Financial Controller – St Albans

Financial Controller, qualified Accountant, strong modelling, nr St Albans, c£75,000

Financial Controller for expanding media company. Seeking strong background in financial control, monthly accounts preparation and advanced Excel modelling.

Supporting the FD, this role is critical in ensuring compliance with financial regulations and providing insightful financial analysis to support strategic decision-making.

Key Responsibilities:

• Oversee the preparation of statutory accounts in accordance with relevant accounting standards (e.g., IFRS, UK GAAP).
• Manage the month-end and year-end close processes, ensuring accuracy and timeliness.
• Develop and maintain financial models to support forecasting, budgeting, and scenario analysis.
• Ensure compliance with tax regulations, including VAT, corporation tax, and other statutory filings.
• Liaise with external auditors, managing the audit process and addressing queries.
• Implement and maintain robust internal controls and financial procedures.
• Provide financial insights and recommendations to senior management.
• Lead and mentor a small finance team, fostering a culture of continuous improvement.

Required Skills & Experience:

• Qualified accountant (ACA, ACCA, CIMA or equivalent).
• Proven experience in a Financial Controller or senior finance role.
• Strong knowledge of statutory accounting and financial reporting standards.
• Advanced Excel skills, including financial modeling, pivot tables, macros, and complex formulas.
• Experience with ERP systems (e.g., SAP, Oracle, NetSuite) is desirable.
• Excellent analytical, problem-solving, and communication skills.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities and meet tight deadlines.

Desirable Attributes:

• Experience in a fast-paced or high-growth environment.
• Strong attention to detail and a proactive approach to process improvement.
• Ability to communicate complex financial information to non-financial stakeholders.

Benefits:

• Competitive salary and performance bonus
• Pension scheme
• Private healthcare
• Hybrid working options
• Professional development support

Group Financial Accounting – Milton Keynes

Financial Accountant, ACA/ACCA Qualified, great first step from the Profession, £55,000

Group Financial Accountant role. Ideal for newly qualified accountant leaving practice for first role in industry. Also suitable for accountant in industry looking to broaden their experience into group based project role. Seeking ACA/ ACCA Qualified Accountant.

You’ll be joining a small, collaborative team that supports both business-as-usual and strategic projects across several companies within the group.  This role offers exposure to group consolidation, budgeting, tax, reporting cycles, and governance and plenty of opportunity to learn, grow, and make an impact.

What you’ll be doing:

• Supporting group management reporting, budgeting, tax, treasury, and analysis
• Contributing to year-end and half-year reporting cycles
• Collaborating with finance teams within the Group
• Getting involved in financial reporting, audit preparation and system enhancements
• Helping deliver group-wide initiatives and process improvements

What we’re looking for:

• ACA or ACCA qualified, ideally with some post-qualification experience
• Strong understanding of financial reporting, governance, and audit processes
• Confident with Excel (Power BI is a bonus)
• A proactive, detail-oriented team player who’s eager to learn and grow
• Someone who enjoys the balance between the routine of monthly reporting, the annual cycle of financial accounting and reporting/governance and other ad hoc work
• Demonstrates taking initiative and is able to communicate well with a variety of people across the businesses
• Takes ownership and is keen to understand how and why we do things, with a continuous improvement mindset that focuses on streamlining our systems and processes

Credit Controller – Welwyn Garden City

Credit Controller, Welwyn Garden City, £28,000-£32,000 depending on experience – 100% office based

Abacus Consulting are delighted to be partnering with a well established SME business in Welwyn Garden City

Working as part of a small finance team, your duties as the Credit Controller will include

• Chasing late/non payment
• Cash allocation
• Raising credit notes
• Credit Control and finance administration
• Query resolution

Candidates will ideally live in Welwyn/Hatfield area. This is a permanent/full time role, 40 hour contract and 100% office based

Must have credit control experience and be a confident MS Excel user.

Head of Finance – Bedford

Head of Finance, ACA, ACCA or CIMA Qualified, FMCG SME, Bedford, c£85,000

Working for a £50m wholesale / retail business based in Bedford. Overseeing small accounts team, responsible for all accounting, reporting, and budgeting processes for the business.

