controller to join our growing team on a temporary basis! In this key role, you'll lead all financial operations for our apprenticeship business-owning everything from ledger management to month-end close. You'll ensure accuracy, efficiency, and integrity across all financial processes, while delivering timely, insightful monthly management accounts that help drive strategic decisions. If you're passionate about making an impact and love turning numbers into meaningful analysis, we want to hear from you!

Key tasks and responsibilities include but are not limited to:

•Lead all month-end close activities, including ledger management, payroll, bank payments, and reconciliations.
•Maintain rolling P&L and cashflow forecasts, including projected staff costs.
•Deliver accurate, timely group Management Accounts - P&L, Balance Sheet, and Cash Flow.
•Reconcile apprenticeship levy payments with learner data; track key KPIs by standard, age, and funding.
•Drive budgeting and forecasting across group, entity, and departmental levels.
•Analyze financial performance, explain variances, and recommend actions.
•Reconcile monthly bank balances and resolve outstanding items promptly.

About you:

•You will be a qualified accountant (CIMA, ACA, ACCA) with a minimum 10+ years of relevant post-qualified experience
•You’ll have a strong focus on controls, governance, and technical accounting
•Strong data consolidation skills
•Advanced Excel skills
•Excellent attention to detail

You’ll be looked after:

We build our team with talented, positive-thinking and experienced individuals from diverse backgrounds. Working with us brings many benefits including:

+ Flexible working within a friendly, supportive team
+ Competitive salary and benefits package
+ Hybrid work environment (60% in office / 40% at home) with flexibility
+ Opportunity to work in a dynamic and growing organization

Your Background / Previous Roles May Include: Management Accountant, Financial Accountant, Assistant Financial Controller, Finance Manager, Senior Accountant

Application notice... We take your privacy seriously. When you apply, we shall process your details and pass your application to our client for review for this vacancy only. As you might expect you may be contacted by email, text or telephone. Your data is processed on the basis of our legitimate interests in fulfilling the recruitment process. Please refer to our Data Privacy Policy & Notice on our website for further details.

If you have any pre-application questions please contact us first quoting the job title & ref. Good luck, Team RR.

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When you apply, we shall process your details and pass your application to our client for review for this vacancy only. We may contact you by email, text or telephone. This processing is conducted lawfully on the basis of our legitimate interests. We use third party service providers in order to process your application swiftly and securely and to keep you updated. Please refer to our Data Privacy Policy & Notice for further details.

If you have any pre-application questions please contact us first quoting the job title & ref. Good luck, Team RR.