Financial Controller in Andover

Marston Events is looking for an ambitious, commercially minded Financial Controller to lead and transform our finance function as we enter an exciting period of business growth.

This is an opportunity for an experienced finance professional who combines strong financial control with a track record of improving systems, processes and teams. You will play a pivotal role in strengthening our financial foundations, developing a high-performing finance team and building the systems, insight and reporting capabilities needed to support the next stage of our growth. Marston's Financial Controller owns the month-end close, produces reliable management and board reporting, leads the finance team day to day.

Line Manager: CEO with dotted line to CFO

Direct Reports: Finance Team

Department: Finance

Location: Andover, Hampshire, UK

Job type / hours: Full time - 5 days a week on site (Andover)

Role Purpose

The Financial Controller is accountable for the integrity of Marston's financial records and the timely delivery of monthly management accounts, board reporting and statutory year-end financials. They lead the finance team and own the month-end close and internal controls. They also lead the finance transformation, working with the CFO, IT and Operations to modernise how finance captures, reconciles and reports data.

About Marston

Marston Events delivers graduation ceremonies for universities and colleges across the UK, working in partnership with each institution (our Partners). We provide academic dress, ceremony photography, ticketing and on-the-day services to graduating students and their guests (our Customers).

The business is highly seasonal and event driven. Revenue is earned across a large number of ceremonies either via an e-commerce site or via , on-site sales.

Person specification

• Qualified accountant (ACA, ACCA, CIMA).




• At least five years' post-qualification experience, including two or more as a Financial Controller, Finance Manager or equivalent.




• Hands-on ownership of a month-end close.




• Track record of producing monthly management accounts with clear commentary for non-finance managers.




• Experience preparing board packs and presenting to a board or senior leadership team.




• Proven people manager who has built and developed a small finance team.




• Experience improving finance processes and systems, from specifying requirements to testing and embedding change.




• Project management experience within finance transformation.




• Experience in an events, ticketing, education services, retail or other seasonal, high-volume transaction business.




• Experience in a PE-backed or owner-managed SME, or a business going through change.




• Power BI (or similar BI tool) and a working understanding of SQL or relational data.




• Experience reconciling payment gateways (for example WorldPay or Stripe) and e-commerce platforms to the ledger.




• Stock accounting and valuation.




• Organised and deadline-driven, with high standards of accuracy.




• Comfortable working hands-on as well as leading others.




• Curious about data and how the business works, and willing to challenge the way things are done.




• Clear communicator who can explain financial results to operational colleagues.




• Resilient through the peak ceremony season.

Key responsibilities

1. Month-end close and financial accounting

• Own and run a formal month-end close calendar.




• Prepare or review all balance sheet reconciliations each month, including bank, payment gateways (WorldPay, Stripe), debtors, creditors, VAT, payroll, accruals, prepayments, deferred income and stock.




• Review and approve manual journals before the period is locked in Xero.




• Own revenue recognition and deferred income by revenue stream, ensuring income is released in line with when ceremonies take place.




• Reconcile order and payment data from SQL Server database to Xero each month, including on-the-day takings and refunds.




• Maintain the chart of accounts, cost centres and Xero tracking categories (Events, Ceremony Month) so costs and income are coded to the right event.




• Calculate and reconcile commission due to Partners each month.

2. Management reporting

• Deliver a monthly management accounts pack: P&L, balance sheet, cash flow and commentary on variances against budget and prior year.




• Build event-level and Partner-level profitability reporting, comparing each event with prior occurrences of the same event.




• Produce the weekly cash position and a rolling 13-week cash flow forecast.




• Support the annual budget and reforecasts, owning the assumptions and their documentation.




• Agree a single, documented definition for each KPI and report it consistently.

3. Board reporting

• Prepare the quarterly board pack, circulated at least five working days before each meeting.




• Support the CFO with board papers on budgets, capital expenditure and policy decisions.




• Maintain the board action log and the reporting calendar for the year.

4. Finance transformation

• Work with the CFO, Operations and CTO to automate reporting, moving to self-serve Power BI reporting from the source database.




• Specify finance requirements for system changes.




• Document finance processes and replace manual, single-person workarounds with controlled, repeatable procedures.




• Test and sign off system changes that affect finance data before they go live.

5. Leading the team

• Line-manage, develop and motivate the finance team, setting clear objectives and running regular one-to-ones and reviews.




• Allocate work through the close and the event season, building cover so no process depends on one person.




• Identify skills gaps and training needs and contribute to decisions on team structure and outsourcing.




• Act as the CFO's deputy when needed.

6. Controls, compliance and statutory

• Own the internal control framework: segregation of duties, authorisation limits, the bank mandate and second-person checks on changes to supplier and bank details.




• Lead the year-end close and statutory accounts preparation, working with the external accountants.




• Ensure compliance with HMRC (VAT, PAYE), Companies House filing deadlines and lender reporting requirements.

Marston Events is an equal opportunities employer and welcomes applications from all suitably qualified candidates.

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