Assistant Financial Controller in Reading

AHEAD builds platforms for digital business. By weaving together advances in cloud infrastructure, automation and analytics, and software delivery, we help enterprises deliver on the promise of digital transformation. At AHEAD, we prioritise creating a culture of belonging, where all perspectives and voices are represented, valued, respected, and heard. We create spaces to empower everyone to speak up, make change, and drive the culture at AHEAD. We are an equal opportunity employer, and do not discriminate based on an individual's age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage & civil partnership, pregnancy & maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, and sexual orientation, or any other protected characteristic under applicable law, whether actual or perceived. We embrace all candidates that will contribute to the diversification and enrichment of ideas and perspectives at AHEAD.

Due to continued growth, we have an exciting opportunity for an Assistant Financial Controller to join us at AHEAD UK. This role will be reporting to and working closely with the Financial Controller, taking primary responsibility for supporting the Irish finance function with potential involvement in additional EU entities as the business expands. This is a hands-on role focused on strong financial control, accurate reporting, and regulatory compliance within a growing international group. The ideal candidate is detail oriented, excels in collaborative and productive team environment.

• Financial Reporting & Control
  • Support monthly management accounts and month-end close (accruals, prepayments, depreciation, journals)
  • Review balance sheet reconciliations and resolve discrepancies
  • Assist with variance analysis and group reporting
  • Contribute to weekly and monthly cash flow reporting
• Compliance & Statutory
  • Maintain strong internal financial controls
  • Prepare and submit Irish VAT returns
  • Review Intrastat and VIES reporting
  • Support year-end audit and statutory reporting
  • Assist with corporation tax and other regulatory requirements
• Operational Finance
  • Partner with Sales and Logistics to ensure timely, accurate invoicing
  • Review and approve sales invoices, raised by the Finance Assistant
  • Oversee aged debtor and creditor reconciliations and support credit control
  • Approve lower-value purchase orders
  • Provide cover for the Finance Assistant when required
• Planning & Process
  • Support budgeting and forecasting processes
  • Identify opportunities to improve finance processes and systems
  • Provide support to UK finance and potential future EU entities as required

• Part-qualified accountant (ACCA, ACA, or CIMA)
• Strong experience supporting an Irish entity, with knowledge of Irish accounting and compliance requirements
• Experience preparing Irish VAT returns
• Working knowledge of EU VAT rules and cross-border reporting
• Experience supporting month-end and management reporting
• Strong Excel skills and attention to detail
• Excellent communication skills and ability to work independently and collaboratively
• Experience in a multi-entity or international environment
• Exposure to wider EU finance operations
• Experience with Xero and/or NetSuite
• Experience with Salesforce
• Exposure to US group reporting

£50,000 - £65,000 a year. The compensation range indicated in this posting reflects the On-Target Earnings (“OTE”) for this role, which includes a base salary and any applicable target bonus amount. This OTE range may vary based on the candidate’s relevant experience, qualifications, and geographic location.

Through our daily work and internal groups like Moving Women AHEAD and RISE AHEAD, we value and benefit from diversity of people, ideas, experience, and everything in between. We fuel growth by stacking our office with top-notch technologies in a multi-million-dollar lab, by encouraging cross department training and development, sponsoring certifications and credentials for continued learning.