Financial Controller

Financial ControllerReporting to: Managing Director (UK) Location: West Yorkshire£65,000 - £80,000 BasicPension and benefits packageAbout the RoleOur client is seeking a Financial Controller to lead financial management, control, reporting and compliance across their UK and Irish businesses. This is the lead finance role within the UK and Irish operations, providing accurate financial information, commercial insight and strategic support to the CFO and CEO. The ideal candidate will have experience working in a business with significant D2C / Direct-to-Consumer / e-commerce trade.We are looking for candidates who are either ACCA, CIMA or ACA qualified.A key part of the role is maintaining strong working relationships with the senior leadership team, ensuring timely and accurate financial reporting.Key Working RelationshipsCEO, CFO, Senior Management TeamExternal Auditors, Banks and Financial Institutions, HMRC and other regulatory bodies, Customers and SuppliersKey ResponsibilitiesFinancial Management & Reporting: Prepare monthly management accounts and analysis, ensure timely and accurate month-end/year-end close, produce financial reports, KPIs and forecasts, maintain general ledger integrity, deliver balance sheet reconciliations and robust controls, and coordinate annual statutory accounts and audits.Budgeting & Forecasting: Lead the annual budgeting process, prepare rolling forecasts and cash flow projections, monitor performance against budget, and provide actionable financial analysis to support business decisions.Business Partnering: Support the CEO and management team with financial insight, analyse profitability by customer, product range and distribution channel, challenge costs, identify efficiencies, and evaluate business cases and investment proposals.Cash Flow & Working Capital Management: Manage cash flow and liquidity requirements, monitor debtor and creditor performance, optimise working capital and inventory management, and oversee banking relationships and treasury activities.Compliance & Governance: Ensure compliance with UK accounting standards, tax regulations and statutory requirements (including VAT, Corporation Tax and PAYE), maintain a strong internal control environment, and support risk management and business continuity planning.Systems & Process Improvement: Drive improvements in financial systems and reporting processes, support ERP and business system developments, enhance reporting automation and data quality, and leverage AI technologies to automate routine finance activities and support scalable business growth.Person SpecificationEssential QualificationsQualified Accountant (ACA, ACCA, CIMA or equivalent) with strong technical accounting knowledgeEssential ExperienceMinimum 5 years' experience in a senior finance role within an SME environment, ideally in a fast paced business which has a direct-to-consumer / ecommerce element as well as selling to retailers. Our client is in a rapid growth curce with a plan to grow from £45m t/o to £100m in the next 2 years.Experience managing a significant number of monthly transactions (10,000+) per month coming from a range of revenue streams.Essential SkillsStrong financial and commercial acumen, with excellent analytical and problem-solving skillsAdvanced Excel and financial systems capability, with strong communication and stakeholder management skillsAbility to operate both strategically and hands-on, with effective relationship-building abilities.Experience working on annual audit preparation.Personal AttributesHigh integrity and professionalism, commercially minded with strong business awarenessProactive and self-motivated, detail-oriented while maintaining a strategic perspectiveComfortable working in a dynamic SME environment, collaborative and capable of influencing at all levels, with strong cross-cultural communication skills