Sowena Group
Group Financial Controller
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Group Financial Controller
Sowena Group is delighted to be partnering with a high-growth, private equity-backed buy-and-build business, based in North Manchester, in its search for a Group Financial Controller.
This is a newly created position, designed to future-proof the finance function as the Group embarks on an ambitious growth strategy, with significant further acquisitions planned.
This is a highly visible and commercially important role within a fast-paced private equity environment. The successful candidate will work closely with the Group Finance Director, CFO, private equity investors and wider leadership team, playing a key role in strengthening the Group's financial infrastructure as it scales.
Key Responsibilities
Financial Reporting & Consolidation
- Prepare accurate and insightful monthly consolidated management accounts, including P&L, balance sheet, cash flow and variance analysis against budget and forecast.
- Produce board packs and investor reporting to the standards expected by private equity investors, including EBITDA and KPI reporting.
- Lead the preparation of statutory accounts for all Group entities, including the consolidated Group accounts.
Financial Control & Governance
- Design, implement and maintain a robust Group-wide financial control environment, including balance sheet reconciliations, intercompany processes and journal controls.
- Act as the primary day-to-day contact for external auditors, driving a clean, efficient and well-organised year-end audit process.
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Process & Systems Improvement
- Lead the review, standardisation and documentation of core finance processes across all Group entities, removing duplication and reducing manual workarounds.
- Maximise the use of the Group's ERP system to improve data quality, reporting and automation.
- Support the integration of newly acquired businesses onto Group systems, processes and reporting timetables.
Budgeting, Forecasting & FP&A Support
- Support the annual budgeting process and periodic reforecasts, ensuring outputs are robust, well documented and fully reconciled to underlying data.
- Partner with the Group Finance Director on ad hoc financial analysis and reporting for the Board and investors.
Team Leadership & Development
- Assess and evolve the structure of the finance team as the Group grows, recommending changes and supporting recruitment where required.
- Lead, develop and mentor the Group finance team, increasing capability, resilience and succession depth across the function.
M&A & Integration
- Support financial due diligence on acquisitions and lead the post-completion finance integration of acquired entities.
- Oversee completion accounts, opening balance sheets and the alignment of accounting policies and processes across the Group.
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The Candidate
The successful candidate is likely to be a fully qualified accountant (ACA, ACCA or CIMA) with a strong technical grounding and a proven track record within a complex, multi-entity environment.
Ideally, you will bring:
- Practice training from a Top 10 accountancy firm would be preferable.
- Strong consolidation experience, including intercompany eliminations and multi-entity month-end close.
- A demonstrable track record of improving finance processes, controls and reporting quality.
- Excellent communication skills, with the ability to present financial information clearly to non-finance stakeholders and operational leadership.
- Experience within a private equity-backed business, with exposure to sponsor and lender reporting, covenant compliance and Board pack preparation.
- Experience of acquisition integration within a buy-and-build environment.
- A hands-on, commercially minded approach, with the ability to operate effectively in a fast-paced and evolving business.
This is an excellent opportunity for a technically strong and ambitious finance professional to take ownership of a newly created Group-level position and play a pivotal role in supporting an exciting period of M&A-led growth.
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