Financial Controller in Maidenhead

We are seeking an experienced and commercially minded Financial Controller to join our organisation on a two-year fixed-term contract. This newly created role has been established to strengthen financial reporting, control, and governance as the business continues to evolve. Working alongside an established finance team, the Financial Controller will lead a range of strategic finance improvement initiatives, including the transition to IFRS, enhancement of reporting and control frameworks, and the introduction of greater discipline across planning and performance processes. This role is focused on the design, coordination, and delivery of transformation activities rather than ownership of day-to-day finance operations. It will require strong technical accounting expertise, excellent stakeholder management skills, and the ability to lead complex workstreams without direct line management responsibilities.

Key Responsibilities

• Strengthen the integrity, consistency, and quality of monthly, quarterly, and annual financial reporting.
• Improve balance sheet governance, including ownership, reconciliations, review processes, and supporting documentation.
• Ensure reporting outputs are accurate, robust, and capable of withstanding external scrutiny.
• Enhance documentation of key accounting judgements, estimates, and technical accounting positions.
• Lead the delivery of a coordinated finance transformation programme across multiple workstreams.
• Develop clear plans, milestones, deliverables, and governance structures to ensure successful execution.
• Monitor progress, risks, dependencies, and resource requirements.
• Work collaboratively across finance and the wider business to drive delivery and engagement.
• Influence stakeholders and secure alignment without direct management authority.
• Maintain momentum on transformation objectives while ensuring business-as-usual activities continue effectively.

IFRS Conversion

• Lead the end-to-end transition from current accounting standards to IFRS.
• Develop accounting policies, technical accounting papers, and position documentation.
• Identify, assess, and quantify key accounting differences and business impacts across areas such as revenue recognition, leases, provisions, and financial instruments.
• Coordinate contributions from finance teams, operational stakeholders, auditors, and external advisors.
• Manage relationships with auditors and advisors throughout the conversion process.

Planning, Performance & Process Discipline

• Introduce greater structure, consistency, and governance across budgeting, forecasting, and planning activities.
• Improve alignment between financial forecasts, KPIs, and reported business performance.
• Establish clear review cycles, challenge processes, and performance reporting discipline.
• Support the integration of financial planning activities with external reporting requirements.

Reporting Framework & Disclosure Readiness

• Develop reporting structures aligned to best practice within larger and more regulated environments.
• Improve the quality, consistency, and transparency of disclosures and supporting analysis.
• Establish repeatable reporting processes supported by strong documentation and audit trails.
• Ensure management reporting and statutory reporting are appropriately aligned.

Controls, Governance & Assurance

• Design and embed a robust financial control framework across the organisation.
• Define ownership, review responsibilities, approval processes, and accountability structure.
• Strengthen period-end close processes, timelines, and governance.
• Support readiness for external audits, financial due diligence exercises, and other forms of external review.

Commercial & Corporate Finance Collaboration

• Provide technical accounting expertise to support KPI development and performance measurements.
• Assist in the development of bridges between IFRS reporting and management reporting frameworks.
• Ensure adjusted performance metrics are clearly defined, consistently applied, and appropriately documented.

Skills & Experience

• Qualified accountant (ACA, ACCA, CIMA or equivalents).
• Significant experience in financial control, financial reporting, or technical accounting roles.
• Strong understanding of IFRS and experience leading or supporting IFRS implementation projects.
• Proven ability to deliver complex finance transformation or change programmes.
• Excellent stakeholder management and influencing skills.
• Strong project management, planning, and organisational capability.
• High attention to detail with a focus on control, governance, and reporting quality.
• Experience working with external auditors and professional advisors.

Desirable

• Experience operating within private equity-backed, high-growth, or transformational business environments.
• Multisite experience is highly desired.
• Exposure to financial due diligence, transactions, or funding activities.
• Experience designing and implementing financial control frameworks and governance structures.