Head of Finance

Head of Finance – Hertfordshire – £70,000 to £85,000 DOE

Our client, a property management company, is seeking an experienced Head of Finance to lead the financial management, control, and reporting, ensuring the business remains financially robust, commercially informed, and fully compliant with statutory and regulatory requirements. This is a newly created role due to the company’s growth, offering a strategic opportunity for an accomplished finance professional to make a significant impact.

In this role, you will lead, coach, and develop the Finance team, build capability and accountability within the function, and support operational leaders in understanding and managing financial performance within their departments. You will ensure that financial analysis leads to clear recommendations, decisions, and measurable actions, rather than simply reporting activity.

Responsibilities:
Financial Management & Reporting

• Lead the preparation and delivery of monthly management accounts for the group
• Produce monthly profit and loss accounts, balance sheet reports, cashflow reports, and other management information for the CEO and senior leadership team
• Prepare financial information, analysis, and commentary for Board meetings and present financial performance
• Ensure reporting accuracy, timeliness, and focus on commercial implications and actions

Financial Control & Statutory Compliance

• Oversee the Group’s financial control framework, ensuring systems, reconciliations, approval controls, and payment controls are effective
• Manage statutory accounts, corporation tax, VAT, and other regulatory obligations, ensuring timely and accurate completion
• Identify control weaknesses or compliance risks

Cashflow, Working Capital & Debtors

• Lead cashflow and working capital management across the Group to maintain clear visibility of current and projected cash requirements
• Monitor aged debt, cash conversion, and collection performance
• Analyze root causes of overdue or disputed debt, enforcing appropriate collection or escalation measures
• Provide timely advice to the CEO on cashflow risks and working capital pressures

Financial Analysis, Recommendations & Commercial Performance

• Develop and maintain KPI reporting for operations
• Produce insights on property profitability, client profitability, guardian income, maintenance, debt performance, cash conversion, and departmental budgets
• Actively manage unresolved finance issues, assessing causes and risks, and taking appropriate actions
• Identify financial or operational issues, quantify impacts, recommend solutions, and oversee the implementation of improvements

Budgeting, Forecasting & Business Planning

• Lead the annual budgeting process for all Group companies
• Maintain rolling forecasts, reforecasts, and cashflow projections
• Support business planning through financial modeling, scenario analysis, and commercial forecasting
• Challenge departmental budgets and variances, requiring corrective action where needed

Finance Team Leadership

• Lead, coach, and develop the finance team
• Allocate resources effectively, address capability gaps, and ensure deadlines are met
• Foster a culture of accuracy, commercial awareness, continuous improvement, and constructive challenge

Systems, Reporting Automation & Process Improvement

• Oversee development and enhancement of finance systems, reporting tools, and dashboards
• Improve automation of reporting processes, reducing manual effort
• Collaborate with internal and external system providers, including My Globe, to improve integration and efficiency

Skills and Experience Required:

• Minimum of 5 years’ relevant finance or accounting experience
• Fully qualified accountant (ACA, ACCA, CIMA) or significant relevant experience
• Extensive experience in senior finance roles within SMEs or growing multi-entity businesses
• Strong leadership skills with experience managing, coaching, and developing a finance team
• Proven expertise in financial controls, statutory reporting, tax, VAT, cashflow management, and debtor management
• Experience with finance software such as Xero, Telleroo, Dext, and platforms like Capital on Tap and GoCardless
• Skilled in developing and implementing financial procedures and controls, supporting audits, and ensuring compliance
• Experience with financial reporting systems and dashboards, with proficiency in automation and process improvement

Additional Skills & Responsibilities:

• Comfortable liaising directly with business owners and senior stakeholders
• Ability to work effectively with wider business teams and offshore finance functions
• Oversight of company equipment and communications, including laptops, tablets, mobile phones, and SIM cards
• Ensuring controls around company assets and expenditure are robust and effective

Salary: £70,000 to £85,000 per annum, flexible depending on experience
Working Hours: Monday to Friday, 9 am – 6 pm, hybrid flexible working

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