Head of Finance

Cathedral Appointments Ltd; Crediton; On-site; GBP 65,000 - 95,000; Full time

Job summary

Cathedral Appointments Ltd is recruiting on behalf of a well-established Exeter based manufacturing business for an experienced Head of Finance. This hands-on role oversees the full finance function, delivering accurate reporting and strong financial controls while contributing to strategic decisions.

You will produce monthly management accounts, build real-time management information, manage payroll, and lead a small team.

Qualifications

• Monthly management accounts and year-end accounts experience.
• Management information with KPIs, budgets and forecasts.
• Experience leading payroll and supervising a small finance team.
• Strong understanding of financial controls, policies and procedures.
• Experience supporting audits and corporate tax information gathering.

Responsibilities

• Produce full monthly management accounts pack with commentary and analysis, plus year-end accounts.
• Develop and maintain management information suite with KPIs and forecast tracking for real-time decisions.
• Advise on robust controls and processes to improve efficiency across the finance function.
• Manage a small finance team and payroll processes.
• Lead transformation and governance changes to improve systems and outputs.
• Support audit processes and corporate tax information gathering, including IT contracts and utilities.

Skills

Management accounting

Payroll management

Financial reporting

Financial controls

Stakeholder communication

Education

ACCA/CIMA qualified

Job description

Competitive Salary | Full Time, On-site | Exeter

Cathedral Appointments is recruiting on behalf of a well-established, growing manufacturing business in Exeter for an experienced Head of Finance to take ownership of its finance function. This is a hands-on role at the heart of the business, combining accurate reporting and strong financial control with a genuine contribution to strategic decisions.

The Role

You will lead the finance function day to day, from producing the monthly management accounts and year end accounts to building the management information that allows the business to make decisions in real time. You will manage the Assistant Accountant and payroll, act as the finance point of contact for customers, suppliers and employees, and keep improving the systems and processes that sit behind it all. It suits a commercially minded finance professional who is equally comfortable with the detail and with advising senior colleagues.

Responsibilities for the Head of Finance:

• Produce the full monthly management accounts pack, with commentary and analysis, along with the year end accounts.
• Develop and maintain a management information suite, including KPIs and budget and forecast tracking, to support real-time business decisions.
• Advise on and maintain robust financial controls, policies and procedures, and continually look for ways to make systems, processes and outputs more efficient.
• Manage a small finance team
• Lead on transformation change to drive improvements across the business.
• Run payroll and its associated processes, including expenses and commission payments, and liaise with customers, suppliers and employees on financial matters.
• Support the audit process, assist with company secretarial matters, collate information for the corporation tax computation, and provide financial guidance and analysis on strategic decisions, alongside oversight of IT contracts, utilities and insurance.

Requirements for the Head of Finance include:

• Proven experience producing monthly management accounts and year end accounts.
• Experience building and maintaining management information, including KPIs, budgets and forecasts.
• Experience of managing payroll and supporting or leading a small finance team.
• A sound understanding of financial controls, policies and procedures.
• Practical experience of supporting audits and gathering information for corporation tax.
• A confident communicator who can advise senior colleagues and work well with customers, suppliers and employees.

Benefits:

• Competitive salary, depending on experience.
• Full-time, on-site role based in Exeter.
• A varied, hands-on position with genuine influence on business decisions.
• The opportunity to shape the financial systems, policies and reporting of a growing business.

If you are an experienced finance professional looking for a role with real ownership and variety, we would love to hear from you.

Note on Sponsorship: We regret to inform you that at this time, we are unable to offer sponsorship for work authorisation for this role. Therefore, candidates must possess valid authorisation to work in the UK without requiring visa sponsorship.

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