Role: Financial Controller (Head of Finance)

Our sister company, CV Villas are looking for a Financial Controller to join their team. CV Villas were the first specialist villa company in the UK, 50 years later are now famous for their handpicked villas around the world.

What are they looking for:

An experienced and commercially astute Financial Controller to join the Management Team at CV Villas and to help lead this aspirational travel brand and take it to the next level.

Forming a key part of the Management Team, The Financial Controller will be responsible for all reporting, both internally and to our parent Company, DER Touristik UK as well as handling any budget, forecast and audit requirements.

You will manage a team of three; Accountant, Senior Accounts Assistant & Finance Assistant, and with them have complete responsibility for any monies coming into or going out of the business, such as overheads including payroll, customer payments, supplier payments. You will look after the companys bonding and currency hedging requirements.

As well as accurate reporting skills, the ability to multi-task and to hit deadlines, the successful candidate will have an astute commercial understanding of the running of a business, and be able to identify margin gaps and opportunities through analysis of available figures in order to challenge the Management Team and to improve overall performance.

This is a full time role located in Great Suffolk Street, London where a minimum of 3 days are required in the office.

Key Role Responsibilities:

• Create weekly, monthly and annual reports to identify results, trends, and financial forecasts.
• Supervise and manage a team of 3 you will motivate and regularly provide feed-back to.
• With your team, ensure that monies are collected from customers and paid onto suppliers as per the companys contractual obligations, and that all financial transactions are properly recorded.
• Preparation of monthly payroll.
• Purchase and management of foreign currency requirements.
• Get to know reservation systems and payment systems intimately in order to get the most out of them.
• To quickly understand the running of the business.
• Ensure that all financial transactions are properly recorded
• Manage and report on cash flows to maximise the deposit amounts held centrally.
• Form an integral part of the management team and challenge them where needed.
• Regularly review, with a commercial eye, the companys performance with particular focus on margin analysis in order to identify gaps and opportunities to present to the Managing Director and Management team.
• Establish and implement financial reporting systems where needed
• Handle all bonding arrangements, lease agreements and other long term, large contract arrangements.
• Manage all regulatory reporting.
• Collaborate with auditing services to ensure proper compliance with all regulations and handle the annual external audit process
• Look after occasional internal audits process
• Develop budgets and financial plans for the company based on research and data reports.
• Review all financial plans and budgets regularly to look for cost reduction opportunities
• Examine all financial reports and data closely to check for discrepancies
• Report to the Managing Director and Group Finance Director with timely and accurate financial information
• Lead all Finance automation and large projects.
• Work closely with the product department as well as Group to ensure all contracts are accurately reported and calculated in accordance with IFRS 16

Experience Required:

• Must be a qualified chartered accountant (ACA or equivalent).
• Previous experience in a similar level role, ideally within a travel or leisure business.
• Experience in managing a team.
• Familiarity with IFRS 15, IFRS 16 and IFRS9.

General Attributes Desired:

• Ability to work well under pressure, willing to work unsocial hours occasional weekends and evenings to ensure targets are met.
• Strong Excel skills

• Excellent attention to detail with the ability to unravel complex accounting queries
• Strategic thinker, able to develop teams & strong financial controls experience
• The ability and willingness to get stuck in we are currently a small business without many layers
• High level of commercial acumen and ability to challenge the status quo
• Excellent at building internal and external relationships.
• Customer focussed head, with excellent written and verbal communication skills