Our retained client in South Manchester are looking to recruit a Qualified Accountant as a Group Financial Controller on a 12 - 15 month contract to cover maternity leave. The role is to start in JANUARY. The role is 3 days a week in the OFFICE. The salary on offer is 75k plus 5 k completion bonus Reporting to the Chief Financial Officer, the role has responsibility for the day-to-day running of finance and all financial matters for the Group. Working closely with CFO and Investor Relations Director to support the Group’s strategic initiatives and goals and providing strategic support to the Executive Committee and the Board. Financial accounting and external reporting Provide oversight and guidance to Investor Relations Director with work on the annual report and content and other external statements (RNS, Presentation materials, Subsidiary stats etc) Manage the audit process and day-to-day relationship with the external auditors Preparation of Board reports and commentaries, Audit Committee papers and presentations at Audit Committee Accounting, budgeting and forecasting Oversee preparation of management accounts and KPI packs on a monthly basis, including full P&L, balance sheet, and cash flow statement Ensure proactive business partner relationship with function leaders; provide commercially insightful KPIs tailored to each business function’s requirements Delivery of the annual budget Preparation of cashflow, P&L and Balance sheet forecasts Reporting and tracking of Capex and project spend Manage transactional accounting teams for Credit Control, Banking and Accounts Payable Ensure KPIs reported and tracked with emphasis on continuous improvement of processes and controls. Own forecast process for corporate cost centres, capital expenditure and working capital balances and cash flows. Own annual budgeting of balance sheet, tax, financing costs and cash flows. Financial business partner / Operational support Contribute to decision making for acquisitions via the investment committee. Team management & development Provide robust leadership and development to the Finance Team; Ensure that the finance team possesses the skills to manage, to a high standard of excellence, the finances of a business of the current and planned scale of the Group; Ensure that reporting deadlines are understood and met; Work with team members to create high quality development plans and appropriate training Knowledge, Skills, Experience & Qualifications: Essential: A qualified accountant with astute commercial acumen, a strong grounding in process and control; An adept driver of change and business improvement with people and communication skills to support effective delivery; experience of driving change in systems; A confident character with excellent communication and relationship building skills, able to provide credible constructive challenge and support to both Board members and business managers across all business functions; Proven track record of successfully managing and motivating a team; A person who enjoys taking ownership and works to high personal standards of care. Strong leadership skills Good "people" skills Full Understanding of Group objectives and strategies Good communication skills This role would suit a CAREER contractor who would want to parachute in to cover Maternity leave for a period of 12- 15 months. Or a person who would honour a contract The role is PAYE on the clients payroll. No day rate accepted. There will be a retention bonus of 5k at the end of the contract The role is based in the office 3 days a week