Interim - Financial Controller

Finance Controller (Interim-to-Permanent Opportunity)

Harpenden, Hertfordshire | Full-Time | Hybrid Working Available

An exciting opportunity has arisen for an experienced finance professional to join a well-respected research and innovation organisation during a period of continued development. Initially offered on an interim basis, this role has the potential to become permanent for the right individual.

Reporting directly to the Finance Director, you will play a pivotal role in leading financial operations, ensuring robust financial control, and providing high-quality financial insight to support strategic decision-making across the organisation. This is a broad and varied position that combines technical financial accounting expertise with leadership, business partnering and operational oversight.

Key responsibilities include:

• Leading the production of monthly management accounts and supporting annual budgeting and forecasting processes.
• Preparing draft statutory accounts and coordinating the annual audit process.
• Managing VAT, tax compliance, cashflow forecasting and banking relationships.
• Overseeing transactional finance, procurement processes and internal controls.
• Providing insightful financial reporting and analysis to senior stakeholders.
• Leading, developing and mentoring a finance team while driving continuous improvement across finance systems and processes.
• Acting as a trusted business partner to budget holders and senior leaders across the organisation.

About you

You will be a fully qualified accountant (ACA, ACCA, CIMA, CIPFA or equivalent) with significant post-qualification experience gained in a complex organisation. You will have a strong background in financial accounting, statutory reporting and financial control, alongside experience of managing and developing teams.

The successful candidate will combine strong technical expertise with excellent communication skills, enabling them to build relationships with stakeholders at all levels and translate financial information into meaningful business insight. Experience of driving process improvement and supporting organisational change will be highly valued.

This is an excellent opportunity for an experienced Finance Controller, Financial Controller, Head of Finance or Senior Finance Manager looking for a broad leadership role with the potential to secure a permanent position within a highly respected organisation.

To find out more, please apply now or contact Rosemary Pini form Allen Lane for a confidential discussion.