Finance Manager

A hands-on finance leadership role across three entrepreneurial businesses, combining rigorous day-to-day control with cash improvement, commercial support, cost savings and scalable growth initiatives.

Location: Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire

Reports to: Managing Director

Employment: Full-time, permanent

Package: Competitive and commensurate with experience

ABOUT THE GROUP

Sagoss

A UK technology business delivering intelligent parking and transport solutions. Its 360-degree platform combines software, ANPR, payments, portals and connected hardware to help customers manage parking operations efficiently across thousands of locations.

A medical market-access consultancy helping healthcare technologies and products navigate UK and international markets through market-access strategy, regulatory compliance, health economics and related commercial support.

A private, CQC-registered medical and aesthetic clinic in Henley-on-Thames, providing a growing range of private healthcare, wellness, skin and non-surgical services in a discreet, patient-focused setting.

THE OPPORTUNITY

This is not a maintenance-only finance role. The successful candidate will personally run the finance function while acting as a commercial partner: improving cash conversion, protecting margin, challenging cost, helping teams quote quickly and accurately, and implementing smart initiatives from idea through to measurable result.

ROLE PURPOSE

• Own and deliver the complete finance function across the three businesses, with the majority of time focused on Sagoss.

• Ensure accounting, reporting and compliance obligations are accurate and completed on time.

• Strengthen cash flow through prompt invoicing, active credit control and eliminating avoidable payment delays.

• Provide commercial finance support to Sales and Bids, including quotations, tenders, upsells, renewals and annual price increases.

• Identify and implement practical cost-saving, automation and profitability initiatives.

• Build scalable finance processes and controls in Xero.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

1. Finance Operations, Accounting and Compliance

• Own the purchase ledger, sales ledger, bank and card reconciliations, journals, accruals, prepayments, fixed assets, intercompany entries and control accounts.
• Run payment runs, reconciliations, month-end close and year-end preparation.
• Prepare accurate management accounts for each business and the group, including profit and loss, balance sheet, cash flow, variance analysis and commentary.
• Manage payroll, pensions, PAYE/NI data and relevant HMRC submissions.
• Prepare and submit VAT returns and maintain a compliance calendar for HMRC, statutory, tax and filing deadlines.
• Coordinate statutory accounts, corporation tax support and year-end information with external advisers.

2. Invoicing, Credit Control and Cash Management

• Ensure customer invoices are raised accurately and promptly with the correct supporting information.
• Maintain a live invoice pipeline so completed work, recurring charges, projects, licences, services and approved upsells are not missed or delayed.
• Own credit control end to end: contact customers, resolve queries and elevate overdue accounts appropriately.
• Issue a weekly aged-debt report with actions and dates for material overdue balances.
• Produce and maintain a rolling 13-week cash-flow forecast, highlighting risks, collection priorities and payment timing.
• Improve working capital through better billing discipline, payment terms, deposits, milestone invoicing, supplier terms and collection processes.

3. Commercial Finance, Quotations and Pricing

• Work closely with Sales and Bids to prepare, review and release customer quotations and tender pricing within required deadlines.
• Build cost and margin models covering products, hardware, installation, implementation, support, software, third-party costs and ongoing service commitments.
• Challenge assumptions and ensure commercial terms protect margin, cash flow and delivery capacity.
• Prepare quotations for upsell sales and ensure approved upsells move from quote to acceptance, invoicing and collection.
• Own the annual pricing review for existing customers, including increases, contract and renewal schedules and verifying new prices are billed correctly.
• Support contract renewals, new business cases, investment decisions and scenario modelling.
• Provide customer, product, project and contract profitability analysis.

