Finance Manager FTC (14 months)

The role: 

At Wates, finance is about much more than reporting numbers. It's about providing the insight that helps shape strategic decisions, improve performance and support the delivery of our long-term ambitions.

We're looking for a commercially minded Finance Manager to join our Group Finance team on a 14 month maternity cover. This is a highly visible role where you'll partner with senior leaders across the business, leading the financial planning, budgeting, forecasting and performance reporting activities for our central functions.

Alongside managing a small finance team, you'll play a key role in supporting major strategic and transformation initiatives, providing robust financial analysis and trusted business partnering to help drive informed decision-making across the Group.

If you enjoy combining financial expertise with stakeholder engagement and strategic thinking, we'd love to hear from you.

What you'll be doing:  

As Finance Manager, you'll:

• Lead and develop the Centre Finance team, providing coaching, support and direction to ensure the delivery of high-quality financial information and analysis.
• Own the annual budgeting process for central functions, working closely with budget holders and senior stakeholders to develop robust and accurate plans.
• Manage quarterly forecasting activities, ensuring timely and reliable financial projections.
• Oversee the production of monthly management accounts, year-end reporting and variance analysis.
• Deliver insightful financial and performance reporting to support Executive and senior leadership reviews.
• Act as the key finance business partner to central functions, supporting budgeting, forecasting, investment decisions and ongoing performance improvement.
• Manage cost allocation and recharge mechanisms across the business, providing guidance and resolving complex financial queries.
• Produce financial and non-financial analysis that supports strategic decision making.
• Provide financial support to key Group transformation and strategic programmes, including organisational change and operating model initiatives.
• Build strong relationships across the organisation, helping stakeholders better understand financial performance and opportunities.

What you will bring: 

Essential

• Professionally qualified accountant (ACA, ACCA, CIMA or equivalent).
• Strong experience within a finance, management accounting, FP&A or business partnering environment.
• Experience managing or developing a small finance team.
• Advanced Excel skills and a high level of financial and analytical capability.
• Strong budgeting, forecasting and financial reporting experience.
• Confident communicator with the ability to present information to senior stakeholders.
• Excellent organisational and planning skills with strong attention to detail.
• Evidence-based decision-making skills and the ability to work with complex data and financial concepts.

Desirable

• Experience using Power BI, Power Query, OneStream or similar analytical tools.
• Experience supporting strategic projects, transformation programmes or organisational change initiatives.
• Exposure to performance analysis that extends beyond traditional financial measures.

What sets you apart:

You'll be:

• Collaborative and approachable.
• A strong and supportive leader.
• Comfortable challenging constructively and influencing at all levels.
• Commercially aware and solution focused.
• Able to build credibility and trust with a wide range of stakeholders.
• Passionate about improving processes, performance and ways of working.

Our commitments:  

Wates is proud to be an employer where anyone can thrive, and we welcome applications from candidates of all backgrounds.  We encourage you to apply even if you don't meet every requirement, as we value transferable skills and assess all applications fairly.

We don't discriminate based on a criminal record; all applications are reviewed on an individual basis against the requirements of the role. Some roles may require additional checks, due to the nature of the work.  As a Disability Confident Leader, we offer an interview to applicants with a disability who meet the minimum criteria for the role and opt in to the Disability Confident scheme.  Reasonable adjustments are available, please contact us at recruitment@wates.co.uk