Commercial Finance, Quotations and Pricing

• Work closely with Sales and Bids to prepare, review and release customer quotations and tender pricing within required deadlines.
• Build cost and margin models covering products, hardware, installation, implementation, support, software, third-party costs and ongoing service commitments.
• Challenge assumptions and ensure commercial terms protect margin, cash flow and delivery capacity.
• Prepare quotations for upsell sales and ensure approved upsells move from quote to acceptance, invoicing and collection.
• Own the annual pricing review for existing customers, including increases, contract and renewal schedules and verifying new prices are billed correctly.
• Support contract renewals, new business cases, investment decisions and scenario modelling.
• Provide customer, product, project and contract profitability analysis.

Cost Saving, Profitability and Growth Initiatives

• Review supplier spend, software subscriptions, payment-processing charges, insurance, banking, utilities, premises, purchasing, stock and outsourced services for savings and efficiency opportunities.
• Identify duplicate, low-value or uncontrolled spend; renegotiate contracts and introduce appropriate purchasing and approval discipline.
• Develop and implement improvement proposals with clear costs, benefits, timing and return on investment.
• Maintain a savings and value-creation tracker showing forecast, approved and realised benefits.
• Bring ideas proactively to improve margin, recurring revenue, cash generation and operational efficiency.

Reporting, Forecasting and Decision Support

• Create a concise weekly finance pack covering cash, collections, invoicing, sales pipeline, committed spend and immediate risks.
• Deliver accurate and timely monthly management reporting.
• Lead annual budgeting, rolling forecasts and scenario planning across the group.
• Develop KPIs and dashboards covering revenue, gross margin, recurring revenue, debtor days, overdue debt, cash conversion, project performance and operating costs.
• Translate numbers into recommendations, explaining what has changed, why it matters and what action should follow.
• Support senior leaders with decision-ready information.

Xero, Systems, Controls and Scalability

• Act as the internal owner and expert user of Xero across the group, including chart of accounts, tracking categories, bank rules, integrations, reporting, user access and data quality.
• Use Xero and connected tools to automate repetitive work, reduce manual errors and improve speed, visibility and control.
• Review and improve finance workflows, approval routes, customer and supplier setup, billing processes and reporting structures.
• Document standard operating procedures and maintain a controls framework proportionate to an entrepreneurial business.
• Create a finance function that can scale.

Collaboration, Customer Contact and Personal Ownership

• Build effective working relationships with Sales, Bids, Operations, Technical, Service, Clinical and leadership colleagues.
• Communicate confidently and professionally with customers and suppliers, including conversations about overdue balances, pricing, terms and disputed invoices.
• Operate with a high level of autonomy: understand the requirement, investigate the facts, decide the next action and follow through.
• Move between transactional detail and strategic work as priorities change.
• Handle confidential information with sound judgement and maintain a practical, calm and solutions-focused approach under pressure.

Candidate Profile

This role is likely to suit an established Financial Controller, experienced Finance Manager or senior management accountant who has worked in a growing, owner-led SME or multi-entity environment and now wants broader influence. The successful candidate will be equally comfortable closing the month, chasing a late payment, challenging a supplier cost, building a bid model and presenting a commercial recommendation.

Essential Experience and Capability

• Demonstrable experience owning a broad, hands-on finance function, ideally within a growing SME, scale-up, owner-managed business or multi-company group.
• Strong practical knowledge of UK accounting processes, month-end, management accounts, payroll, pensions, VAT, HMRC requirements, cash flow and year-end support.
• Advanced, hands-on capability in Xero is essential; the successful candidate must be able to configure, improve and use the platform without relying on others.
• Proven success improving credit control, invoice timing, working capital and cash collection while maintaining constructive customer relationships.
• Commercial finance experience supporting quotations, bids, pricing, margin analysis, upsells, renewals and customer price increases.
• Evidence of identifying and implementing cost savings, process improvements, automation or stronger controls with measurable results.
• Strong Excel and Microsoft 365 capability, confidence with data and a generally IT-savvy approach.
• Ability to manage competing priorities, work independently, meet deadlines and maintain accuracy in a fast-changing environment.
• Clear written and verbal communication, including the confidence to explain financial matters in plain English.

Qualifications

• A recognised accounting qualification or relevant progression route, such as AAT, ACCA, CIMA or ACA.
• Fully qualified, part-qualified or qualified-by-experience candidates may be considered where their practical experience and track record are strong and directly relevant.

Preferred Experience

• Previous work in an IT, software, technology, parking, transport or service-led business.
• Experience supporting more than one legal entity, business unit or sector.
• Exposure to healthcare, private clinics, regulated services, medical products or market-access consulting.
• Experience introducing finance-system integrations, workflow automation or dashboards.