As the Head of Finance, you will be a key part of the senior leadership team, and your remit will include:

• Leading the forecasting, budgeting, and strategic planning processes
• Preparing the annual budget
• Statutory accounts preparation, ensuring accurate financial reporting
• Coordinating with external auditors during the audit process
• Lead preparation of weekly, monthly, and quarterly management accounts, providing regular performance analysis
• Direct the forecasting, budgeting, and strategic planning process for income, costs, balance sheet, and cashflow accounting
• Oversee the month-end close process, ensuring reporting deadlines are met
• Manage tax matters, including VAT compliance and filing

Seeking a commercially minded qualified Accountant with SME and FMCG experience, ideally including exposure to online retail/ wholesale operations.   

Credit Controller – Bedford

Credit Controller, temporary, 3 months+, Bedford, £26k FTE

Our client, a leading business in their sector, have a need for a Credit Controller to join the team at their offices in Bedford on a temporary basis for 3 Months initially
You will be working in an established team of dedicated Credit controllers who are used to hitting and exceeding their targets.

Working in a fast paced environment, your duties as the Credit Controller will include:

• Chasing late/non payment
• Cash allocation
• Query resolution
• Setting up new accounts
• Reporting on status of debt/overdue accounts
• Support to Senior Credit Controller as required

The ideal candidate will have proven experience in Credit Control, be customer focused and solutions driven. You will have good Excel and IT skills, be confident dealing with queries and building relationships at all levels.

This is a hybrid role with 2 days in the office per week, there is on site parking and potential for this role to be extended.

Compliance Manager – St Albans

Compliance Manager, Financial Services, proactive role, St Albans, c£50,000

A well established and successful independent financial services business looking for a Compliance Manager to provide a broad compliance and risk service and ensure FCA regulatory requirements are met.

As the Compliance Manager you will be reporting to the Head of Risk and Compliance, ensuring the company adheres to the Governance Schedule including FCA’s Consumer Duty, Conduct Rules and Principles.  Other responsibilities will include:

Ensure all day-to-day business as usual compliance breaches and complaints handling support is provided

Act as a second line defence to identify and monitor risks and provide a feedback loop to Head of Risk & Compliance

To support the Head of Risk & Compliance in meeting the Compliance Monitoring Plan in order to analyse the company’s compliance with regulatory requirements including FCA obligations, Data Protection, Fraud Prevention and measures, Consumer Duty Basic Principals and anti-money laundering

Analyse the root causes of regulatory and procedural breaches and ensure that practical remedial actions have been taken to mitigate against future occurrence

To support the Head of Risk & Compliance in the review and maintenance of the Compliance Manuals

Essential knowledge and experience required at time of recruitment include:

• Minimum of 3 years’ experience in Financial Services, preferably in the Investment and Life Protection sectors, with at least 1 year in the Compliance sector
• Good interpersonal and communication skills and able to identify and build important strategic relationships internally and externally
•  Sound and proportionate judgement and a commercial outlook
•  Advanced Excel skills and highly numerate.
•  Compliance monitoring, risk management and/or internal audit skills.
•  Good inter-personal and communication skills and be a strong team player
•  Awareness of the FCA handbook and data protection

Purchase Ledger/Expenses Assistant – Bedford

Finance Assistant – Purchase Ledger/Expenses, Bedford area, £27,000-£30,000. Urgent role/ASAP start. 100% office based

Abacus Consulting are delighted to be partnering a growing business in the Bedford area in their search for a Finance Assistant

Working in a busy and fast paced accounts environment, your duties as the Finance Assistant will include –

• Posting purchase invoices 
• Payment runs 
• Supplier statement recs 
• Query resolution 
• Processing expenses 
• Provide support to colleagues as and when needed  

Must have experience of purchase ledger and expenses. Will need to be a confident Excel user.  Immediately available candidates living in the Bedford area will be of particular interest.  This is an urgent role. Permanent and full time. 100% office based. Onsite parking.

Financial Controller – St Albans

Financial Controller, No. 1 finance role for dynamic Financial Services SME, St Albans, £competitive

An exciting new opening for a qualified accountant with experience of FCA reporting. The role is to take the lead finance role with a well-established and successful privately owned SME business.

