Commercial Finance Manager

To provide financial ownership of customer projects from contract award through delivery and cash collection. The role will improve project profitability, strengthen inventory and cost control, support statutory reporting requirements, and provide high-quality financial insight to operational and commercial teams.

Key Responsibilities

Revenue Delivery, Billing and Cash Collection

• Understand all customer contracts, deliverables, milestones and payment terms.
• Maintain a schedule of project milestones, invoicing and expected cash receipts.
• Ensure customer invoices are raised accurately and promptly in accordance with contractual terms.
• Support weekly cash flow forecasting by maintaining revenue and collection forecasts.
• Work with Programme Managers and Customer Success teams to ensure delivery milestones are documented and invoiced.
• Monitor aged debtors and assist with customer collections.

Project Accounting and Revenue Recognition

• Prepare monthly revenue recognition journals in accordance with delivered project milestones.
• Maintain reconciliations of accrued and deferred income.
• Support monthly contract reviews to ensure revenue and costs are recognised appropriately.
• Maintain audit evidence supporting revenue recognition.
• Assist with project forecasting and estimate-at-completion reviews.

Project Profitability and Commercial Reporting

• Produce monthly project P&Ls.
• Partner with Project Managers to review actual performance against budget.
• Investigate and resolve misallocated costs and revenue.
• Deliver monthly profitability reporting including variance analysis and key risks.
• Develop labour cost allocation methodologies using timesheet and resource utilisation data.
• Support commercial decision-making through financial analysis of contracts and project performance.

Inventory, Manufacturing and Cost Control

• Maintain accurate inventory valuation and stock reconciliations.
• Work with Manufacturing and Supply Chain teams to improve stock control processes.
• Support implementation and maintenance of BOMs and standard costing methodologies.
• Analyse inventory movements, WIP and obsolete stock.
• Review project material costs and ensure costs are allocated accurately to projects.
• Develop reporting to improve visibility of inventory, project costs and gross margin.

Systems and Process Improvement

• Support development of project accounting processes within Xero and future ERP systems.
• Improve financial controls around purchasing, inventory, project costing and revenue recognition.
• Develop reporting and dashboards for project performance, cash flow and inventory.
• Assist with ERP and finance system implementations where required.

Statutory Reporting and Audit Support

• Support year-end statutory audits and preparation of audit schedules.
• Maintain balance sheet reconciliations and supporting documentation.
• Assist with preparation of statutory accounts information.
• Ensure financial records are maintained to audit standard.
• Support internal control improvements and compliance initiatives.

Research & Development (R&D)

• Maintain supporting records for R&D expenditure claims.
• Work with Engineering and Programme teams to capture qualifying activities and costs.
• Assist in preparation of annual R&D tax relief submissions.
• Support responses to HMRC or advisor queries.

Experience Required

• Qualified or part-qualified accountant (ACA, ACCA, CIMA).
• Experience in project accounting, management accounting or audit.
• Strong understanding of revenue recognition and balance sheet reconciliations.
• Experience working with operational teams.
• Advanced Excel skills.

Desirable

• Practice or audit background.
• Manufacturing, aerospace, engineering or technology experience.
• Inventory accounting and stock control experience.
• Standard costing and BOM experience.
• R&D tax claim experience.
• ERP implementation or systems improvement experience.