Finance Systems & Reporting Lead in Nottingham

The Role

Finance Systems & Reporting Lead

Salary

£60k per annum

Hours

Full Time, Permanent

Location

• Hybrid* (Head office Nottingham)
• Role and responsibilities
• 1. Finance Systems Ownership

The Role

Finance Systems & Reporting Lead

Salary

£60k per annum

Hours

Full Time, Permanent

Location

• Hybrid* (Head office Nottingham)
• Role and responsibilities
• 1. Finance Systems Ownership
• Act as the finance owner and subject matter expert for Sage 200.
• Manage and maintain Sage 200 from a finance systems perspective, including nominal structure, VAT codes, reporting codes, user access, system controls and process setup.
• Support, review and control imports into Sage 200, ensuring data is complete, accurate, reconciled and appropriately documented.
• Understand how data flows into and out of Sage 200 and how it interacts with other business systems.
• Identify and resolve finance system issues, working with internal colleagues and external system providers where required.
• Improve finance system processes to reduce manual work, duplication, errors and reliance on fragile spreadsheets.
• Support Sage 200 upgrades, testing, configuration changes and new functionality where required.
• Maintain clear documentation of key finance system processes, imports, reconciliations and controls.
• 2. Reporting, Data and Management Information
• Build, maintain and improve financial and operational reports using data from Sage 200 and other business systems.
• Understand the underlying data structure across multiple systems and identify how data can be used for financial reporting, margin analysis, operational reporting and business decision-making.
• Develop reporting that improves visibility of revenue, margin, stock, fulfilment, subscriptions, customer activity, operational performance and other key business metrics.
• Work with large data sets from multiple platforms, identifying inconsistencies, gaps, duplication and opportunities for better reporting.
• Ensure reports are accurate, reconciled to source systems and clearly documented.
• Support the development of dashboards, automated reports and repeatable reporting processes using Excel, Power Query, Power BI or other appropriate tools.
• Work with the Management Accountant and Sales Ledger team to improve revenue reporting, deferred income calculations, margin analysis and sales data quality.
• Work with Operations, Technology and other teams to ensure operational data is captured and structured in a way that supports useful financial insight.
• 3. Forecasting, Cashflow and Model Control
• Own the structure, integrity and control of the company’s forecasting and cashflow models.
• Review forecasting models for accuracy, robustness, consistency and usability.
• Ensure forecast models have clear separation between actuals, assumptions, calculations and outputs.
• Review formulas, links, calculations, data feeds and reconciliations within key forecast and cashflow models.
• Ensure actuals are accurately imported, linked or reconciled from Sage 200 and other source systems.
• Build checks and controls into forecasting models to identify errors, broken links, inconsistent formulas or unexplained movements.
• Maintain version control and documentation for key forecasting and cashflow models.
• Support scenario modelling and sensitivity analysis for the Finance Director and senior leadership team.
• Challenge unusual trends, movements or inconsistencies in forecast outputs.
• Provide assurance to the Finance Director that models are accurate, robust and suitable for management, SLT and Board reporting.
• The Finance Systems, Reporting & Controls Manager is responsible for model integrity and robustness.

The Finance Director retains ownership of final commercial assumptions, forecast judgement and Board-level financial narrative.

