Head of Finance

Octopus Legacy; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 60,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

Join a fast-growing tech company on a mission to transform the legacy planning industry. As the Head of Finance, you will drive financial strategy and operations, shaping the financial roadmap in a dynamic startup environment. You'll collaborate cross-functionally to optimize decision-making and ensure financial rigor while enabling growth. This role offers a unique opportunity to build a high-impact finance function, influencing the company's future direction. If you're a strategic partner with a growth mindset and thrive in a startup culture, this is the role for you.

Benefits

Flexible holiday + extra day off for your Birthday

Work from anywhere in the world for up to 4 weeks per year

Vitality Health & Life Insurance

Enhanced parental leave

Free Will & LPAs + discounts on other services

Cycle to Work Scheme

Access to Electric Vehicle Salary Sacrifice Scheme

Charitable fundraising match up to £500

Breakfast every day

Snacks and wellness activities

Qualifications

• Hands-on finance leader with strategic mindset and strong commercial acumen.
• Experienced in financial modelling, forecasting, and regulatory reporting.

Responsibilities

• Develop financial models to support business planning and strategic decisions.
• Oversee monthly management accounts, VAT returns, and statutory audits.

Skills

Financial Modelling

Forecasting

Regulatory Reporting

Commercial Acumen

Analytical Skills

Time Management

Education

ACA

ACCA

CIMA

Job description

We’re Octopus Legacy: one of the fastest growing tech companies in the country, part of the UK’s most exciting and best-trusted group (you may have heard of some of our sister companies…) and we have a mission.

We’re on a path to scale, aiming to become a household name while transforming a long-established industry and helping our customers prepare for, and find support after, death.

But we can’t do it alone, and that’s why we’re assembling a team of top performers to build with us.

Ready to be part of something big?

The Role

As our Head of Finance, you’ll be at the heart of driving financial strategy, operations, and governance in a fast-growing startup. Reporting directly to Sam, Founder and CEO, and the first person into this role you’ll be responsible for defining the function, ensuring financial rigor while enabling growth, balancing commercial insight with operational excellence. You’ll shape our financial roadmap, own key reporting functions, and partner cross-functionally to optimise decision-making across the business.

This is an opportunity to build and scale a high-impact finance function in a dynamic, entrepreneurial environment. You won’t just be overseeing numbers - you’ll be a strategic partner influencing the future direction of the company.

Key Responsibilities

You’ll be focused across three core areas:

• Commercial Finance

Owning analysis and insight to inform and drive business decisions:

• Develop and maintain financial models to support business planning and strategic decision-making.
• Lead budgeting and forecasting processes, ensuring alignment with company objectives.
• Provide commercial insights (regular MI and ad hoc projects) to support business growth and cost management initiatives.

Ensuring accurate financial reporting and a strong control environment:

• Oversee monthly management accounts, VAT returns (partial exemption), and FCA regulatory filings (capital adequacy, ICARA).
• Manage statutory audits, corporation tax, and compliance reporting.
• Continuously enhance finance processes, ensuring a robust and scalable financial framework.
• Financial Operations
• Leading financial operations and ensuring smooth execution:
• Oversee outsourced providers (bookkeepers, payroll, and CoSec), ensuring timely and accurate processing.
• Manage customer payments, billing, supplier invoices, accounts payable/receivable.
• Supervise payroll, reconciliations, month-end close, cash flow forecasting, and funding management.
• Oversee company secretarial filings and share register management.

Who Are You?

• A hands-on finance leader with a strategic mindset and strong commercial acumen.
• Experienced in financial modelling, forecasting, and regulatory reporting, ideally in legal or financial services.
• Knowledgeable in UKGAAP and HMRC regulations (VAT, PAYE, corporation tax).
• Thrive in a startup environment - comfortable with ambiguity, building from scratch, and scaling efficiently.
• Resilient and bold - you take ownership and push for results.
• Growth mindset - you love driving, leading, and delivering impact.
• Fast-paced and highly organized, with top-notch time management and prioritization skills.
• Analytical and commercially astute - able to turn complex financial data into clear, actionable insights.
• Excited to take financial and strategic reporting within a Group structure to the next level.

Our Mission

When people think about planning for death they think about wills, life insurance and funerals. We take these cold processes and turn them into something more human. Share more than money: leave voice notes, music, recipes. Shape a legacy that connects you while you're here. And after you're gone.

Founded by Sam after his mum died suddenly, we’re a group of people who work in death because we’ve been affected by it. We know the difference a good plan makes, and what it’s like when there isn’t one.

Death can come between us, leave mess, legal fees, frustration. But it can also make us stronger. We see a world where people talk openly about death, and work out the real meaning of legacy, one that connects to them. We’re here to make that world happen.

• Hybrid working (London Bridge).
• Flexible holiday + extra day off for your Birthday.
• Work from anywhere in the world for up to 4 weeks per year.
• Vitality Health & Life Insurance.
• Enhanced parental leave.
• Free Will & LPAs + discounts on other Octopus services.
• Cycle to Work Scheme and access to the Electric Vehicle (EV) Salary Sacrifice Scheme.
• Octopus Giving: we match any charitable fundraising that you do up to £500.
• Breakfast every day, snacks and wellness activities.

We know that to be truly innovative, we need to have a diverse team around us. That is why Octopus Legacy is committed to creating an inclusive environment and is proud to be an equal opportunity employer.

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