Financial Controller - 12 Month FTC in Richmond

Who are we? Hi, we’re Tails.com – we turn good days into great years for dogs and their humans. We're working towards longer lives for millions of healthy, happy dogs by providing tailored nutrition that adapts to each dog’s unique needs. It all starts with a few simple questions about their age, breed, zoomie level and tastebuds. From there, owners can create a personalised meal plan that's delivered to their door every month. No guesswork, no overwhelm. Just exactly the right care for every dog, every day. It's pretty clever stuff.

As a certified B Corp, being a responsible business is built into how we work – upholding high social and environmental standards to create better walkies for generations to come. Now, we’re cooking up big plans. Having created an entirely new category in dog food, we have the backing of Purina – one of the world’s largest pet food companies. You’ll join a bunch of smart people working towards these same goals (and a bunch of very smart office dogs, all working on their own thing).

Reporting of the role: This role reports to the Finance Director.

Overview of the job: We are looking for an experienced Finance Controller to join tails.com on a 12-month maternity cover contract. Leading a team of four, you will be responsible for all aspects of financial management and play a key role in supporting the business's continued growth and success. Reporting to the Finance Director, you will be the primary finance contact for Nestlé Purina and will oversee all statutory reporting, regulatory compliance, and external audit requirements. You will also lead the finance team's contribution to the period-end close and monthly forecasting processes, ensuring the delivery of accurate financial information and valuable insights to support business decision-making. This is a broad leadership role with exposure across the business.

3 best things about the job:

• People leadership and development
• Genuine breadth of responsibility
• A trusted partner to senior leadership

Measures of success – In the first few months, you would have:

• Established yourself as a trusted finance partner to the Tails.com leadership team and peers;
• Delivered accurate and timely month-end reporting, forecasting and financial insights;
• Demonstrated strong ownership of financial control, compliance and audit requirements;
• Built credibility through a deep understanding of the business, its financial drivers and balance sheet;
• Motivated and supported the finance team, while driving continuous improvement across processes and controls.

Roles & Responsibilities:

• Lead, coach and develop a team of four, creating a supportive environment that drives accountability, growth and strong results.
• Oversee the day-to-day operation of the finance function, ensuring robust processes, controls and service levels across the business.
• Manage all tax, VAT and transfer pricing requirements, ensuring compliance with UK and European regulatory obligations.
• Own the integrity of the balance sheet and deliver accurate, timely monthly reporting.
• Lead the month-end and year-end close processes, ensuring high-quality financial reporting and supporting monthly forecasting cycles.
• Manage all external reporting requirements, including the annual audit, corporation tax filings, RDEC claims, payroll reporting and financial reporting to Nestlé Purina.
• Oversee treasury activities, including cash flow management, cash forecasting, foreign exchange and banking relationships.
• Ensure accurate payroll and headcount reporting, working closely with external payroll providers to ensure timely and compliant processing of payroll, taxes and pensions.
• Build strong partnerships across Finance and the wider business, fostering effective ways of working and delivering robust financial governance and commercial insight.
• Continuously identify opportunities to improve processes, controls and reporting, helping to drive efficiency and scalability as the business grows.

What you will need:

• Qualified accountant with significant post-qualification experience in a Financial Controller or similar leadership role, including ownership of financial reporting, controls, compliance, and team management.
• Strong technical finance expertise, with a proven track record of delivering accurate month-end and year-end close processes, balance sheet control, statutory reporting, audits, and tax compliance.
• Experienced people leader who can develop, motivate and support a finance team while maintaining high standards and meeting demanding deadlines.
• Hands-on approach, comfortable switching between strategic leadership and detailed execution when required. Strong Excel skills, sound judgement, and a proactive problem-solving mindset are essential.
• Experience of forecasting, cash flow management, treasury activities, payroll oversight, and financial planning processes, with a focus on accuracy and continuous improvement.
• Excellent stakeholder management and communication skills, with the ability to explain complex financial concepts clearly and influence senior leaders and non-finance teams.
• A continuous improvement mindset, with experience enhancing finance processes, controls, and reporting, to drive efficiency and support business growth.
• Experience working within an international business environment, including exposure to UK tax, VAT, and regulatory requirements, would be advantageous.

A few of our core benefits include:

• Private Healthcare through AXA
• A 9 day fortnight - our office is closed every other Friday!
• 25 days of Annual Leave and 8 additional remote working days

What’s next? If this sounds like it matches your experience and what you’d love to do, we can’t wait to hear from you! If you’re unsure whether you fit our criteria exactly, please get in touch anyway. And because we believe that diverse teams perform better, we’d especially love to hear from you if you’re from an under-represented demographic.

Here’s a taster of how our recruitment process works: Once you have applied your CV will be reviewed by the Talent Acquisition Team. If selected, you will then have a call with the TA Team who will tell you more about us and the role, as well as learning more about your skills and experience. Should you be successful, the next stage will be a video call with the hiring manager. If successful, you will be invited to present a task back to a panel of interviewers.

Our Commitment: We’re proud to be an active equal opportunity employer. We want to give everyone a fair chance to join us in changing the world of pet food for good. We do this by conducting a structured recruitment process for all candidates, as well as actively promoting our roles to communities that are under-represented at Tails.com. During your interview process you’ll meet some of our team with varying levels of responsibility and experience. We want to give every candidate a fair interview process and if you need any reasonable adjustments made, please let us know.