Commercial Finance Manager - Projects

Marc Daniels Specialist Recruitment is partnering with a growing and highly successful organisation to recruit a Commercial Finance Manager. This is an exciting opportunity for a commercially focused finance professional to take ownership of financial performance across a significant portfolio of projects and business activities, while acting as a key business partner to senior operational and commercial stakeholders.

Reporting to the Commercial Director, the Commercial Finance Manager will play a pivotal role in driving financial discipline, providing commercial challenge, enhancing forecasting accuracy, and ensuring robust financial governance across a complex operational environment. The role combines strategic business partnering with hands-on ownership of project and portfolio financial performance.

Key Responsibilities:

• Take ownership of portfolio financial reporting processes, ensuring accurate and timely project performance tracking.
• Consolidate portfolio-level reporting and provide clear visibility of financial performance, risks and opportunities.
• Monitor project profitability and identify areas of margin improvement or erosion.
• Ensure financial information supports effective operational and commercial decision-making.
• Oversee the quality and integrity of project financial data and reporting processes.
• Lead the assessment and monitoring of working capital requirements across the portfolio.
• Identify potential funding gaps and work proactively with stakeholders to mitigate risks.
• Review and approve inputs into cash forecasting processes, ensuring accuracy and transparency.
• Drive improvements in cash visibility and forecasting reliability.
• Act as the primary finance partner to operational teams for forecasting and budgeting activities.
• Translate operational plans and assumptions into accurate financial forecasts.
• Challenge assumptions and identify risks within forecasts and business plans.
• Support the delivery of annual budgets, periodic forecasts and longer-term planning activities.
• Lead project financial close-out activities, ensuring balance sheet positions are appropriately reviewed and resolved.
• Support evolving reporting and compliance requirements across the business.
• Act as the primary finance contact for a designated business area.
• Develop strong relationships with senior operational and commercial stakeholders.
• Provide constructive challenge and commercial insight to support business performance.
• Participate in project and performance reviews, bringing a financial perspective to key decisions.
• Drive financial literacy and understanding across operational teams.
• Collaborate closely with wider finance teams to ensure consistency of reporting, processes and controls.
• Manage, coach and develop a Commercial Finance Analyst.
• Drive process improvements, automation opportunities and reporting enhancements.

Requirements:

• Qualified accountant (ACA, ACCA, CIMA or equivalent).
• Strong background in commercial finance, project accounting, FP&A or business partnering.
• Experience supporting large and complex project-based or operational environments.
• Strong understanding of forecasting, budgeting, financial analysis and working capital management.
• Advanced Excel and financial modelling skills.
• Experience of ERP systems and reporting tools would be advantageous.
• Proven ability to influence senior non-finance stakeholders and provide commercial challenge.
• A proactive, commercially minded and solutions-focused approach.