As Number One in finance,  you will have day to day responsibility for all aspects of Financial Control, leading an accounts team and working closely with the CEO in the development and execution of business strategy.

Your key areas of focus as the Financial Controller will include:

• To provide leadership of the Company Accounts Team.
• To fulfil all financial reporting requirements e.g. monthly management accounts, quarterly forecasts, annual budgets.
• To be the focal point on the external statutory and CASS audits.
• To lead the production of the statutory accounts.
• To comply with all regulatory filings – FCA, CASS and HMRC.
• To preserve the integrity of the financial records and maintain robust financial controls.
• To raise organisational financial awareness.
• To undertake Company Secretarial duties.

With ambitious business plans in place, the CEO is looking for a commercially minded qualified accountant with a proven track record leading and developing teams.  You will need to be exceptionally motivated and possess the dynamism and high levels of integrity and gravitas to present credibly to the Board and shareholders, as well as buying your team into the goals and visions of the organisation.   Experience of regulatory FCA returns is essential.

If this opportunity is of interest, please apply without delay for a more detailed conversation about the role and business, and the possibility of an early interview with the client.

Client Accountant – Practice

Client Accountant, qualified or QBE, Practice, North Bedfordshire, to £55,000

Award winning Practice servicing a range of SME clients with accounting and bookkeeping services.

The Accountant will join a well-established, award-winning accounting Practice to provide a holistic accounting service to a range of SME clients.

The role will be office based, supporting the Partners while attending to clients’ accounts.

Seeking a qualified or QBE Accountant with broad, mixed experience gained from a practice background, use to preparing accounts for SME clients.

Manufacturing / Cost Accountant – Brackley

Cost Accountant, CIMA/ACCA qualified, Brackley, £££Competitive

Qualified Accountant with strong experience of accounting for manufacturing processes. The role will involve analysis of large volumes of data, providing insight into manufacturing costs and the accounting treatment of inventory.

This role will provide data led insight into our inventory environment and will be responsible for reporting, planning and ensuring strong data integrity.

The scope of the role covers manufacturing activities through to assembly and the internal consumption or external distribution of inventory. The application of the Financial Regulations to the inventory environment also makes this a critical and unique role in our team.

As the Cost Accountant your key accountabilities will include:

• Deliver standardised financial reporting, providing insight into inventory position from both statutory and financial regulations perspectives.
• Drive financial decision-making processes by interpreting data trends, providing narratives for key stakeholders, and ensuring that decisions are backed by operational insights.
• Produce inventory budgets and forecasts from a P&L, Balance Sheet, and cash perspective, ensuring variances to plans are clearly understood and communicated to stakeholders.
• Align with the Cost Analyst team to ensure cohesion in inventory planning and reporting.
• Ensure there is robust and clear reporting on the manufacturing environment and own and manage the item costing approach, including the management of manufacturing related SAP master data.
• Drive continuous review and improvement of the manufacturing recoveries process, including a review of rates used, and direction of Cost Analyst team to support with investigation activities.
• Identify and support inventory-related financial regulation optimisation initiatives.
• Identify opportunities for process and system improvements, working closely with business transformation and ERP optimisation teams to implement efficient solutions.
• Preparation of responses to Financial Regulation and Statutory Audit topics.
• Support capital expenditure request processes related to inventory.

Candidate Profile

• CIMA/ACCA qualified with post qualified experience in financial planning and reporting or similar role in large, complex organisations, and ideally with a relevant degree.
• Previous experience of complex Inventory Management in a manufacturing environment.
• An understanding of Inventory costing methodologies e.g. Standard Costs and Manufacturing cost management e.g. variance management.
• Ability to build and maintain excellent cross functional working relationships, responding to their needs and guiding where appropriate.
• A Strong Communicator with the ability to influence key decisions.
• An ability to navigate detail whist also being able to summarise and communicate a position effectively.
• Highly proficient in Excel.
• Adaptable and forward looking, embracing a fast-paced working environment.
• Attention to detail and proficiency to self-review.
• Experience of SAP would be an advantage.