K3Metrology
Financial Controller
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Salary: £55,000 (depending on experience)
Reports to: CEO
Start date: August/September
Role type: Part-time, 3 days per week (potential to increase to full-time). Hybrid — Chester office plus remote.
About K3Metrology
K3Metrology is a deep-tech spin-out from the National Physical Laboratory (NPL), commercialising Metralis® — a next-generation large-volume, laser-based coordinate measurement system developed over 15 years at the UK’s National Measurement Institute. We are backed by major industrial partners including BAE Systems, Airbus, AMRC Cymru, and Rolls-Royce SMR.
We are venture-backed, pre-revenue, and growing fast. We are a small team that values ownership, pragmatism, and clear thinking — and we are now hiring our first dedicated Financial Controller to put the foundations of our finance function in place.
The role
This is a hands-on, end-to-end finance role. You will own everything from day-to-day bookkeeping through to monthly management accounts, board reporting, statutory accounts, and in due course supporting fundraising. You will need to be confident implementing the processes and tools needed to effectively run the finance function of the business.
You will report to the CEO and work closely with the leadership team. The role is ideal for someone who wants the breadth of a startup finance seat, enjoys building from scratch, and is comfortable moving between the detail of a journal entry and a board-level conversation in the same afternoon.
What you’ll own
Bookkeeping & day-to-day finance
- Run the day-to-day accounts in Xero — sales invoices, supplier bills, expenses, payment runs, bank reconciliations.
- Manage accounts payable and accounts receivable end-to-end, including credit control and supplier onboarding.
- Own the company card and expense process, including policy, approvals, and coding.
- Process payroll with our provider, including PAYE, pension, benefits, and starter/leaver changes.
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Month-end close & management accounts
- Run a clean, timely month-end close — accruals, prepayments, deferred revenue, depreciation.
- Produce monthly management accounts using both Xero data and by updating the Excel-based financial forecast model (P&L, balance sheet, cash flow) with variance commentary against budget and prior period.
- Maintain a clean trial balance with documented reconciliations for every material account.
Board & investor reporting
- Produce the finance pack for the monthly/quarterly board meeting — KPI dashboard, financials, cash runway, commentary on the numbers.
- Support investor updates and ad-hoc requests from existing and prospective investors, including data-room preparation during fundraising.
- Help build and maintain the operating model and rolling cash forecast.
Cash, treasury & forecasting
- Own, maintain and improve the cash financial forecast model.
- Manage banking relationships, payments, and any short-term cash management.
- Flag runway risks early and model the impact of hiring, pricing, and commercial decisions on cash.
Statutory accounts, tax & compliance
- Prepare for and run the annual audit and statutory accounts process with our auditors.
- Manage VAT returns, corporation tax, and the R&D tax credit claim with our advisors.
- Support the EMI option scheme — valuations, grants, exercises, and HMRC filings — alongside our advisors.
- Keep us compliant across Companies House, HMRC, and any overseas entities we operate in.
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Systems, controls & process
- Own and improve the finance tech stack (accounting, billing, expenses, payroll, AP) and decide when to upgrade.
- Document the close calendar, controls, and key processes so finance is no longer a black box.
- Maintain and suggest updates as appropriate to the Financial Controls Policy — segregation of duties, approval limits, access management.
About You
- Qualified accountant (ACA, ACCA or CIMA) with 3–7 years post-qualification experience.
- You have run a month-end close end-to-end and produced management accounts that someone actually used to make decisions.
- You are comfortable in the detail — debits and credits, reconciliations, VAT — and equally comfortable presenting numbers to a CEO or investor.
- Strong Excel modelling. You can build a clean three-statement model and a usable cash forecast without help.
- Clear written communication — your variance commentary makes the numbers obvious to non-finance readers.
Nice to have
- Prior experience in a venture-backed tech startup, ideally as the first or second finance hire.
- Excellent familiarity with Xero.
- Experience preparing Innovate UK grant claims and R&D tax processes.
What we offer
- Salary: £55,000 depending on experience.
- Part-time, 3 days per week, with potential to increase to full-time.
- Hybrid working — Chester office plus working remotely.
- 25 days holiday (pro-rata) plus bank holidays.
- Pension.
Hiring process
- Intro call with the CEO (30 minutes).
- Technical conversation covering close, management accounts and board reporting (60 minutes).
To apply, send your CV and a short note on why this role to careers@k3metrology.com.
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