Financial controller / Finance manager

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About us

Seccl is the Octopus-owned embedded investment platform that's helping more people to invest - and invest well.

Our sector is being held back by old tech, dismal processes and misaligned interests. Together they create pointless complexity for financial planning and investment professionals, and provide outdated, overpriced experiences for customers. We're on a mission to fix it.

We help forward-thinking financial planners, wealth managers and investment platforms to reimagine their business and client experience - empowering them to build better, more sustainable and more valuable operations, and meet the digital demands of the future, not the baseline expectations of the past.

And we do it by reimagining their technology - with a low-cost, hyper-efficient and (genuinely) API-first technology infrastructure that handles millions of requests every day, and powers the portfolios of more than 160,000 investors.

A regulated custodian and ISA/SIPP provider, we combine the disruptive mindset and ambitious mission to shake things up, with the commitment and substance to not screw them up.

We've doubled the size of our business over the last six months and expect to do that a few more times over the next few years.

We're proud to be part of Octopus, the £12.8 billion group that's on a mission to breathe new life into broken industries, through companies like Octopus Energy, Octopus Investments and Octopus Money.

TLDR

We're a business with insane product-market fit, impressive early traction and an offering that has the potential to transform an outdated industry for the better.

The role

We're seeking a finance all-rounder comfortable working within a fast-paced scale-up environment. You will be responsible for owning all aspects of the finance function which includes financial operations, financial reporting and control and commercial finance. You will be supported by a finance analyst and play a key role in coaching and developing them, ensuring the team operates efficiently and effectively to support the company's strategic goals.

On a typical day you will...

Financial operations

Oversee day-to-day financial operations and ensure accurate and timely processing of financial data:

• Customer / supplier onboarding and ongoing relationships, customer billing, supplier invoices and accounts receivable / payable
• Payroll, bank reconciliation, month end journals and general ledger activities
• Banking, cashflow forecast and group funding management
• Company secretarial filing and shares register management

Financial reporting and control

Ensure the accurate and timely financial reporting and implement robust financial controls:

• Monthly management accounts
• VAT returns (partial exemption)
• FCA returns, regulatory capital adequacy management, support ICARA
• Statutory audit and corporation tax
• Ad hoc regulatory / compliance reporting
• Continuously improve finance processes and controls to ensure a robust framework

Commercial finance

Own business partnering and provide analysis and insight to inform and drive business decisions:

• Develop and maintain financial models to support business planning and decision-making
• Lead the budgeting and latest expected outcome forecasting processes, ensuring alignment with strategic objectives and input across the business
• Provide insightful commercial analysis (regular MI / ad hoc projects) to support business growth and cost management indicatives

Team management and development

Drive a high-performing culture:

• Provide guidance, support and coach the finance analyst, contributing to a culture of continuous improvement and professional development
• