At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead finance operations and build a modern finance platform for a growing nursery group.
- Company: My Ohana, a values-driven nursery group with ambitious growth plans.
- Benefits: Competitive salary, leadership role, and opportunity to shape finance operations.
- Other info: Exciting growth trajectory with the chance to develop alongside the business.
- Why this job: Join a mission-driven team and make a real impact in children's lives.
- Qualifications: Qualified accountant with hands-on finance experience and strong leadership skills.
The predicted salary is between 73800 - 90200 £ per year.
Are you ready to build the finance engine of a fast-growing nursery group? My Ohana is not your average nursery group. We are a business that cares deeply — about the children and families in our settings, about our people, and about building something truly excellent. We have opened five nurseries, and we are just getting started: our ambition is to reach 30 nurseries within five years. To do that, we need to build a finance function that can grow with us. That is where you come in.
The Role
We are looking for a Senior Financial Controller to take ownership of our finance platform and ensure it delivers accurate, timely and reliable financial information. With much of the systems and process build already underway, the focus will be on embedding strong controls, delivering a robust month-end, maintaining a clear audit trail and driving automation and efficiency as the business continues to scale. This role offers significant scope for progression. For a high-performing and ambitious individual, there is the opportunity to develop into a senior role as the business grows, making this an excellent opportunity for someone looking to take the next step beyond a traditional Financial Controller position.
Day to day, you will:
- Lead and develop the finance team, building capability and holding a high bar
- Own month-end close and management reporting - improving the process
- Lead the migration of our finance systems
- Own the financial elements of our AI reporting tool, ensuring data inputs are accurate and outputs are reliable
- Strengthen our financial controls and balance-sheet ownership across all nursery sites
- Build scalable, automated processes across the entire finance function, eliminating offline workarounds and manual effort
- Ensure our nursery management system is used correctly for billing and fee management, with controls to prevent errors
- Monitor performance against budget- staffing costs, site profitability, fee income. Ensuring the business understands what the numbers mean
- Progressively develop your commercial, forecasting, and leadership capability as the business scales.
About You
You are a qualified accountant with serious hands-on experience of finance operations; someone who has owned a month-end close, managed a balance sheet, and built or improved a finance process from the ground up. You have probably led a system migration or at least been central to one, and you know what good looks like when it comes to integrations, controls, and automation. You are a people manager who takes development seriously; someone who can hold a high bar, and who gets satisfaction from seeing their team improve. You are curious about the business, not just the numbers, and you are ready to grow commercially as the role grows. Experience in childcare or a regulated multi-site sector is a bonus, but what matters most is your technical credibility, your systems mindset, and your drive to build something that works.
What We Offer
- Salary circa £82,000
- A senior finance leadership role with real ownership and genuine scope to shape how the function operates
- The opportunity to build a modern, AI-enabled finance platform alongside our senior team
- An exciting growth trajectory - the chance to grow with the business as we move from 8 to 30 nurseries
- A values-driven, people-first culture where the work you do has real meaning
- The chance to work closely alongside an ambitious CEO and leadership team who are committed to doing things properly.
If this sounds like the role you have been looking for, we would love to hear from you.
To apply, please send your CV and a covering letter to Rebecca Russell our People Director by Friday 2nd October 2026. My Ohana is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children. The successful candidate will be required to undergo an enhanced DBS check and satisfactory financial checks.
Senior Financial Controller in Reading employer: My Ohana
IKEA Reading is an exceptional employer that prioritises the well-being and development of its employees, offering a supportive work culture where teamwork and collaboration thrive. As an Early Years Key Worker, you will benefit from flexible working hours, competitive pay, and opportunities for professional growth within a dynamic environment dedicated to providing high-quality care for children. Join us in making a meaningful impact while enjoying the unique advantages of working at IKEA, where your contributions are valued and recognised.
