Financial Controller / Senior Bookkeeper in London

Employer: Picture Property Developments

Reporting To: Director

Location: Central London (on-site)

Salary: Competitive — dependent on experience

Contract Type: Long-term Contract

Hours: 1–2 days per week

ROLE SNAPSHOT

Picture Property Developments is an active London residential developer operating across multiple entities, with a lean team and strong emphasis on financial discipline and project-level visibility. Our finance function spans Xero, QuickBooks and Excel.

We are hiring a Financial Controller on a contract basis (1–2 days per week, based in Notting Hill) to take full ownership of our finance function. You will work directly with the Director, partner with our payroll and VAT contacts, and liaise with external accountants. This is a hands-on FC role for someone who combines technical accounting rigour with an operational mindset — someone who spots when a process is broken and fixes it, not just maintains the status quo. Property development experience is a material advantage.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

• Financial Control & Reporting
  • Prepare monthly management accounts and director-level financial summaries across all entities.
  • Maintain project-level P&L, cost tracking and variance analysis against development appraisals.
  • Prepare lender reporting packs and monitor covenant compliance.
  • Reconcile loan drawdowns and repayments against facility agreements and bank records.
  • Ensure records are maintained in line with UK GAAP and relevant legislation.
• Bookkeeping
  • Maintain accurate, up-to-date records across Xero, QuickBooks and Excel for all entities.
  • Post and reconcile income, expenditure and bank accounts on a timely basis.
  • Maintain the chart of accounts and ensure consistent, correct coding of transactions.
  • Apply inter-company double-entry across entities.
• Payroll
  • Run monthly payroll and post associated journals.
  • Administer PAYE, National Insurance and pension contributions in line with HMRC requirements.
• VAT
  • Prepare and submit quarterly VAT returns across all entities.
  • Maintain VAT split schedules and supporting workings for each submission.
  • Working knowledge of VAT option to tax and CIS desirable.
• Invoicing & AP / AR
  • Process incoming invoices, verify against project budgets, and manage the payment workflow.
  • Raise outgoing invoices and maintain AP / AR registers.
• Cashflow & Forecasting
  • Own the cashflow forecast spreadsheet across all project entities.
  • Track monthly project repayments and reconcile against bank records.
  • Support sensitivity analysis and scenario modelling as required.
• Finance Administration
  • Liaise with suppliers, contractors and professional advisors on financial matters.
  • Maintain organised financial records and support year-end statutory accounts preparation.
  • Identify and implement process improvements, including automation where appropriate.

ESSENTIAL REQUIREMENTS

• Minimum 5 years of proven bookkeeping / accounting experience.
• Strong working knowledge of Excel and at least one major accounting platform (Xero, QuickBooks, Sage).
• Experience preparing and submitting quarterly VAT returns.
• Experience processing payroll (Xero Payroll preferred).
• Highly organised, proactive and able to manage multiple workstreams independently.
• Confident communicator — written and verbal.
• Right to work in the United Kingdom (no visa sponsorship available).

DESIRABLE REQUIREMENTS

• Property development, construction or real estate experience — ideally on the client / developer side.
• Familiarity with development finance metrics: GDV, profit on cost, IRR, LTC / LTGDV.
• Knowledge of CIS, VAT option to tax, SDLT, Section 106 agreements and CIL.
• Part-qualified or qualified accountant (AAT, CIMA, ACCA) — or actively working towards qualification.
• Experience with lender reporting and covenant monitoring.
• Exposure to Microsoft Project or equivalent for cashflow forecasting.
• Familiarity with SharePoint / OneDrive.
• Experience deploying AI agents or automation tools to streamline finance workflows.

WHAT WE OFFER

• Competitive day rate / salary commensurate with experience.
• Contract position, 1–2 days per week — structured around your schedule.
• Office based in Notting Hill, Central London.
• Entrepreneurial, fast-paced culture with genuine scope to shape the role as the business scales.