Interim Financial Controller - Banking & Treasury

Holland & Barrett; Nuneaton; Hybrid; GBP 85,000 - 110,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Holidays 33 days incl. bank holidays

Private medical insurance

Life assurance (3x salary)

Annual bonus up to 33%

Car allowance

Employee discounts

Job summary

Holland & Barrett in Nuneaton is seeking an interim Financial Controller with deep treasury and banking expertise to design a durable Group banking framework across Ireland and continental Europe. This hybrid, fixed-term role focuses on onboarding, KYC/AML, cash management, and policy development to ensure seamless banking operations.

You will report to the CFO and Director of Financial Control, coordinating with external counsel and stakeholders, and may travel to meet key providers as required.

Qualifications

• Qualified accountant (ACA, ACCA, CIMA) with treasury and financial control experience.
• Led corporate bank account openings across multiple jurisdictions.
• Hands-on treasury operations: bank portals, mandates, SEPA, cash positioning, FX hedging.
• Knowledge of UK, EU, US, and Canadian sanctions regimes, and working with sanctions counsel.
• Experience in private equity or privately owned groups with multi-entity structures.
• Available to start within two weeks and willing to travel on short notice.

Responsibilities

• Design and implement a Group banking resilience framework across markets (Ireland and continental Europe first).
• Lead parallel onboarding with banks, EMIs and payment providers to live accounts.
• Own KYC, AML, UBO and enhanced due diligence submissions and respond quickly.
• Refresh and maintain the treasury policy and ensure end-to-end reconciliation with new providers.
• Manage daily cash positioning and hedging in line with policy.
• Ensure payroll can be funded across UK, Ireland and Benelux.

Job description

Interim Financial Controller - Banking & Treasury

Location & working arrangement

Nuneaton | Hybrid | Fixed-term contract – approximately 6 months

We offer hybrid working, with the role based at our Holland & Barrett office in Nuneaton.

Purpose of the role

We need an experienced, hands-on financial controller with deep treasury and operational banking experience to build a strong banking resilience framework across the Group, starting with Ireland and continental Europe.

This is a delivery role with a fixed window. You will run several bank and payment-provider onboardings in parallel, get accounts live and integrated, keep cash and payments controlled while the business moves between providers, and leave the Group with a durable banking structure and a clear treasury policy.

You will work with senior bankers, compliance teams, external lawyers and our shareholder's treasury team. You will also be in the detail: KYC packs, payment files, bank mandates and reconciliations.

Key accountabilities

Banking resilience framework and new relationships (about 45%)

• Design and implement a Group banking resilience framework: target banking structure per market, primary and secondary providers, and clear contingency triggers. Ireland and continental Europe first, then the UK.
• Run parallel onboarding with banks, EMIs and payment providers across several jurisdictions, from first contact to live account.
• Own every KYC, AML, UBO and enhanced due diligence submission. Turn round bank questions within 24 hours.
• Build and keep current one reusable onboarding pack: structure chart, UBO position, legal opinions, financials, expected flows and volumes.
• Work with external counsel, Legal and Tax so every submission is accurate and consistent.
• Keep a single tracker of every provider, its stage, blockers and next action.

Treasury operations and integration (about 30%)

• Get new accounts working end to end: online banking, mandates and signatories, payment file formats from the ERP, SEPA and bulk payroll payments, card and cash settlement redirection.
• Run daily cash positioning across all providers and manage concentration and counterparty limits.
• Review FX hedging counterparties and keep hedges in line with policy.
• Make sure every flow through a new provider is reconciled, controlled and audit-ready.
• Refresh the Group treasury policy, including counterparty, concentration and banking contingency rules.

Group banking resilience (about 15%)

• Review every banking, payment and card-acquiring relationship in the UK, Ireland and Benelux for continuity risk, including renewal and KYC review dates.
• Put a tested contingency in place for each critical relationship.
• Support any wider supplier or counterparty work where banking or payments are affected.

Payroll (about 10%)

• Make sure payroll in every country can be funded and paid on time through the new arrangements.
• Review payroll controls, reconciliations and statutory compliance across the UK, Ireland and Benelux.

How you will work

• Report weekly to the CFO and Director of Financial Control, and same day on anything material.
• Prepare the written updates that banking partners and our shareholder ask for.
• Hand everything over documented: relationships, procedures, tracker and policy.

Deliverables

Each deliverable has a pass/fail test, counted from the start date.

1. Week 2: Single banking tracker live and one reusable onboarding pack complete. A new bank can be sent a full pack the same day it asks.
2. Week 4: Framework and target banking structure agreed for Ireland and continental Europe. A secondary provider is live in each, with payroll, supplier payments and card and cash receipts able to flow, and daily reconciliation in place.
3. Month 3: Target structure live and integrated in Ireland and continental Europe, with primary and secondary providers in each.
4. Month 4: Framework extended to the UK, with a tested contingency for every critical banking, payment and card-acquiring relationship. Treasury policy refresh approved.
5. Month 5: Payroll operating model review and recommendation delivered, covering Benelux and the UK.
6. Month 6: Handover complete: procedures, relationship owners, tracker and policy. No banking process depends on the CFO or Director of Financial Control personally.

Skills and experience

Essential

• Qualified accountant (ACA, ACCA, CIMA) with a financial control background and significant time in treasury and operational banking.
• Has personally led corporate bank account openings through enhanced due diligence, in more than one jurisdiction.
• Hands-on treasury operations: bank portals, mandates, payment file formats, SEPA and bulk payments, cash positioning, FX hedging.
• Knows the difference between credit institutions, EMIs and agency banking models, and what each means for safeguarding, IBANs and continuity.
• Working knowledge of UK, EU, US and Canadian sanctions regimes, and of working alongside sanctions counsel.
• Experience in private equity or privately owned groups with multi-entity structures.
• Available to start within two weeks and to travel at short notice.

Desirable

• Banking relationships in Ireland and continental Europe.
• Experience of migrating banking providers at pace.
• Experience in payroll operations or transformation, including outsourcing or in-housing of payroll, ideally with Netherlands or Belgium exposure.
• ERP payment integration (Unit4 or similar).
• Multi-site retail with card-acquiring and cash-collection flows.

What we need you to be like

• Moves fast without cutting corners on compliance.
• Calm with senior bankers and comfortable chasing them daily.
• Writes clearly: a bank or a board can read your update once and act.

Benefits

Holidays

• 33 days, including bank holidays
• Holiday purchase scheme

Health & Wellbeing

• 24/7 Virtual GP access
• Private medical insurance – Self & partner cover
• Annual free at-home health testing kit (after 6 months' service)
• Access to our Employee Assistance Programme and a network of Mental Health First Aiders whenever you need support

Financial Wellbeing

• Enhanced workplace pension via salary sacrifice, with employer contribution
• Life assurance (3x salary, after 6 months' service)

Reward

• Annual Bonus (subject to company and individual performance) up to 33%
• Car Allowance
• £50 Colleague product allowance on Holland & Barrett products (after 6 months' service)

Lifestyle & Everyday Benefits

• Access to cashback and discounts from a wide range of retailers
• 25% colleague discount, available in store and online, with free delivery on online orders
• Free Wellhub membership, with discounted access to gyms, studios and premium wellbeing apps
• Cycle to Work scheme

For this fixed-term position, the bonus is only applicable if the individual starts before the 1st July and is employed at the time payment is made. Eligibility criteria must be met.

#LI-Hybrid