Finance Manager - 12-month fixed term contract in Melbourn

Most finance roles leave you buried in month end while someone else makes the decisions that matter. This one doesn’t. You’ll take full ownership of the Cambridge site’s finances at a company that has just gone from independent UK biotech to part of a major global organisation. Lex Diagnostics builds ultra fast cartridge based PCR systems that deliver results in minutes, not hours. The technology is already changing how clinics work. Now the finance function needs to keep pace as we scale manufacturing, commercialise the first products, and integrate with a much larger parent company.

What you’ll actually do:

• You’ll run the day-to-day financial management of the site — accounts payable and receivable, general ledger, cash, and a controlled month end.
• You’ll own the weekly cash flow forecast so leadership always knows where we stand.
• You’ll lead the quarterly forecasting and annual budgeting cycles, challenge the numbers that come in, and turn them into plans people can actually use.
• You’ll prepare the monthly management packs that go in front of the site CEO and senior team, and you’ll be the main point of contact for the external auditors and tax advisors (including Research and Development Expenditure Creditor RDEC).
• You’ll keep the balance sheet clean and the controls tight.
• You’ll spend a lot of time talking to operational leaders and colleagues in global finance, treasury, shared services, corporate accounting, so the numbers support real decisions rather than just reporting them after the fact.

This is a hands-on role. You’ll still get your hands dirty in the detail, but the real value is in the insight and the partnership.

Who this will suit:

• You’re a fully qualified accountant (ACA, ACCA, CIMA or equivalent) who has already run financial management, reporting and business partnering in a fast-moving environment.
• You know your way around month-end, statutory accounts, budgeting and forecasting.
• You’re comfortable with IFRS or UK GAAP and you understand how proper controls actually protect a growing business.
• You’re good with numbers and better with people. You can sit with an operational manager and help them see the financial consequences of their choices without making them feel stupid.
• You can prioritise when everything feels urgent.
• Advanced Excel and experience with an ERP (SAP or Syteline are useful) will make the first few months easier.
• Any exposure to US GAAP or RDEC claims is a bonus, not a requirement.

The practical bits:

• 12-month fixed-term contract
• Hybrid — minimum three days a week onsite SG86EE
• Flexible around the busy periods (month-end, year-end, budget season)
• No regular travel expected
• You’ll report to the offsite Finance Director and work closely with the site leadership team.

We also offer fantastic employee benefits including:

• Employer pension contribution of 10% (+3% personal contribution)
• Private Medical Insurance
• Life insurance
• 25 days’ annual holiday plus bank holidays
• Discounts and memberships to local sports facilities and the theatre

If the idea of owning a site’s finance function during a genuine growth and integration phase appeals more than another year of business-as-usual reporting, click apply or send a short note saying why this one caught your eye.