4. Cost Saving, Profitability and Growth Initiatives

• Review supplier spend, software subscriptions, payment-processing charges, insurance, banking, utilities, premises, purchasing, stock and outsourced services for savings and efficiency opportunities.
• Identify duplicate, low-value or uncontrolled spend; renegotiate contracts and introduce appropriate purchasing and approval discipline.
• Develop and implement improvement proposals with clear costs, benefits, timing and return on investment.
• Maintain a savings and value-creation tracker showing forecast, approved and realised benefits.
• Bring ideas proactively to improve margin, recurring revenue, cash generation and operational efficiency.

5. Reporting, Forecasting and Decision Support

• Create a concise weekly finance pack covering cash, collections, invoicing, sales pipeline, committed spend and immediate risks.
• Deliver accurate and timely monthly management reporting.
• Lead annual budgeting, rolling forecasts and scenario planning across the group.
• Develop KPIs and dashboards covering revenue, gross margin, recurring revenue, debtor days, overdue debt, cash conversion, project performance and operating costs.
• Translate numbers into recommendations, explaining what has changed, why it matters and what action should follow.
• Support senior leaders with decision ready information.

6. Xero, Systems, Controls and Scalability

• Act as the internal owner and expert user of Xero across the group, including chart of accounts, tracking categories, bank rules, integrations, reporting, user access and data quality.
• Use Xero and connected tools to automate repetitive work, reduce manual errors and improve speed, visibility and control.
• Review and improve finance workflows, approval routes, customer and supplier setup, billing processes and reporting structures.
• Document standard operating procedures and maintain a controls framework proportionate to an entrepreneurial business.
• Create a finance function that can scale.

7. Collaboration, Customer Contact and Personal Ownership

• Build effective working relationships with Sales, Bids, Operations, Technical, Service, Clinical and leadership colleagues.
• Communicate confidently and professionally with customers and suppliers, including conversations about overdue balances, pricing, terms and disputed invoices.
• Operate with a high level of autonomy: understand the requirement, investigate the facts, decide the next action and follow through.
• Move between transactional detail and strategic work as priorities change.
• Handle confidential information with sound judgement and maintain a practical, calm and solutions-focused approach under pressure.

CANDIDATE PROFILE

This role is likely to suit an established Financial Controller, experienced Finance Manager or senior management accountant who has worked in a growing, owner-led SME or multi-entity environment and now wants broader influence. The successful candidate will be equally comfortable closing the month, chasing a late payment, challenging a supplier cost, building a bid model and presenting a commercial recommendation.

ESSENTIAL EXPERIENCE AND CAPABILITY

• Demonstrable experience owning a broad, hands-on finance function, ideally within a growing SME, scale-up, owner-managed business or multi-company group.
• Strong practical knowledge of UK accounting processes, month-end, management accounts, payroll, pensions, VAT, HMRC requirements, cash flow and year-end support.
• Advanced, hands-on capability in Xero is essential; the successful candidate must be able to configure, improve and use the platform without relying on others.
• Proven success improving credit control, invoice timing, working capital and cash collection while maintaining constructive customer relationships.
• Commercial finance experience supporting quotations, bids, pricing, margin analysis, upsells, renewals and customer price increases.
• Evidence of identifying and implementing cost savings, process improvements, automation or stronger controls with measurable results.
• Strong Excel and Microsoft 365 capability, confidence with data and a generally IT-savvy approach.
• Ability to manage competing priorities, work independently, meet deadlines and maintain accuracy in a fast-changing environment.
• Clear written and verbal communication, including the confidence to explain financial matters in plain English.

QUALIFICATIONS

• A recognised accounting qualification or relevant progression route, such as AAT, ACCA, CIMA or ACA.
• Fully qualified, part-qualified or qualified-by-experience candidates may be considered where their practical experience and track record are strong and directly relevant.

PREFERRED EXPERIENCE

• Previous work in an IT, software, technology, parking, transport or service-led business.
• Experience supporting more than one legal entity, business unit or sector.
• Exposure to healthcare, private clinics, regulated services, medical products or market-access consulting.
• Experience introducing finance-system integrations, workflow automation or dashboards.