Financial Controller

Oxfordshire

An innovative pre-revenue scientific organisation is looking to appoint a Financial Controller to support its continued development. This position offers the chance to take ownership of core finance activities while helping establish scalable processes within a research-driven environment.

The Position

Working closely with the Finance Director, you will oversee financial operations and ensure the delivery of accurate, timely, and insightful financial information to support the business.

Your responsibilities will include:

• Overseeing the end-to-end purchase-to-pay cycle, ensuring appropriate governance and verification procedures are followed
• Preparing and reviewing accounting adjustments, including those relating to technically complex areas such as equity incentives and funding arrangements
• Taking responsibility for the integrity of the balance sheet, including detailed review and sign-off of reconciliations
• Producing financial information for external use, ensuring all outputs meet relevant accounting standards
• Coordinating the audit process and acting as the key liaison for external auditors
• Managing the month-end timetable and delivering high-quality financial reports with clear commentary on performance
• Contributing to financial planning cycles, including budgeting and ongoing forecast updates
• Partnering with operational teams to track expenditure and provide financial guidance on key projects
• Strengthening internal controls and maintaining an effective financial governance framework
• Supporting tax-related submissions and contributing to system and process enhancements
• Providing analytical and project support to the Finance Director as required

About You

This role requires a technically capable and adaptable finance professional who is comfortable operating in a developing organisation.

You should have:

• A recognised accounting qualification (ACA or ACCA) with relevant post-qualified experience
• Strong grounding in financial reporting, including preparation of statutory outputs in line with IFRS
• Experience managing core accounting processes such as period-end close, reconciliations, and internal controls
• Advanced Excel capability, with confidence handling large datasets and building robust models
• A flexible mindset, with the ability to switch between detailed transactional work and more complex accounting challenges
• Strong interpersonal skills, enabling effective collaboration across both finance and non-finance teams

It would be advantageous if you also have:

• Experience within life sciences, biotech, or a research-led environment
• Exposure to accounting for equity-based incentives or valuation techniques
• Previous experience in a scaling or early-stage business