Head of Finance (Service Charge) in Loughton, Essex

Who are we? Founded in 1992 and with over 250 employees, Galliard Homes is London's largest privately owned property development and management group overseeing residential, hospitality, mixed-use, and commercial projects across London, the Home Counties, and the Midlands. Galliard has a £4 billion portfolio of over 6,000 homes and 714,088 square feet of commercial developments under construction. With an impressive portfolio of award-winning developments, we are proud to be considered as London's leading property developer.

The Position

The Head of Finance plays a critical leadership role within our in-house Property Management department, Galliard Estate Management. Reporting into the Director of GEM, the Head of Finance assumes overall responsibility for the financial management of the Galliard Estate Management business, as well as the many rent and service charge accounts. This position plays a vital role in mentoring two Service Charge Managers and one Credit Control & Legal Manager, as well as providing overarching support to the wider Service Charge accounts team, and credit control and legal team, totalling a team size of 14 members of staff. This role focuses on maintaining robust financial controls, ensuring compliance with tax and accounting regulations, and acting as a key advisor to the senior leadership team. As a hands-on leader, the Head of Finance will drive forward process improvements, mentor staff, and ensure collaboration between the finance and property management team.

Duties include but are not limited to:

• Lead and mentor a team of 14, with 3 direct reports, fostering a high-performing, supportive culture that encourages professional development and team collaboration.
• Manage the financial year-end process for service charge accounts across a complex portfolio, including personal ownership of the year-one accounts on new or multi-phase developments.
• Lead the annual budget-setting process and support the preparation of utility and staffing forecasts.
• Ensure all rent, service charge, and balancing charges are billed accurately and on time in line with the lease terms and statutory requirements, applying CPI/RPI uplifts and interest charges where appropriate.
• Oversee and produce timely and accurate monthly management accounts, including the posting of corporation tax provisions and depreciation journals.
• Maintain and develop strong financial processes in accordance with UK GAAP, ensuring that all VAT, Corporation Tax, and Trust Tax obligations are met accurately and on time.
• Review, supervise, and authorise outgoing payments, including rental distributions and supplier payment runs to ensure accuracy and compliance.
• Oversee and support the team with monthly financial reporting, adapting reporting packs as needed to suit business requirements and provide actionable insight.
• Provide support for tax, VAT, and complex accounting queries, keeping abreast of changes to legislation and accounting standards.
• Continuously adapt and improve the company's financial processes to remain compliant and efficient.
• Act as the departments lead on the use of Microsoft Excel across the department, providing expertise, templates, and models to drive data accuracy and efficiency.
• Collaborate with senior leaders to ensure financial information is clearly communicated and well understood, providing strategic insight and commercial support across the wider business.

The Person

The Head of Finance will be a qualified financial professional with great leadership skills and extensive experience in service charge. They will be able to combine technical expertise with commercial acumen and be passionate about supporting the professional development of people within their team. The Head of Finance will bring exceptional technical expertise, along with strong problem-solving and communication skills, ensuring financial accuracy, compliance, and sound leadership at a senior level.

The Head of Finance will also meet the below criteria:

• Proven track record in a senior finance role with line management responsibility.
• Demonstrable experience producing management accounts.
• Advanced Excel proficiency (e.g., PivotTables, XLOOKUP, SUMIFS, Nested IFs etc.).
• Strong understanding of UK accounting standards and tax compliance.
• Solid experience in service charge or property management accounting.
• Demonstrable experience in leasehold block management.
• Ability to lead and develop high-performing finance teams.
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to present financial matters to non-finance stakeholders.

Desirable:

• Fully qualified accountant (ACCA, CIMA, ACA, or CCAB equivalent) is highly desirable, but we will consider, and value qualified by experience.
• Familiarity with property management software such as Bluebox or similar.
• Experience handling complex or phased development schemes.

The Benefits

As a family-owned business, we want everyone to feel at home from day one. In return for commitment, loyalty, and hard work, we offer benefits ranging from:

• Competitive salary
• 24 days holiday plus bank holidays
• Life assurance
• Private health care
• Critical illness insurance
• Matching contribution pension scheme
• Discretionary salary and bonus review
• Employee assistance programme
• Discounted gym memberships
• Cycle to Work Scheme
• Discount portal
• Volunteering opportunities
• Sponsorship of professional qualifications and accreditations