Finance Manager in Peterborough, Cambridgeshire

An exciting opportunity has arisen for a hands-on, detail-oriented Finance Manager to join our clients team on an initial 7-month fixed-term contract.

In this varied and autonomous role, you will take ownership of the day-to-day financial operations, monthly management accounts, payroll, and membership subscription workflows. You will also provide vital governance and administrative support to an affiliated small grant-giving charity, including trustee meeting coordination and minute taking. This position is ideal for an experienced finance professional who thrives in a multi-faceted role covering both core accounting and operational administration.

This role is Monday to Friday, full time. Salary £45,000 - £47,000 PA. Peterborough location.

Key Responsibilities

• Management Accounts & Reporting: Prepare monthly management accounts on an accrual’s basis, produce monthly cash flow reports, and assist with annual budgeting.
• Core Bookkeeping & Reconciliations: Maintain day-to-day accounts in QuickBooks and Excel, completing full monthly bank reconciliations across all accounts.
• VAT Compliance: Prepare and submit quarterly VAT returns on a cash basis, applying partial exemption rules accurately.
• Ledgers & Credit Control: Manage purchase and sales ledgers end-to-end, process supplier invoices, and conduct proactive credit control.
• Payroll Processing: Run monthly staff payroll using Sage Cloud Payroll.
• Direct Debit Collections: Set up, initiate, and reconcile 900+ Direct Debit collections annually via Barclays.net.
• Membership Administration: Process annual subscription payments, issue receipts and membership cards, and maintain the membership database with monthly and annual flow reports.
• Charity Governance Support: Administer finances for an affiliated small grant-giving charity (approx. 22 grants totalling £13k per year), arrange Trustee meetings, and take formal minutes.

Key Skills

• Accounting Knowledge: Proven background in management accounting (accruals basis), budgeting, and cash reporting (QBE, Part-Qualified, or AAT / ACCA / CIMA).
• VAT Expertise: Strong working knowledge of UK VAT, specifically cash accounting and partial exemption calculations.
• Software Proficiency: Hands-on experience with QuickBooks, Sage Cloud Payroll, and advanced Microsoft Excel (lookups, pivot tables).
• Banking Systems: Experience initiating bulk Direct Debit/Bacs payment runs using Barclays.net or similar corporate banking portals.
• Administration & Governance: Experience handling membership/subscription databases and taking formal minutes at Trustee or board meetings.
• Personal Attributes: Strong organisation, high attention to detail, and the ability to manage competing monthly deadlines autonomously.

Short listing is immediate.