• 4. VAT, Compliance and Controls
• Prepare, review and submit VAT returns through Making Tax Digital.
• Ensure VAT returns are accurate, complete, supported by appropriate reconciliations and submitted on time.
• Maintain VAT control account reconciliations and supporting evidence files.
• Review VAT coding, VAT system setup and transaction processing within Sage 200.
• Investigate unusual VAT movements, adjustments or reconciling items.
• Ensure imports, integrations and manual journals are correctly treated for VAT purposes.
• Escalate unusual, complex or judgemental VAT matters to the Finance Director.
• Provide the Finance Director with a VAT summary before submission, including key movements, adjustments, reconciliations and any risks.
• Support audit or HMRC queries relating to VAT, finance systems, reconciliations and reporting controls.
• 5. Data Quality, Reconciliations and Financial Control
• Ensure financial and operational data used for reporting is accurate, complete and appropriately reconciled.
• Improve controls around system imports, interfaces, master data, user access, report production and manual adjustments.
• Review and improve reconciliations between Sage 200 and other business systems.
• Identify recurring errors, weaknesses or inconsistencies and work with the relevant teams to resolve them.
• Maintain process notes and control documentation for key finance reporting and system processes.
• Support month-end and year-end reporting by improving the reliability and availability of financial data.
• Assist with audit preparation, including schedules, system explanations, reconciliations and evidence of controls.
• Promote good financial control and data discipline across the finance team.
• 6. Process Improvement and Finance Projects
• Lead finance systems, reporting and data improvement projects.
• Map existing finance processes and data flows, identifying manual work, duplication, control weaknesses and opportunities for improvement.
• Work with Finance, Operations, Technology and external system providers to deliver practical system and reporting improvements.
• Translate finance and business reporting requirements into workable system and data solutions.
• Support the integration of new systems into Finance processes.
• Test system changes, report outputs, imports and new processes before implementation.
• Ensure changes to finance systems, reporting models and key processes are properly documented and controlled.
• Help the business move away from manual spreadsheet-led reporting where better system-led or automated solutions are possible.
• 7. Support to Finance Team and Wider Business
• Work closely with the Management Accountant to improve month-end reporting, revenue analysis, margin reporting and sales ledger data quality.
• Work closely with the Payroll / Office / Purchase Ledger Manager to improve purchase ledger processes, supplier data, approvals and Sage 200 controls.
• Provide guidance to finance colleagues on system use, reporting requirements, coding consistency and data quality.
• Challenge poor processes or inconsistent data handling in a constructive and practical way.
• Support the Finance Director with Board reporting, management information, cashflow reporting and financial analysis.
• Explain data, systems and reporting issues clearly to non-technical colleagues.
• Act as a key link between Finance, Operations, Technology and external system providers.

Skills and Experience

Essential

• Qualified accountant — ACCA, CIMA or ACA.
• Strong finance systems experience, ideally including Sage 200 or a similar ERP/accounting system.
• Strong understanding of core finance processes, including nominal ledger, sales ledger, purchase ledger, bank, VAT, management reporting and month-end controls.
• Experience preparing and submitting VAT returns through Making Tax Digital.
• Strong data analysis and reporting skills.
• Advanced Excel skills, including lookups, pivot tables, Power Query and working with large data sets.
• Experience building or improving financial reports from raw or system-exported data.
• Experience reviewing or maintaining forecasting, cashflow or financial reporting models.
• Ability to understand system structures, data flows, interfaces and reporting logic.
• Strong reconciliation skills and a control-focused approach.
• Excellent attention to detail.
• Ability to identify process weaknesses and implement practical improvements.
• Confident working with stakeholders across Finance, Operations, Technology and external providers.
• Able to manage multiple priorities and deliver improvements while supporting regular reporting cycles.

Desirable

• Experience with Power BI or similar reporting tools.
• Experience with Sage 200 administration, imports, reporting and system configuration.
• Experience working in a business with multiple operational systems, payment platforms, subscription platforms or stock systems.
• Experience supporting system implementation, integration or upgrade projects.
• Understanding of stock, fulfilment, logistics, manufacturing, pharmacy, healthcare or subscription-based revenue models.
• Experience in a regulated, audited or quality-controlled environment.
• Experience supporting audit preparation and control documentation.
• Personal Attributes
• Curious, analytical and genuinely interested in how systems and data work.
• Strong enough technically to get into the detail, but able to see the bigger commercial picture.
• Practical and solutions-focused.
• Accurate, organised and methodical.
• Comfortable challenging existing processes and suggesting better ways of working.
• Able to explain technical, data or systems issues in plain English.
• Proactive and confident working independently.
• Collaborative and able to build strong working relationships across different teams.
• Calm under pressure and able to prioritise effectively.
• Willing to take ownership and follow issues through to resolution.
• Control-minded, but pragmatic.
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