Head of Financial Operations

Vermelo; Haywards Heath; On-site; GBP 70,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

Vermelo, a growing Financial Services business in the UK, is seeking a Head of Financial Operations to lead and develop its transactional finance function during a period of growth.

You will own Financial Operations, ensure strong controls, accurate reconciliations and efficient processes while identifying opportunities to automate and improve systems.

Qualifications

• Proven experience leading a finance operations team.
• Strong AP/AR knowledge and reconciliations.
• Experience with automation or finance transformation initiatives.
• Excellent stakeholder management and problem-solving.
• Comfort challenging existing processes and driving improvements.

Responsibilities

• Lead and develop a Financial Operations team of 8–10 people.
• Oversee Accounts Payable, Accounts Receivable, payments, credit control and cash allocation.
• Manage key balance sheet, bank and operational reconciliations.
• Oversee reconciliations, statements and settlements with external partners.
• Ensure strong controls and audit trails across transactional processes.
• Identify opportunities for automation and system improvements.
• Make better use of finance systems and technology to increase efficiency.
• Support month-end activities and ensure timely financial information.
• Establish clear KPIs and improve operational reporting.
• Collaborate with Finance, Operations and Technology to resolve issues.

Skills

Finance operations leadership

Accounts payable

Accounts receivable

Reconciliations

Financial controls

Process improvement

Automation in finance

Stakeholder management

Team development

Problem solving

Education

ACCA/ACCA/CIMA qualification

Tools

ERP systems

Automation tooling

Job description

A growing Financial Services business is looking for a Head of Financial Operations to lead and develop its transactional finance function during an exciting period of growth.

This is a key leadership role with responsibility for a team of approximately 8-10 people, covering Accounts Payable, Accounts Receivable, reconciliations and wider financial operations.

The business has grown significantly and has ambitious plans for the future, so this role is about more than keeping day-to-day finance running smoothly. You will help build a scalable, efficient Financial Operations function that can support continued growth.

The Role

You will take ownership of Financial Operations, ensuring strong controls, accurate reconciliations and efficient transactional processes while also identifying opportunities to improve systems, automate activity and reduce manual processes.

Key responsibilities will include:

• Leading and developing a Financial Operations team of approximately 8-10 people.
• Overseeing Accounts Payable, Accounts Receivable, payments, credit control and cash allocation.
• Managing key balance sheet, bank and operational reconciliations.
• Overseeing reconciliations, statements and settlements with external business partners.
• Ensuring strong financial controls and clear audit trails across transactional processes.
• Improving finance processes and identifying opportunities for automation.
• Making better use of finance systems and technology to increase efficiency.
• Supporting month-end activities and ensuring financial information is accurate and timely.
• Establishing clear KPIs and improving operational reporting.
• Working closely with Finance, Operations and Technology teams to resolve issues and improve processes.

About You

You will have strong Financial Operations or transactional finance experience, ideally gained within a complex or high-volume organisation.

You will bring:

• Proven experience leading a finance operations, transactional finance or shared services team.
• Strong Accounts Payable and Accounts Receivable knowledge.
• Excellent reconciliation and financial control experience.
• Experience improving finance processes and systems.
• Exposure to automation or finance transformation initiatives.
• Strong people leadership and team development skills.
• Good stakeholder management and problem-solving capability.
• The confidence to challenge existing ways of working and drive improvement.

Experience within Financial Services, Insurance or another regulated environment would be advantageous but is not essential.

A professional accounting qualification such as ACA, ACCA or CIMA would be welcomed, although strong practical Financial Operations experience is equally important.

This is a great opportunity for someone who enjoys building, improving and future-proofing finance operations rather than simply maintaining existing processes.