Grafton Banks Finance are delighted to be partnering with a growing PE backed services company based in Crawley, West Sussex to recruit an Interim Projects Financial Accountant. This is an interim role for up to 6 months to support the finance function as the business grow. Reporting into the Finance Director the Interim Projects Financial Accountant will lead a series of finance improvement initiatives and focus on strengthening financial controls, improving month-end processes, cleansing legacy financial data, supporting reporting enhancements, and developing more efficient finance processes.

The successful candidate will combine strong technical accounting knowledge with excellent project management, process improvement and advanced Excel skills. They will work closely with the Finance team and other departments to deliver lasting improvements that will lay a strong and robust foundation for scalable organisational growth. This is a high-impact, hands-on role which requires a qualified accountant with years of relevant experience, who is used to working in a fast-paced environment and is passionate about improving the accounting and financial reporting infrastructure of a growing business.

The interim finance professional is expected to work independently, be self-motivated and have excellent communication and teamwork skills.

Duties and Responsibilities will include:

Balance Sheet Reconciliation Project

• Design and implement a complete Balance Sheet reconciliation framework across all legal entities within the Group.
• Produce Balance Sheet reconciliations for all nominal ledger accounts.
• Investigate reconciliation differences and identify required accounting adjustments. Prepare and post journals required to resolve discrepancies.
• Document the composition of each balance together with supporting commentary. Cross-reference supporting documentation including contracts and agreements where applicable.
• Assess the risk profile of each reconciliation and recommend an appropriate review frequency (i.e. monthly, quarterly, annually).
• Develop procedures and train Finance team members to maintain reconciliations as part of business-as-usual activities.

Accounts Receivable Improvement Project

• Lead the review and clean-up of historic Accounts Receivable balances.
• Work closely with the Senior Credit Controller to:
  • Allocate legacy transactions.
  • Resolve aged balances.
  • Process write-offs and write-backs where appropriate.
  • Monitor the impact on bad debt provisions
• Redesign the monthly Trade Debtors and Bad Debt file and produce clear process notes to facilitate ongoing monthly file production.

Financial Reporting Improvements

• Support the final implementation of the new monthly reporting pack.
• Assist with testing Profit & Loss, Balance Sheet, and Cash Flow reporting.
• Consolidate financial information from multiple companies.
• Prepare reporting files using  accounting software outputs and Excel.
• Support production of monthly Board reporting packs.
• Identify opportunities to improve reporting efficiency and accuracy.

Process Improvement

• Review end-to-end billing and Accounts Receivable processes.
• Map existing finance processes and identify inefficiencies.
• Develop recommendations ranging from quick operational improvements to wider technology and systems enhancements.
• Work with Finance, Operations and Technology teams to evaluate improvement opportunities.
• Support implementation of agreed process improvements.
• Document all new procedures and ensure effective knowledge transfer.

Month-End Optimisation

• Review existing month-end close processes.
• Identify opportunities to reduce reporting timelines.
• Introduce stronger financial controls and standardised procedures.
• Help create additional capacity within the Finance team for commercial analysis and business partnering.

Finance Team Development

• Deliver practical Excel training to Finance colleagues covering:
  • Pivot Tables
  • XLOOKUP
  • SUMIFS
  • IF, AND and OR functions
  • Data validation
• Coach team members on improved finance processes and best practice.

The successful finance interim professional will hold the following skills required for the job:

Qualifications & Technical Skills

• Qualified accountant (ACA, ACCA or CIMA)
• Several years of post-qualification experience in a technical Management Accounting role
• Proven track record of owning project-based accounting work and finance improvement initiatives, completing to a high standard on a timely basis
• Ideally with experience in a SME or Private-Equity backed, fast-paced environment
• Experience of producing high quality Balance Sheet reconciliations
• Advanced Excel skills

Personal Attributes

• Commercially minded – able to think beyond the numbers and quickly identify and implement efficiency savings and best practice
• Confident communicator (verbal and written) with the credibility and interpersonal skills to influence at all levels, including senior leadership and junior team members
• Strong analytical thinking with high attention to detail and accuracy
• Proactive self-starter who takes initiative and thrives in a fast-paced, growth-oriented environment
• Calm under pressure with strong time management and organisational skills
• Demonstrates integrity and confidentiality when handling sensitive commercial or financial information
• Sound commercial judgement and decision-making skills
• Current full driving licence

Due to the interim nature of this job opportunity you will need to be readily available to start work. You will be offered hybrid working and a competitive salary.