Group Senior Finance Controller; Maternity Cover

Overview

Role Overview The Group Finance Controller (Group FC) is the senior operational and technical finance lead across the Group. The role ensures accurate, timely, and consistent financial reporting, robust financial control, and strong compliance across all departments and client portfolios. The Group FC provides oversight, challenge, and strategic direction to Senior Financial Controllers, ensuring departmental P&Ls, client delivery, systems usage, and reporting outputs align with firm standards, the WS Way, and the Director of Accounts strategic objectives.

This role focuses on group-wide governance, systems ownership (Net Suite and Xero), risk management, and performance leadership, rather than day-to-day client execution.

Group Financial Control & Reporting

• Own and oversee the group month-end close process
• Review and sign off:
  Profit & Loss, Balance Sheet, Cashflow reporting
• Ensure consistency and accuracy of financial reporting across all departments and client portfolios
• Lead group consolidations, including intercompany reconciliations and eliminations
• Maintain high standards of balance sheet integrity, including: accruals, prepayments, provisions, control accounts and reconciliations

Statutory, Audit & Compliance Oversight

• Lead preparation and oversight of statutory accounts across group entities
• Own the year-end audit process, managing external auditors and internal readiness
• Ensure compliance with Local GAAP / IFRS (as applicable), Corporation tax, VAT, and statutory filings
• Act as escalation point for complex accounting judgements and compliance risks
• Support the Director of Accounts on audit strategy, tax planning, and regulatory matters

• Act as group-level owner of finance systems, including Net Suite (multi-entity structures, consolidations, approvals, reporting, controls) and Xero (multi-company environments, integrations, reporting frameworks)
• Set and enforce system standards, controls, and best practice
• Drive automation, standardisation, and process improvement across teams
• Support system implementations, migrations, and upgrades
• Ensure data integrity, audit-ready outputs, and strong approval frameworks

• Lead and develop Senior Financial Controllers, ensuring clear ownership of departmental P&Ls, strong client delivery and team morale
• Ensure consistent adherence to timelines and deadlines
• Provide coaching, challenge, and mentorship to senior finance leaders
• Support performance management, succession planning, and leadership development
• Embed and champion the WS Way across all finance teams

• Translate Director of Accounts strategy into clear operational frameworks
• Oversee financial risk management across departments and client portfolios
• Review budgets, forecasts, and variance analysis
• Monitor performance against KPIs and refine them to drive excellence
• Act as senior escalation point for: delivery risk, client issues, systems or reporting failures

• Act as a senior finance contact for internal leadership and key clients
• Support Senior FCs in complex client matters and escalations
• Build trusted advisor relationships with stakeholders
• Contribute to business growth, client retention, and service excellence

• Qualified accountant (ACA / ACCA / CIMA or equivalent)
• 12+ years relevant experience in a senior finance role
• Proven experience in group financial control and consolidations
• Leading senior finance teams
• Statutory accounts and audit management
• Strong technical accounting and compliance knowledge
• Advanced experience with Net Suite and/or Xero
• Confident senior stakeholder and client communicator

• Experience in an accounting firm or outsourced finance environment
• Hospitality, retail, or multi-site business exposure
• Systems implementation or automation leadership
• Experience operating in fast-growth or complex group structures

• High-quality, on-time, and audit-ready group reporting
• Senior FCs operating with confidence, clarity, and accountability
• Strong grip on timelines, deadlines, and delivery risk
• Consistent processes, controls, and systems usage across the group
• Clear, effective communication at all levels
• Sound judgement on complex accounting and compliance matters
• Successful automation and systems optimisation
• Strong talent development and succession planning
• High client satisfaction and trusted advisor status
• KPIs consistently met, reviewed, and elevated
• Visible ownership and leadership aligned with the WS Way

Williams, Stanley & Co is a leading accountancy firm catering to a diverse range of clients in the hospitality industry, from high street chains to family-run cafes. Our company began with a mission to provide accurate and actionable financial insights to businesses, drawing from our founders  own experiences in managing multiple rapidly growing ventures. Driven by a commitment to customer-first accounting, we ve assembled a…