Job Description

This is an exciting role at an exciting time for the company, as we help make a difference in the speed of discovery,

• Manage the audit and the relationship with the Company’s auditors
• Lead and manage the Finance team in delivering an efficient, accurate and timely full-year and half-year financial reporting process and audit, ensuring compliance with any relevant reporting standards
• Own the financial reporting and corporate governance disclosures, together with ensuring the right balance of clarity, transparency and freshness of disclosure
• Responsibility for evolving the company’s technical accounting positions, critical accounting estimates and judgment
• Ensure best practice financial reporting controls and procedures, which stand up to scrutiny from auditors, etc as to the management and control environment
• Champion the Company’s focus on managing and exceeding financial performance expectations, with particular reference to managing expectations against the company’s financial reporting cycle (full year to 31 December and half-year to 30 June)
• Articulate clearly the financial performance of the business, looking to optimize gross margin, working capital and Cash
• Support Monthly financial reports and forecasts (half-year to 30 June, full-year to 31 December) to the Executive and Plc Board
• Monthly reporting of department and project P&Ls, including variances against budget (period to-date and financial year forecast), margin analysis, etc.
• Responsible for leveraging ERP financial systems (automating and streamlining financial processes wherever possible) for putting accurate and timely dashboard reporting of financial management information directly at the finger-tips of business managers (at all levels), in order to achieve more proactive and informed commercial analysis and judgments with better decision-making, faster.
• Overall responsibility for the Company’s purchase order process and controls over commitment of spend; ensuring rigor of process to achieve accuracy of working capital forecasts and tracking against budgeted targets
• Support compliance with MAR, the AIM rules, Stock Exchange regulations, etc.
• Manage the Finance team in ensuring the rigor, accuracy and efficiency in undertaking tax compliance requirements (Corporation Tax, VAT, PAYE, Stock Options, etc.)
• Proactive challenge to the rigor, robustness and competitiveness of the Company’s significant tax credit refund claim
• Overall responsibility for the Company’s tax efficiency, ensuring proactivity as to tax planning structures
• Co-ordination and liaison with third parties, suppliers and advisers; including auditors, technical accounting advisers, tax advisers, registrars, counter-party banks (for term deposits), money brokers, foreign currency dealers, etc.
• Lead and drive the annual budget process, in parallel to the annual business planning cycle, for presentation to and approval by Plc Board in December each year for the following financial year.
• Co-ordinate the planning process, incorporating financial planning for expansion plans; assess and fully understand the financial requirements of these plans, and communicate them clearly to the Executive
• Manage monthly financial management reporting process in order to track and manage financial performance against budgeted targets and Corporate Goals
• Manage business case process for any major investment decisions, appraising all capital expenditure in light of group strategy and estimated return on investment

Required Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Attention to detail, ability to manage within a high demand environment, strong interpersonal communications skills, and a focus on execution and results are a must.
• Previous experience within a CRO or a pharmaceutical / healthcare environment would be advantageous.