Finance Director - Qualified Accountant - ACCA/ACA/ACMA

Position

Finance Director - Qualified Accountant - ACCA/ACA/ACMA

Part-time: 20-25 hours per week

Salary (FTE Equivalent): up to £70,000-90,000 depending on experience plus bonus (adjusted but IR35 if contractor)

Location: Hybrid or Remote

About Oceanium

Are you a creative, organised and ambitious professional who is passionate about sustainability? Do you like the idea of working for a future food and materials innovation start up, tackling some of the world’s biggest challenges? If so, then working at Oceanium will definitely float your boat. We are seaweed evangelists on a journey to ‘Kelp the World®’.

Our mission is to mitigate climate change, ensure food security and create jobs by enabling the seaweed farming industry across Europe and the rest of the world. Utilising a biorefinery approach, Oceanium develops products from sustainably farmed seaweed to meet the growing consumer and corporate demand for innovative materials, and plant-based food & nutrition ingredients.

The role

Working alongside the CEO, the FD will ensure accounting compliance and accuracy. This role has overall control and responsibility for all financial aspects of company strategy and is expected to analyse figures and implement recommendations based on these findings, with the most profitable outcomes. The FD will be commercially aware and advise on the best path of growth for the business financially. This is a fantastic opportunity for someone who has demonstrable interest in sustainability, to develop and grow within a start-up in an emerging sustainable industry.

Responsibilities

• Take full control of our accounting function, including audit and tax functions
• Develop and implement accounting policies
• Manage finance staff (currently one controller and build the finance team)
• Implement and monitor rigorous financial controls for the organisation
• Ensure compliance with statutory accounting and regulatory requirements
• Prepare annual accounts and work with external auditors to fulfil all necessary auditing requirements
• Support fundraising – provide all fundraising financials, and response to due diligence
• Support development of strategic planning and project budgeting
• Develop financial models and processes to monitor resource consumption and identify resource adjustments required to the set aside budget
• Prepare forecasting plans including annual budgets in association with the CEO
• Support department heads and project managers in the preparation of department and project budgets ensuring compliance of these budgets with company, funder and external requirements
• Prepare all of Oceanium’s financial reporting, including production of monthly management accounts, cash flow forecasts and ad hoc management information, as requested
• Prepare financial information packs for grant auditors
• Assess, manage and minimise financial risk
• Ensure relevant and accurate records are kept, filings made, and all tax liabilities paid as required by HMRC (for payroll, corporation tax, VAT), pension agencies, Companies House etc
• Ensure all invoices and payments are appropriately processed, coded and authorised
• Manage cash balances, including bank reconciliations
• Authorise invoices and manage creditor payments in line with approved authorisation levels
• Liaise with the company’s auditors, bankers, consultants, board members and funding bodies

Skills and competencies

• Degree and certification in accounting, business, finance or a related field (or equivalent experience)
• Previous demonstratable experience in financial management
• Comfortable analysing complex financial data, problem-solving and analytical skills
• Experience with different accounting systems and integration with management information systems, combined with strong digital skills, experience with MS Office
• Effective leadership and people management experience
• Exceptional communication skills, both written and verbal, with the ability to communicate financial issues, solutions, and strategy to broad and varied audiences
• Integrity and honesty, and superior attention to detail
• Thorough understanding of business principles and practices
• Ability to manage a complex, varied, and demanding workload prioritising and delegating effectively in a fast-paced environment
• Experience in a start-up environment a plus
• Experience in manufacturing and/or FMCG is beneficial, but not essential
• Experience with Innovate UK or EU grants also beneficial, but not essential

Next steps

If you feel that you have the right blend of capabilities and experience as well as the ability to make a significant contribution to Oceanium please send a cover letter, current CV, salary requirements and availability to [email removed - click apply for more details].

At Oceanium, we recognise the value of a diverse team and we are committed to and encourage applications from people with varied experiences, perspectives, and backgrounds. Reasonable adjustments are available to support candidates through the application and interview process. Please note all offers of employment are subject to continuous eligibility to work in the UK and satisfactory pre-employment security screening.