Financial Controller
- Job status: This is a maternity cover role with a fixed term contract for 12 months.
- Location: Homebased (UK) or office-based in one of our offices in Edinburgh or Grimsby.
- Salary: The starting salary range on the pay band for this role is £41,312 - £46,477.
About Seafish
Seafish is here to give the UK seafood sector the support it needs to thrive. Our work makes a huge difference. We collaborate with a wide range of partners – from seafood businesses and trade bodies to government, regulators and environmental organisations – and we engage in everything from research to campaigns, insight and training.
About the Finance Team
Working in our Finance team, you'll be a key player in maintaining the organisation's financial well-being, overseeing diverse responsibilities such as expenses, credit cards, annual reports, supplier payments, and debt collection. The dynamic nature of the work means you'll collaborate with talented professionals, contributing to the smooth operation of financial processes.
How we work
At Seafish we have a trust and performance culture. Performance driven results mean having autonomy and accountability in equal parts, so you can work in the way that’s most effective for you, as long as you deliver your work to the expected standards. You’ll have a personal development plan that outlines the objectives and competencies for your role and learning and development goals. You’ll have regular catch-ups with your line manager, along with mid-year and end of year reviews to discuss your work and performance.
As Financial Controller, you will lead and manage the Finance team in its day-to-day financial operations and ensure that the financial records are accurate and comply with external financial reporting requirements. The role of the Financial Controller sits within the Finance team and reports directly to the Finance Director.
The main dimensions of the role are:
- Smooth and timely completion of the annual audit and laying of the Annual Report before parliament(s).
- Manage a budget of up to £90k.
- Manage and support 2 direct reports fostering a collaborative and productive work environment.
- Responsibility for preparation of balance sheet, periodic revaluation of fixed assets (Edinburgh office); bank accounts with combined cash balance currently at c £5.5m; sales ledger & purchase ledger; pension valuations and accounting.
Key accountabilities will be:
- Manage and lead the Finance team in the day-to-day operations – month end, sales ledger, and purchase ledger.
- Provide coaching and support to direct reports.
- Foster positive organisational culture; transparent, respectful, supportive, and responsive.
- Develop & strengthen written processes, procedures and controls, including:
- Reviewing contracts with suppliers and customers to ensure risk is minimised to Seafish and ensuring compliance with relevant procurement processes.
- Audit: Manage the interim and year end audits with the Finance team, NAO and Defra.
- Annual Report and Accounts: Take the lead in preparation of Annual Report, with support of the Finance Director, through to laying the accounts before parliament and devolved administrations.
- Taxation: Timely, accurate submission of returns (e.g. VAT returns/ HMRC payroll returns) in accordance with relevant government legislation; and any other tax filing (corporation tax).
- Treasury: Optimise cash management through:
- Expediting collection of debtors.
- Overseeing and authorising the weekly payment runs and monthly payroll.
- Managing bank balances to optimise interest receivable while retaining liquidity headroom.
- Periodic cash flow forecasting.
- Taking responsibility for completion of monthly payroll in collaboration with Finance Business Partner (shared responsibility).
- Support Finance Business Partner with completion of monthly reporting and Board packs, annual budgeting and strategic planning processes as required.
- Other ad hoc tasks or projects that may arise in discussion with FD.
Key Attributes:
- Strong organisational skills to ensure regular reporting and monthly payroll is planned and delivered.
- Efficient management of interim and year end accounts whilst also preparing annual reports.
- Authority to approve invoices up to £25k per invoice (P2P); and responsibility for approving BACS runs.
- One of 2 approvers of payroll and payroll taxes (c £4m PA).
- Responsibility for preparation of balance sheet, periodic revaluation of fixed assets (Edinburgh office); bank accounts with combined cash balance currently at c £5.5m; sales ledger & purchase ledger; pension valuations and accounting.
Essential working relationships will include:
Internal relationships
- Cultivating internal relationships with the ability to convey technical accounting issues to non-accounting colleagues.
External relationships
- Build strong relationships and convey high professional & ethical standards with external stakeholders such as DEFRA and NAO.
To be a suitable candidate for this role you should:
- High level of analytical thinking and problem-solving capabilities.
- CIMA, ICAS or ACCA qualified and thus strong technical accounting knowledge.
- Detailed knowledge of finance and other commonly used IT systems & software (excel, word, PowerPoint etc), and peripheral systems such as CRM.
- Strong and demonstrable experience working in similar senior finance role, preferably in Finance Manager or Financial Controller role.
- Experience of or willingness to progress to manage, develop and inspire a small team of direct reports.
- Experience with Access Financials accounting software.
- Experience in not for profit or governmental sector.
- Excellent attention to detail.
- Ability to work collaboratively across teams and with external stakeholders.
- Proven track record of financial reporting and compliance.
Every role is Seafish is linked to our bespoke competency framework. The competency levels for this role are:
- Growing Expertise – Creates a learning and development environment.
- Embracing Change – Leads and supports others through change.
- Building Relationships – Builds effective teams to deliver corporate strategy.
- Achieving Results – Leads the team to achieve results.
- Influencing with Impact – Communicates complex messages.
All roles within Seafish are graded and have defined salary bands. This role is a grade 6 post, and the starting salary range in the pay band for is £41,312- £46,477 . A new member’s appointment on the pay spine is dependent on the experience they bring to the role when they start. New candidates normally start at the lower end of the range unless they can demonstrate considerable experience in the requirements of the role.
Additional benefits include:
- 25 days annual leave plus Bank Holidays and wellbeing break when the organisation closes between Christmas and New Year (3 additional days).
- Optional five days per year paid volunteering leave for an activity of your choice.
- Trust and Performance culture – you work in a way that suits you to get your work done to the expected standard.
- A generous employer pension scheme – we'll double your contribution up to a maximum employer contribution of 10%.
- A range of health and wellbeing benefits including the Cycle to Work scheme, private medical insurance, gym discounts and eye care.
- Our unlimited employee assistance scheme is a support service available 24/7 – it offers confidential, impartial advice on anything you need such as work, family, finance support or anything else personal to you.
- A professional development culture with plenty of learning opportunities.
- Rewards for high performance each year.
To apply for the post, you should email your application to recruitment@seafish.co.uk. Please include “Financial Controller” in the subject line of your email.
Your application should include:
- A covering letter or a short video explaining why you are a suitable candidate.
- A recent copy of your CV so we can find out more about your skills and experience.
- A completed copy of our recruitment consent form.
Candidates invited to interview will be given at least one weeks’ notice of proposed interview date to allow you to prepare. At this stage you might be asked to complete a short task in advance of interview and then answer some competency-based questions during interview.
If you need any accommodations or adjustments during our recruitment and selection process, please reach out to us.
Further information
For any queries about the job description or the salary and benefits on offer, please email recruitment@seafish.co.uk.