Secure Construct is a global construction and consultancy services company that provides secure operating spaces for people and assets. We deliver complex and challenging construction projects where the protection of people, assets, and estates is a priority. We deliver these projects around the UK and globe, be it warm, cold, benign and austere environments.
Location & Reporting Line
Job Title Finance Manager
Salary Range FTE Pro rata £Competitve
Department Business Operations
Location Hybrid between Chichester office and home
Reports to Managing Director
Works closely with Managing Director and manages Finance Assistant
Contract Minimum 24 hours a week; during our core hours of 09:30 to 14:30 Mon – Fri
Role Overview
The Finance Manager will take ownership of the day-to-day financial management and financial controls of Secure Construct, providing accurate and timely financial information to support decision-making across the business. This is a hands-on role combining management accounting, cash-flow management, project finance, financial controls, systems improvement and leadership of the existing Accounts Assistant.
A key part of the role will be refining the finance function as Secure Construct continues to grow. The Finance Manager will work particularly closely with the Commercial team to ensure that the Company’s financial records align with project performance reported through our centrally managed CVR process.
The role will produce monthly management accounts and a comprehensive quarterly management pack for the Managing Director to present to the Board.
The Finance Manager will also help develop our finance systems and processes, reducing manual administration and creating reliable financial information across Xero, project commercial data and the wider Microsoft 365 environment.
Key Responsibilities
- Take ownership of the monthly management accounts, including P&L, balance sheet, cash flow and supporting reconciliations.
- Produce the quarterly management/Board finance pack for the Managing Director to present, including clear commentary on performance, variances, risks and opportunities.
- Own and maintain the Company’s cash-flow forecast, providing forward visibility of working-capital requirements.
- Work closely with the Commercial team to reconcile financial information against the centrally managed CVRs within Power Apps, ensuring reported project revenue, costs and margins align with the accounting records.
- Maintain appropriate accounting and financial controls around WIP, project accruals, committed costs and retentions.
- Own monthly balance-sheet reconciliations, ensuring all balances are understood, supported and accurate.
- Manage the financial controls around purchase orders, ensuring commitments, invoices and payments are correctly reflected against projects.
- Maintain accurate records of retention payable and receivable.
- Manage the credit-control process.
- Prepare and control supplier and subcontractor payment runs.
- Lead the annual budgeting and forecasting process and maintain updated company forecasts throughout the year.
- Oversee the preparation, reconciliation and timely submission of VAT returns.
- Manage CIS compliance, including deductions, reconciliations and returns.
- Ensure all relevant HMRC reporting and payment deadlines are met.
- Liaise with the external accountant on Corporation Tax, year-end and other statutory requirements.
- Manage and develop the Accounts Assistant team, ensuring transactional finance activities are accurate, timely and appropriately controlled.
- Support the external accountant with year-end accounts, providing reconciliations, schedules and supporting information.
- Maintain and support the reconciliation the Company’s financial asset records, integrating these with the operational Asset Management Tracker to create a consistent company asset record.
- Work with Commercial and Business Systems to improve and automate finance processes across Xero, Power Apps, Microsoft 365 and Power BI.
- Develop accurate and accessible financial information that provides the management team with one version of the truth.
- Build appropriate finance processes, controls and reporting to support Secure Construct as the business grows.
Additional Responsibilities
- Continually review finance processes and identify opportunities to simplify, automate and improve them.
- Develop documented financial procedures and controls to reduce reliance on individual knowledge.
- Maintain effective relationships with the Company’s external accountant, bank and other financial service providers as required.
- Support Directors and budget holders with financial information and analysis to assist business decision-making.
- Provide financial analysis and scenario modelling to support investment.
- Ensure appropriate financial records and supporting information are maintained for audit, statutory and taxation requirements.
- Support the development of Power BI dashboards and management reporting, improving visibility of financial and commercial performance.
- Work collaboratively with Project Managers and Commercial Managers to improve the quality and timeliness of project financial information.
- Help develop the structure, capabilities and systems of the Finance function as Secure Construct continues to grow.
- Support and coach the Accounts Assistant, gradually delegating appropriate finance activities while maintaining suitable review and control.
- Maintain confidentiality and appropriate controls over sensitive financial and payroll information.
- Undertake other reasonable finance and business activities as requested by the Managing Director.
- Adhere to Secure Construct’s values and required standards of integrity, accountability and financial control.
Essential or Desirable Experience
- Previous experience within a construction, contracting or project-based business.
- Strong understanding of Work in Progress (WIP), project revenue, margin recognition, accruals and retentions.
- Experience producing accurate monthly management accounts, including P&L, balance sheet and cash-flow reporting.
- Strong understanding of cash flow and working-capital management.
- Experience preparing budgets, forecasts and variance analysis.
- Strong balance-sheet reconciliation and financial-control experience.
- Experience managing purchase orders, supplier payments, debtor balances and financial controls.
- Strong Excel skills and confidence using accounting and financial systems.
- Ability to translate financial information into clear management information for Directors and non-finance colleagues.
- Strong attention to detail with the confidence to investigate and challenge financial information where appropriate.
- Experience managing or developing junior finance staff.
- Comfortable working in a growing SME and improving processes rather than simply operating established ones.
- Ability to obtain the UK security clearance to SC Level, we will consult with you should you need to obtain DV Clearance.
- Experienced in a previous role as Finance Manager, Management Accountant or Financial Controller experience within the construction sector.
- Experience working alongside Commercial teams and reconciling finance information with project forecasts and commercial reporting.
- Familiarity with CVRs from a Finance perspective, without responsibility for producing or owning them.
- Experience using Xero.
- Experience with Power BI, Power Apps, SharePoint and Microsoft 365.
- Experience automating or improving finance processes and reporting.
- Experience with construction CIS and VAT requirements.
- Experience with multi-currency transactions and overseas projects.
- Experience maintaining and reconciling fixed-asset registers.
- Experience supporting external accountants through the year-end process.
- Experience helping to build or develop a finance function in a growing business.
Pay & Reward
- Invitation to Balanced Score Card to obtain a 10% bonus + an out-performance kicker
- WPA Health Cover (after successful probation)
- Death in Service benefit (day 1 of employment)
- Statutory pension with Royal London
- Annual X Roving Permit for Chichester car parks
- Employee Referral Scheme
- Cycle2Work Scheme
- Electric car scheme
- Positive impact contribution to a charity of your choice
Vision
Making the world a safer and more prosperous place by providing secure spaces for people and technology to operate from
Values
- EXCELLENCE – Our teams are encouraged to lead by example, seek to solve big challenges, set measurable and actionable goals, and continuously learn and improve
- PARTNERSHIP – We succeed by working together, partnerships with our employees, our suppliers, and our clients. This commitment and this bond are integral to how we work daily and drive us to consistently deliver services of the highest standard.
- INTEGRITY – What we do requires trust. Our integrity is vital to who we are and our relationships. It speaks to our competency, responsibility, and accountability
- POSITIVE IMPACT – We believe our inclusive and focused approach gives us the ability to make a positive impact throughout the world. Each year we invest 10% of our profits in our communities to improve the professional standards in the countries we work in
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