Financial Controller

Role Overview:
As Financial Controller, you will take end-to-end ownership of ELM’s operational finance. This is a broad, hands-on role with no finance team to manage, spanning invoicing, payments, expenses, reconciliations and cash management through to forecasting, financial analysis and business-plan modelling.
Reporting to the CEO and working closely with the senior management team, you will ensure that the business has accurate information, disciplined processes and effective controls to support decisions and growth. You will be supported by an interim Financial Director whose focus is fundraising rather than operational finance, and by an external accountancy firm that prepares the monthly management accounts.
The role suits a commercially minded finance professional who is comfortable moving between detailed day-to-day execution and forward-looking planning in a fast-paced, growing business.

Key Responsibilities:
Day-to-Day Finance Operations
•    Own invoicing and collections, supplier payments, purchase orders, expenses and company-card transactions.
•    Maintain accurate accounting records, reconciliations, cash visibility and working-capital controls.
•    Act as the first point of contact for operational finance queries.
Financial Control & Compliance
•    Maintain proportionate controls, approval limits, documented processes and clear audit trails.
•    Coordinate VAT, payroll inputs, statutory reporting, year-end accounts and audit requirements with external advisers.
•    Manage relationships with banks, insurers and financial service providers.
Reporting, Forecasting & Business Modelling
•    Provide accurate month-end information to the external accountancy firm and coordinate, review and interpret the monthly management accounts.
•    Report financial performance, cash flow and KPIs to the CEO, senior management team and Board, highlighting variances, risks and opportunities.
•    Lead budgeting and rolling profit-and-loss, balance-sheet and cash-flow forecasts, working with budget owners to improve accuracy and accountability.
•    Own the integrated business-plan model and develop scenario, sensitivity and investment analysis to support commercial and capital-allocation decisions.
•    Provide operational forecasts and analysis to support the interim Financial Director’s fundraising work while retaining ownership of operational finance.
Grants & Project Finance
•    Manage grant-funded project finances, claims, supporting evidence, budgets and forecasts, including APC and Innovate UK programmes.
•    Coordinate R&D tax claim information with external advisers.
Systems, Processes & Stakeholders
•    Own finance systems and data integrity, improving and automating processes as the company grows.
•    Provide practical guidance and constructive challenge to the CEO and senior management team.
•    Manage day-to-day information flows with the external accountancy firm and collaborate with the interim Financial Director without duplicating fundraising responsibilities.

Qualifications and Experience:
Degree in Finance, Accounting, Business or equivalent experience.
ACA, ACCA or CIMA qualified, or qualified by experience with a strong record in a broad finance role.
Relevant experience as a Financial Controller, Finance Manager, Management Accountant or in a similarly broad, hands-on role.
Demonstrable experience of owning transactional finance, month-end inputs, cash management, forecasting and financial control without relying on an internal finance team.
Strong financial-modelling capability, including integrated forecasts, business plans, scenario analysis and cash runway modelling.
Experience working productively with an external accountancy firm, auditors and other professional advisers.
Experience within an SME, scale-up, engineering, manufacturing, automotive or technology business is desirable.
Experience managing grant-funded projects or R&D tax claims would be advantageous.
Confident user of accounting software such as Xero, QuickBooks, Sage or similar, with strong spreadsheet skills.

Key Competencies:
Highly organised, accurate and comfortable managing the full breadth of finance activity independently.
Hands-on and willing to move readily between detailed transaction processing and strategic financial analysis.
Commercially aware and able to translate financial information into practical business insight and clear recommendations.
Strong analytical, modelling and problem-solving skills, with sound judgement and attention to risk.
Comfortable operating in a fast-paced, growing business with changing priorities and limited infrastructure.
Clear and credible communicator who can work effectively with the CEO, senior leaders, project teams, the interim Financial Director and external advisers.
Proactive, resilient and accountable, with the confidence to challenge constructively and raise issues early.
Committed to continuous improvement and to building scalable, proportionate financial processes.