Group Financial Controller

Group Financial Controller - Black Sheep Coffee

Reporting to: Finance Director

Location: London

Job Type: Full-time

Salary: Competitive

Role Overview:

Black Sheep Coffee is looking for a Group Financial Controller to lead the Group’s accounting, financial reporting, and financial control activities across the UK, US, and Middle East.

Reporting to the Finance Director, the Group Financial Controller will oversee a team of five direct reports and will be responsible for the integrity of the accounting records and the production of high-quality month-end and year-end reporting.

This is a key leadership role within the finance team, offering the opportunity to improve tools, processes, and reporting while supporting a fast-growing hospitality business as it scales in the UK and internationally.

Role responsibilities:

• Own the accuracy and completeness of the general ledger and underlying accounting records, ensuring that transactions are recorded in the correct period and against the appropriate account, cost centre, and legal entity.
• Maintain the Group chart of accounts and accounting coding structure.
• Review material and judgemental journals and oversee key accounting areas, including revenue, inventory, payroll, fixed assets, leases, accruals and intercompany transactions.
• Lead the monthly and annual close processes through clear timetables, responsibilities and review procedures.
• Produce accurate monthly management accounts, including profit and loss, balance sheet and cash flow.
• Deliver clear variance analysis and commentary, and present the results to the leadership team in the monthly performance review meeting.
• Continuously improve the quality, speed and reliability of financial reporting.

Statutory Reporting and Compliance

• Own the Group consolidation and ensure intercompany balances are reconciled and eliminated.
• Prepare Group and entity statutory accounts under FRS 102.
• Lead the external audit and maintain year-round audit readiness.
• Coordinate corporation tax, VAT and statutory filings with external advisers.
• Maintain Group accounting policies and documentation for significant judgements.

Financial Controls

• Ensure appropriate balance sheet reconciliations are maintained and kept up to date on a monthly basis.
• Maintain robust controls covering revenue, purchasing, payments, payroll, inventory, cash, journals and financial reporting.
• Challenge unsupported balances and ensure corrective action is completed.
• Maintain appropriate controls over financial master data and system configuration.

Transactional Finance

• Oversee the Transactional Finance team across AP, AR and payroll, ensuring transactions are processed accurately, efficiently and in line with Group policies, delegated authority limits and month-end reporting deadlines.
• Ensure supplier invoices are correctly coded to the general ledger, cost centre and legal entity.
• Maintain strong control over aged debtors, ensuring overdue balances are actively followed up, escalated where appropriate and adequately provided for.
• Ensure payroll costs, taxes, pensions, benefits and other deductions are accurately recorded and reconciled.

Process Improvement and Team Leadership

• Lead and develop five direct reports, setting clear responsibilities and quality standards.
• Improve accounting processes, controls, systems and reporting tools.
• Identify and automate recurring manual tasks.
• Support the effective use of Oracle NetSuite.

Skills & Experience Required

• Qualified accountant (ACA, ACCA, CIMA or equivalent).
• Strong knowledge of UK GAAP and FRS 102. Knowledge of US GAAP is advantageous, but not essential.
• Experience owning close processes, management accounts, statutory accounts, consolidation and external audit.
• Strong controls mindset, with the ability to improve processes without slowing down the business.
• Experience in hospitality, retail, leisure, or another multi-site business is advantageous.
• Confident working with senior stakeholders across the business.
• Experience managing and developing a finance team.
• Strong Excel and finance-systems skills; Oracle NetSuite is beneficial.
• Exceptional attention to detail and the ability to investigate inconsistencies.

About Black Sheep Coffee

Join the thriving team at Black Sheep Coffee, the rapidly expanding 4th largest coffee chain in the UK.

Since our establishment in 2013, we have captivated coffee lovers with our commitment to quality and innovation. As a testament to our ambition, we have grown from a UK success story into a global brand, with stores now operating across the UK, the Middle East and the US.

With continuous expansion plans, there has never been a more exciting time to join us. As a member of our team, you will have the opportunity to make a meaningful impact on how Black Sheep Coffee operates as we continue to grow.

We foster a dynamic, entrepreneurial and collaborative working environment where ideas are valued, people take ownership and we continuously look for better ways of doing things.

Don't miss the opportunity to help build the systems and data foundations behind the next stage of Black Sheep Coffee's growth.