Financial Controller
PE-Backed Business Services Group
Location: Central London | Hybrid (3 days in the office, 2 days from home)
Package: Up to £90,000 + Bonus and Comprehensive Benefits
Nirvana Search is exclusively partnering with a highly successful, Private Equity-backed B2B Services group to recruit a commercially astute and technically robust Financial Controller.
Operating in a fast-paced, contract-led environment, the business is executing an aggressive buy-and-build strategy and undergoing a period of rapid acquisitive and organic growth.
The Opportunity
Reporting directly to the Finance Director, this is a fantastic opportunity for an impactful finance leader to take full ownership of the day-to-day finance function while adding significant strategic value to a highly acquisitive business.
You will be joining a dynamic PE-backed environment where you will not only ensure rigorous financial control and board-level reporting but also partner closely with the Executive team to integrate newly acquired businesses, drive contract profitability, and build a highly scalable finance function.
This role is perfect for a senior finance professional looking to take a pivotal leadership role in a buy-and-build growth story and play a key part in its future exit strategy.
You will be responsible for:
- M&A & Post-Merger Integration: Play a critical role in the financial onboarding of newly acquired entities. Lead the alignment of reporting, systems, and controls, and support the wider executive team with financial due diligence and commercial evaluation of target acquisitions.
- Financial Leadership & Reporting: Lead the end-to-end month-end close process and oversee the finance team, producing accurate, timely management accounts and comprehensive board packs with detailed variance analysis.
- Commercial Analysis: Partner with non-finance stakeholders and the wider leadership team to review operational performance. Drive deep-dive analysis into project profitability and acquisition synergies, ensuring margins are protected and optimised.
- Working Capital & Cash Flow: Direct rigorous cash flow forecasting and working capital management strategy, maintaining tight controls over WIP (Work in Progress), billing, and credit control across the enlarged group.
- Process Optimisation & Scalability: Spearhead continuous improvements across financial systems and workflows to drive efficiency, automate processes, and ensure the finance function can seamlessly scale with ongoing M&A activity.
- Audit & Statutory Compliance: Act as the primary lead for external auditors, managing the year-end audit process, statutory reporting, and ensuring full tax and regulatory compliance for all group entities.
Knowledge and Experience
We are looking for a highly driven candidate who is ready to accelerate their career and step into a leadership position within a fast-paced, high-volume service environment.
- Qualified Accountant: (ACA, ACCA, CIMA) is essential.
- Experience: 5+ years post-qualification experience, ideally within a B2B services, contract-led, or project-based environment. Previous team management or supervisory experience is highly desirable.
- M&A & PE Exposure: Prior experience within a highly acquisitive or Private Equity-backed environment is a distinct advantage. Proven exposure to post-merger integration, scaling finance functions, or due diligence will make your application stand out.
- Technical & Commercial Balance: Superior core accounting skills combined with the commercial acumen to understand the drivers behind the numbers and influence strategic decision-making.
- Systems Savvy: Advanced Excel skills and a proven track record of upgrading and harmonising financial systems across multiple entities.
Personal Skills & Attributes
- Hands-on & Agile: A true "player-manager" who is willing to get into the detail while maintaining a strategic view of the broader group.
- Highly Organised: Exceptional attention to detail with the ability to manage conflicting priorities and deadlines during periods of intensive M&A activity.
- Strong Communicator: Confident in challenging the status quo, presenting financial narratives to the board, and building relationships with operational and commercial teams.
- Resilient: Thrives under the pressure of a rapidly growing, target-driven business.
If you are a driven finance leader looking to make your mark in a PE-backed buy-and-build growth story, apply in confidence to Nirvana Search now.