Finance manager in consulting

Artefact is a global consulting and technology company that helps organisation's accelerate data and AI-driven transformation. In the UK, we work with leading clients across industries, supported by a strong senior leadership team and a growing market presence. We’re looking for a high-potential Finance Manager to take real ownership of the day-to-day running of our UK Finance function.

• Own management reporting, budgeting, forecasting and supporting analysis, explaining movements and identifying forward-looking risks and opportunities.
• Analyse and challenge revenue, gross margin, staffing, pipeline, contract status, unbilled work and profitability, turning financial information into clear insights and recommendations.
• Be the day-to-day point of contact and first review layer for the Accounts team, coordinating priorities, reviewing outputs and resolving first-line queries.
• Coordinate and review month-end, year-end, audit, routine tax and other recurring Finance processes, including journals, reconciliations, intercompany and payroll-related accounting, working with the Accounts team and external advisers to ensure outputs are complete, accurate and delivered on time.
• Oversee cash flow, working capital, customer invoicing, aged debtors, supplier payments, payment runs and routine banking matters including KYC and mandates.
• Own and improve key Finance systems and reporting tools, including Salesforce, Everwin, Sage and Finance dashboards, ensuring data is accurate, consistent and useful for decision-making.
• Identify and drive opportunities to improve Finance processes, controls and ways of working through better process design, automation and technology, including effective use of AI tools where appropriate.
• Take routine Finance matters through to resolution using judgement and initiative. Material or strategic issues should be escalated with a clear assessment and recommendation.
• Take on additional Finance responsibilities and projects as the needs of the business and Finance function evolve.
• identify areas for improvement and proactively progressively take ownership of a wider range of Finance activities.

• Part-qualified or qualified ACA, ACCA or CIMA, or equivalent practical experience, with around 3 to 4 years’ relevant experience in accounting, audit, FP&A, commercial Finance or a similar area.
• Strong accounting fundamentals and advanced Excel / Google Sheets skills.
• Proactive and comfortable being given an objective rather than a checklist: you identify what needs doing, decide how best to approach it and take work through to completion.
• Analytical and commercially curious, adept atinterested in explaining what the numbers mean, not simply producing them.
• Comfortable getting into the detail and solving problems you may not have encountered before.
• Able to work at pace, manage competing priorities and reprioritise quickly as business needs change, while continuing to progress work where there is no externally imposed deadline.
• A clear communicator who is comfortable working with both junior colleagues and senior stakeholders.
• Comfortable learning new systems and interested in using automation, AI and technology-enabled Finance to improve how work is done.
• are looking for potential, mindset and learning ability, rather than someone who has already performed every aspect of the role.
• Будет плюсом: Experience coordinating or reviewing the work of a small team is useful, but formal people-management experience is not required

• This is a 4-month FTC, with the clear intention of moving to a permanent role where there is a strong mutual fit. We will review permanent conversion during the contract, and we are open to converting early where the fit and performance are clear.
• The successful candidate will be given meaningful responsibility from the outset rather than being treated as short-term support during the fixed-term period.
• Broad exposure across accounting, FP&A, commercial Finance, forecasting, cash management, systems, process improvement and business partnering.
• Close working with the Head of Finance and senior management.
• Significant responsibility and visibility from an early stage.
• Increasing ownership as you demonstrate your capability.
• The opportunity to build a broad Finance skillset in a relatively short period of time.