Finance Transformation Manager

Are you curious, excited by experimentation and always looking for a better way of doing things?  

Do you want to keep learning and developing whilst getting hands-on, entrepreneurial, business building experience?

Do you want to have the opportunity to be involved in building a best-in-class finance function for an exciting and ambitious company?

If so, we would love to hear from you! 

We are looking to hire high-energy, entrepreneurial and value-adding talent at Blenheim Chalcot, the UK’s most successful venture builder to support the transformation and growth of one of our portfolio companies. This is a pivotal role within in a small, agile Finance function with exposure to Senior Management, Funding Partners and BC Partners with a fundamental impact on our development and growth.

ABOUT US 

At Blenheim Chalcot, we use our ideas, infrastructure, and people to create an innovation system that transforms disruptive ideas into innovative businesses. We originate the ideas ourselves, grow them from the ground up and take them through to scaling and ultimately exit. 

We typically build enterprise Software as a Service (SaaS) products, powered by Generative AI and target industries which are exposed to market, regulatory or technology discontinuities. We have built businesses across the following sectors: 

• Financial Services 
• Education 
• Media and Marketing 
• Public Services and Health 
• Sports 

Our track record has seen us build more than 60 businesses over the last 25+ years. The portfolio has annual revenues of £500m, employs more than 3,000 people, has raised £600m in equity, and secured exists totalling over £1bn. 

Blenheim Chalcot has three global locations. Portfolio companies are headquartered from Scale Space, London, our 200,000ft² collaboration space which was built as a joint venture with Imperial College London. Our Mumbai offices provide unparalleled scaling capability and technical expertise, and our U.S. operation powers the go-to-market activities of the portfolio across North America. 

IMPACT BEYOND PROFIT 

10% of our partnerships and ventures are charities. These are the British Asian Trust, Babyzone and Onside Youth Zones. In the same way that we support our ventures, our Partners provide direct hands-on support to the charities through sitting on the boards and much more. 

OUR BEHAVIOURS 

• Honesty and integrity – trustworthy
• Resilience - keeps going when the going gets tough, remains optimistic in the face of challenges, open to feedback and willingness to change and experiment
• Team work – is collaborative and supportive, elevating and developing others to deliver results
• Innovation - restless to improve, challenges how to make things better
• Deliver results - keeps promises, drives to achieve, commitment to high quality work
• People awareness – collaborative and supportive, respectful
• Commercial awareness - looks for best value solutions for the business, understand costs / revenues, spends money wisely

THE ROLE 

This role offers an excellent opportunity for a motivated and technically strong Finance Transformation Manager to take full ownership of transforming key areas in the Finance function within one of the BC portfolio businesses.

This is a newly created role and so will have some scope to be shaped as you embed into the role. You will be responsible for driving improvements across the Finance team to continue progress made to date in achieving a ‘gold standard’ Finance function.

Key responsibilities 

The Finance Transformation Manager is a vital role within the Blenheim Chalcot portfolio business and will require excellent attention to detail and a drive for continuous improvement.

The successful Finance Transformation Manager will play a key role in leading and shaping our Finance function and will have full responsibility for improving the processes, controls, structure and culture that make a ‘gold standard’ Finance function.

Specific duties 

• Transform processes and outputs of the Finance team to improve accuracy and efficiency, including automation wherever possible
• Implement and maintain internal controls to safeguard financial assets (including, but not limited to, reconciliations and leading on fixing any data or definition discrepancies)
• Implement best practices in financial reporting, processes and accounting
• Ensure compliance with accounting standards and regulatory requirements
• Ensuring sound cost management and controls within Finance and the wider business
• Leverage technology, including AI, to enhance financial reporting and analysis processes
• There is also scope to get involved in a range of other activities across the team, according to your own goals, interests and skills – including, but not limited to:
  • Prepare and oversee the generation of statutory financial statements, including balance sheets, income statements and cash flow statements
  • Lead preparation of monthly management information
  • Coordinate and manage external audits, liaising closely with auditors to provide necessary documentation and explanations
  • Ensure compliance with financial regulations and reporting requirements, including tax filings (such as corporation tax and R&D claims)
  • Conduct financial risk assessments and develop strategies for risk mitigation

KPIs & Deliverables

• Financial information provides an accurate view of business performance and involves strict controls to ensure accuracy and reduce risk
• Processes are efficient, as automated as possible and minimise risk of errors
• Senior management have confidence that reported performance is accurate, supported by data and rigorous accounting
• Senior management and stakeholder financial reporting is submitted accurately and on time
• Providing required information for and leading on smooth delivery of financial audits, funding audits and taxation

OPPORTUNITY

This role is an excellent platform for experienced professionals to take their career to the next level and an opportunity unlikely to be found anywhere else. It offers an excellent opportunity for an experienced Treasury and Finance professional to make a meaningful contribution to delivering commercial and financial insight across various lines of business and to develop within an ambitious and exciting company.

ABOUT YOU 

The ideal candidate will have a track-record in delivering Finance transformation or process improvements in a fast-moving business. Excellent stakeholder management experience is essential to being successful in this role. 

The Ideal Candidate 

Skills

• Self-motivated and intellectually curious
• Excellent at improving processes
• Motivated to identify opportunities to contribute towards achieving a ‘gold standard’ Finance function
• Good organisation, accuracy and attention to detail to effectively meet deadlines
• Financial services accounting experience (ideally including IFRS 9)
• Ability to work in high pressure environments with an aptitude for problem-solving
• A team-player with good stakeholder management and communication skills
• Good level of competence in MS Office (excellent Excel skills required) and computerised systems; experience with PowerBI desirable but not essential
• Microsoft Business Central and/or Xero experience is desirable but not essential

Qualifications

• CIMA / ACCA / ACA or qualified by experience

 WHAT WE CAN OFFER YOU: 

• Be part of the UK’s leading digital venture builder  
• Have the opportunity to be a part of and learn from the incredible talent in BC  
• Be exposed to the right mix of challenges, within a culture that promotes continuous learning and development  
• A fun and open, if a little cricket obsessed, atmosphere 
• Discretionary bonus 
• 25 days of paid holidays + your birthday off  
• Life Assurance (4 x annual salary), Pension Scheme, Cycle to Work Scheme 
• Flexible Benefits: Private Medical and Dental, Gym subsidies

PROCESS 

We have a rigorous recruitment process which we use for all our roles to ensure we attract the very best and diverse talent.  

This will involve an initial telephone conversation, followed by a panel interview and a case study where you will meet with that businesses management team and the Chief Operating team over 2 stages. We aspire for every person invited into an interview to find the process as interesting and engaging as we no doubt will. 

Individuals seeking employment at Blenheim Chalcot must note we see diversity as a really positive thing that creates a better workplace and delivers better outcomes, so we are keen to maximize the diversity of our workforce and actively encourage applications from anyone and everyone.