Recruit a Financial Controller with FD Capital
A financial controller is a crucial role within any company. The role – also known as ‘finance controller’ or a ‘business controller’ – involves overseeing the company’s financial operations and its reporting process. A company’s financial controller is responsible for internal control implementation, ensuring reporting compliance, overseeing budget preparation, and handling transaction reporting.
Start-ups and SMEs can recruit a financial controller as an alternative to a CFO. These highly qualified financial professionals typically have at least a decade of experience in the industry. You can build your leadership or finance team with a financial controller who will work closely with the CEO or CFO to oversee the company’s financial performance.
FD Capital is the UK’s leading recruitment agency for financial controllers, connecting start-ups, SMEs, and scaling companies with specialist financial professionals. Our talent pool of financial controllers is available for immediate starts on a part-time, full-time, interim, and remote basis.
Start your search for a financial controller today by contacting our team at recruitment@fdcapital.co.uk or by calling us on 020 3287 9501 for a no-obligation
What is a Financial Controller?
A financial controller is a senior managerial role responsible for overseeing the day-to-day financial operations of a company. They take responsibility for the company’s books, records, and accounting function – which is why they are sometimes called the “company historian”.
The role can be altered to suit the needs of different sized companies. Within smaller companies, financial controllers are usually focused on accounting tasks. Within medium-size companies, financial controllers have the broadest range of responsibilities and may also be responsible for compliance, insurance, technology, and project management. Within large companies, financial controllers will usually work in partnership with CFOs and CAOs as part of the finance team.
The Responsibilities of a Financial Controller
The role and responsibilities of a financial controller will vary depending on the size of the company, but in general, their duties will include:
- Analysing, preparing, and presenting regular financial reports, including budgeting and forecasting data.
- Oversee the preparation of statutory accounts and present findings.
- Evolve the end-to-end accounting practices to ensure compliance and efficiency.
- Develop internal financial accounting systems and regularly monitor to ensure continued evolution.
- Supervise the management of accounts receivable and payable.
- Contribute to the company’s financial strategy, offering insight to feed into the decision-making process.
- Oversee end-to-end audit processes of current financial systems and act as a go-between for the company and external auditors.
- Manage and supervise the finance team, including those responsible for accounting, VAT, and payroll systems.
- Regularly review financial reports and identify cost-saving strategies.
- Develop a risk management strategy.
- Identify opportunities for value creation and expansion potential by monitoring market trends.
When Should My Company Recruit a Financial Controller?
As your company starts to grow, your CEO will be spending more of their time overseeing other responsibilities and less time managing the books. While you might already be working with an accountant, you will inevitably need an in-house finance team to communicate with stakeholders and handle financial data.
There are three scenarios where your company should decide to recruit a financial controller:
- Revenue Milestones
Companies with more than £3.5 million in revenue will need the expertise and experience of a financial controller to oversee day-to-day financial management.
- Compliance
If your company is funded by financial institutions, investors, or venture capitalists, you may be required to recruit a financial controller to ensure that your financial statements are compliant.
- Growth
As your company grows, you need to build a team around you to ensure it remains in compliance and can maintain sustainable growth. Recruiting a financial controller will expand your company’s accounting capabilities and ensure that internal systems are operating correctly. Your financial controller will work in unison with your bookkeeper and deal with external auditors.
The Role of a Financial Controller
Financial controllers perform four distinctive roles within a company as a catalyst, strategist, steward, and operator.
- Catalyst
Financial controllers are catalysts for change, putting in place the processes and systems to safeguard the company’s financial health. They’ll ensure that external reporting and filing deadlines are met while overseeing any regulatory changes the company must adhere to.
- Steward
Controllers are responsible for a company’s asset and risk management. They’ll ensure that internal controls are correctly in place with suitable processes to monitor financial operations. They will collaborate with external auditors and ensure compliance with financial reporting.
- Strategist
Your financial controller is a strategist, working alongside the senior leadership team to provide direction and support decision-making. They’ll invest and implement accounting software and identify potential efficiency shortfalls that could be negatively impacting the company while proposing alternatives.
- Operator
A financial controller is responsible for overseeing the company’s day-to-day financial operations. Depending on the size of your company, they may be responsible for processing invoices, overseeing payment remittance, and record-keeping through accounting software.
Is a Financial Controller Part of the Executive Team?
Whether your financial controller is an executive role will depend on the size and set-up of your organisation. Traditionally the role has been an executive one within smaller organisations where there is not a CFO in place. As a company gets larger, the role becomes less of an executive position and more managerial, with the financial controller reporting to the CEO and CFO.
The role of financial controller is swiftly evolving away from its traditional focus to become more of a catalyst role as a financial strategist. You want to recruit a financial professional who can think outside the box with adequate technological knowledge and capability to lead your company into the future with software investment and stakeholder engagement.
Recruit a Financial Controller with FD Capital
FD Capital is the UK’s leading financial recruitment agency, connecting start-ups and SMEs with financial controllers, who are available to work on a part-time, full-time, and interim basis, both in-house and remotely.
The FD Capital leadership team consists of entrepreneurs, consultants, and financial executives, who understand both sides of the recruitment process. Our 360-degree approach to recruitment is fully personalised to meet your recruiting needs, whether you’re utilising our headhunting services or traditional recruitment service. We have a Financial Controller jobs board which can be found off of our navigation.
Start the process of recruiting a financial controller today by contacting our team at recruitment@fdcapital.co.uk or 020 3287 9501.
If you need a specialist Financial Controller / FC then we are the people to talk to. Our team have a wide range of experience
We are confident whatever your business requirements are, we can find the perfect match for your business and situation.
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We recruit them all!
We know there are many competitors in the market, but given the opportunity we are confident you will find us the best people to work with. Being Financial Controllers ourselves we know the roles, and having been active in the Recruitment niche since 2018 we know how FC’s think and work. let us Recruit the perfect FC or Financial Controller for you.
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