Head of Group Financial Control

Michael Page International Recruitment Limited; Cheltenham; On-site; GBP 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive salary

On-site role in Cheltenham

Job summary

Michael Page is recruiting for a Head of Group Financial Control in Cheltenham, a senior, permanent role reporting to the CFO. You will lead financial control, governance and statutory reporting while driving improvements to finance systems and processes across the group.

You will develop a high-performing team, oversee external audits, and advise the CFO on regulatory and strategic matters in a growing FCA-regulated business.

Qualifications

• Qualified accountant with experience leading financial control and governance.
• Proven track record in statutory reporting and audit management.
• Strong knowledge of accounting standards and regulatory compliance.

Responsibilities

• Lead financial control framework and governance across the group.
• Oversee month-end, quarter-end, and year-end close processes.
• Ensure statutory reporting compliant with UK GAAP and regulatory requirements.
• Manage external audits and technical accounting matters.
• Develop and mentor a high-performing finance team.
• Drive improvements to finance systems, processes, and controls.

Skills

ACA/ACCA/CIMA

Top 10 or mid-tier firm training

Post-qualified experience

Financial reporting

Governance & controls

External audits

Team leadership

Commercial awareness

Regulatory compliance

Education

Professional accounting qualification (ACA/ACCA/CIMA)

Job description

This is a senior Group Financial Control opportunity within a growing, FCA-regulated financial services business, reporting directly to the CFO. You'll lead financial control, statutory reporting, governance and audit while also driving improvements across finance systems, processes and the wider control environment offering significant scope to develop the finance function, lead a team and act as a trusted adviser to senior stakeholders as the Group grows.

Client Details

Our client is an established, privately owned financial services business specialising in wealth management and financial planning. With a strong reputation for delivering highly personalised advice and putting clients at the heart of its proposition, the business has ambitious plans for continued growth and is investing in its people, systems and finance infrastructure to support its next phase.

Description

We are seeking an experienced and commercially minded Head of Group Financial Control to lead the financial stewardship of the Group. As a key member of the finance leadership team, you will oversee the Group's financial control framework, statutory and management reporting, financial governance, and finance operations. You will lead and develop a team of reporting accountants, drive continuous improvement across finance processes and systems, and ensure the business has scalable controls and reporting capabilities to support future growth.

Key Responsibilities include:

• Ensuring robust financial controls, governance, accounting policies, and procedures are in place to safeguard the integrity and accuracy of financial information.
• Leading the month-end, quarter-end, and year-end close processes, delivering timely, accurate statutory and management reporting in accordance with UK GAAP and regulatory requirements.
• Maintain compliance with FCA, HMRC, Companies House, and other statutory obligations, including oversight of corporation tax, VAT, and payroll tax reporting.
• Leading external audit relationships, overseeing balance integrity and reconciliations, and ensuring effective financial risk management and control remediation.
• Build, mentor, and develop a high-performing finance team while creating a scalable finance function capable of supporting future business growth.
• Oversee finance operations and champion continuous improvement, automation, and optimisation of finance systems, controls, and reporting capabilities.
• Act as a trusted adviser to the CFO and Executive team on financial control, technical accounting, governance, and strategic business matters, including M&A integration activities.
• Enhance the control environment through best practice governance, documentation, audit trails, enterprise risk management, and ongoing monitoring of regulatory and accounting developments.

Profile

You are a qualified accountant with significant experience leading financial control, reporting, and governance within a complex organisation. Combining strong technical expertise with a commercial mindset, you have a proven track record of delivering robust financial controls, statutory reporting, audit management, and high-quality financial information.

You bring deep knowledge of accounting standards, regulatory compliance, and financial governance, together with a disciplined approach to risk management and balance sheet control. A confident leader, you are experienced in developing high-performing teams and building strong relationships with senior stakeholders, auditors, advisers, and regulators.

Highly organised, resilient, and delivery-focused, you thrive in fast-paced environments and are passionate about driving continuous improvement across finance processes, systems, and controls. Experience within an FCA-regulated, professional services, acquisitive, or private equity-backed business would be advantageous.

Essential skills and experience

• ACA, ACCA or CIMA qualified
• Trained within a Top 10 or mid-tier accountancy practice before moving into industry
• Significant post-qualified experience in a senior financial control role
• Strong knowledge of accounting principles and financial reporting
• Understanding of financial controls, governance frameworks, and statutory reporting requirements
• Proven experience leading complex month-end and year-end close processes
• Experience managing external audits and technical accounting matters
• High attention to detail with strong balance sheet and control discipline
• Highly organised, resilient, delivery-focused, and commercially aware

Job Offer

• Exceptionally competitive salary and benefits, dependent on the level of experience.
• Permanent role based in Cheltenham (ideally 3-days on site, can be 2 for someone further afield)

People are at the heart of Michael Page. We are committed to creating an inclusive environment. As an inclusive recruiter we welcome applications from people of all backgrounds, identities and experiences. If you require any adjustments or accommodations during the recruitment process, we'll work with you to ensure you can perform at your best.