Financial Controller in Colchester

Sheridan Maine is delighted to be working with an established business based in Colchester, Essex, to recruit a Financial Controller. This is a key role within the organisation, offering the opportunity to lead a small finance team while becoming a full member of the Senior Leadership Team. The successful candidate will take ownership of the finance function, providing accurate financial reporting alongside the commercial insight needed to support business performance, growth and decision-making.

The Role

As Financial Controller, you will have a broad remit across financial reporting, commercial finance, forecasting, cash flow and process improvement. You will work closely with colleagues across the business, providing clear financial insight and helping to drive improvements. Your responsibilities will include:

• Leading and developing a small finance team, ensuring a high standard of financial control and reporting.
• Owning the month-end close and producing timely management accounts, including P&L, balance sheet, cash flow and WIP reporting.
• Preparing financial information for monthly Board and Group reporting, including meaningful variance analysis.
• Leading the annual budgeting process, rolling forecasts and short-term cash flow forecasting, while overseeing working capital management.
• Working closely with sales, estimating, production and project management teams to understand costs, margins and project performance.
• Providing commercial analysis to support pricing, capacity planning, capital investment and other key business decisions.
• Improving project costing, WIP and margin reporting to give greater visibility of performance throughout the project lifecycle.
• Leading finance improvement projects, including process automation, strengthening controls and improving the integration between finance systems.
• Managing year-end audit requirements and coordinating statutory, tax and VAT matters with external advisers.
• Contributing as a full member of the Senior Leadership Team, supporting wider business decisions beyond the finance function.

About You

We are looking for a commercially minded finance professional who can combine strong technical accounting skills with the confidence to work closely with operational and senior stakeholders. You will ideally have:

• A recognised accountancy qualification or be part-qualified, with ACA, ACCA or CIMA studies.
• Experience in a manufacturing, engineering, construction or other project-based environment, with an understanding of WIP, job costing and project margins.
• Proven experience of producing accurate management accounts to tight deadlines.
• Strong knowledge of budgeting, forecasting, cash flow and balance sheet control.
• Experience of delivering finance process, reporting or system improvements.
• External audit experience and a good understanding of statutory and tax requirements.
• Strong Microsoft Excel modelling skills and a good working knowledge of Sage.
• Excellent communication and influencing skills, with the ability to explain financial information clearly to non-financial stakeholders.
• A proactive and commercially focused approach, with the confidence to challenge and support colleagues at all levels.

What's on Offer

• Salary: Up to GBP60,000 per annum
• Management bonus scheme
• 25 days' annual leave, plus bank holidays
• 5% employer pension contribution
• Private medical insurance
• The opportunity to join the Senior Leadership Team and make a genuine impact across an established business
• Start date: ASAP

If you are an experienced finance professional looking for a broad Financial Controller role where you can combine financial leadership, commercial insight and business improvement, we would love to hear from you. You are required to be eligible to work in the UK full time without restriction.