Group Financial Controller

Job description

As Group Financial Controller, you will sit at the centre of MetaCompliance's finance function, owning the group-wide control environment and acting as the primary link between day-to-day financial operations and the CFO's strategic agenda. This is a step up from a single-entity Financial Controller role: you will hold ultimate accountability for consolidated financial control across all group entities, lead and develop a two-tier reporting line of a Financial Controller and an Assistant Financial Controller, and take personal ownership of the transactional and transformation workstreams that come with operating in a fast-growing, private equity-backed business. You will be as comfortable closing the group's books and defending the audit as you are leading due diligence for a transaction, project-managing a consolidation or ERP system implementation, or stepping in to support the CFO on refinancing, M&A, or investor reporting. The role is designed for someone who has already operated at Group FC / Snr Financial Controller in a PE-backed or high-growth leveraged environment across multiple geography in a multiple national group setting. Reporting Structure The Group Financial Controller reports directly to the CFO and holds two direct reports: Financial Controller – Consolidation, Group Reporting & Special Projects: owns the monthly/quarterly/year-end consolidation cycle, statutory and management reporting, and supports the CFO on ad hoc strategic projects. Assistant Financial Controller: owns day-to-day transactional finance control, balance sheet integrity, and supports the group reporting cycle. The Group Financial Controller is accountable for the output of both roles and for the wider transactional finance team operating beneath them, while remaining the escalation point and technical authority for complex accounting, transaction, and reporting matters. Key Responsibilities Group Financial Control & Governance Hold ultimate accountability for the integrity of the group's financial control environment, ensuring all month end, quarter end, and year end outputs — internal and external — are accurate, timely, and fully GAAP/IFRS compliant. Set group-wide accounting policy and control standards, ensuring consistent application across all entities and business streams. Act as the final review and sign-off point for consolidated management and statutory accounts prepared by the Financial Controller and Assistant Financial Controller. Team Leadership & Development Lead, coach, and develop the Financial Controller and Assistant Financial Controller, setting clear objectives and building a pipeline of capability across the wider finance team. Build a high-performing, scalable finance structure capable of supporting continued rapid growth, including restructuring, hiring, and process design as the team expands. Own resource planning and workload prioritisation across the transactional and reporting teams, stepping in on technical or complex matters as needed. Transactions, M&A & Special Projects Support CFO on financial due diligence (FDD) workstreams during M&A activity — whether the group is acquiring, being acquired, or preparing for a PE-led transaction — liaising directly with external advisors, auditors, and legal counsel. Support post-acquisition integration, including the onboarding of acquired entities' finance data, controls, and people into the group structure. Partner with the CFO on strategic projects including corporate development, refinancing, investor and covenant reporting, and other ad hoc board-level requests. Prepare and present transaction-related financial analysis to the CFO, board, and external stakeholders as required. Own and oversee all taxes across the group including Corporation tax, Transfer pricing, VAT and Payroll taxes Group Consolidation, Systems & Process Transformation Own the group's consolidation and FP&A tooling, leading or sponsoring implementation and optimisation projects (e.g. consolidation, treasury, or EPM systems) to improve accuracy, speed, and scalability of reporting. Drive automation and standardisation of reporting and month-end close processes across entities, reducing manual effort and close timetables. Ensure systems and processes keep pace with the group's growth, including multi-entity and multi-currency consolidation as new entities are acquired or onboarded. Audit, Treasury & Risk Own the end-to-end external audit relationship and process across the group, coordinating with auditors and internal teams to achieve clean sign-off within statutory deadlines. Oversee group treasury activity, including cash flow forecasting, liquidity planning, and, where required, leading on refinancing or facility negotiations. Ensure the groups approach to intercompany Identify and manage financial and operational risk across the group, strengthening controls and policies as the business scales. Experience & Qualifications Qualified accountant (ACCA, ACA, CIMA, or equivalent) with strong post-qualification experience at Group Financial Controller, Head of Finance, or Group Finance Director level. Demonstrable experience operating within private equity-backed and/or high-growth SaaS or technology businesses, including exposure to PE reporting cycles and investor expectations. Direct experience leading financial due diligence (FDD) workstreams and/or supporting the sale, acquisition, or refinancing of a business Track record of managing multi-entity group consolidation and statutory/management reporting, including international or multi-currency structures. Experience leading and developing finance teams through a management layer, not just a transactional team. Strong external audit management experience and a solid command of GAAP/IFRS reporting requirements. Big 4 trained or equivalent industry background strongly preferred. Excellent stakeholder management skills, with the credibility and communication style to operate directly with the CFO, board, and external investors. Performance Metrics Close Timetable & Accuracy: speed and accuracy of group month-end, quarter-end, and year-end close. Audit Outcome: clean, on-time external audit sign-off with minimal adjustments. Tax Compliance: coupled with the audit, full control over the Groups tax matters Transaction Delivery: quality and timeliness of FDD and transaction support provided to the CFO and advisors. Team Development: growth and performance of the Financial Controller and Assistant Financial Controller, and the wider team beneath them. Systems & Process Improvement: measurable reduction in manual effort and improvement in reporting timeliness through automation and tooling. Cash & Liquidity: accuracy of cash flow forecasting and effectiveness of treasury management. MetaCompliance is a leading provider of cyber security and compliance eLearning solutions. We help organisations reduce human risk, strengthen security culture, and meet their regulatory obligations through engaging, intelligent software and content. Our platform is trusted by organisations across the globe, and we are passionate about helping our customers achieve real, measurable outcomes. We are committed to creating an inclusive and diverse workplace and are proud to be an equal opportunities employer. We welcome applications from candidates of all backgrounds and do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, gender, age, disability, sexual orientation, or any other protected characteristic.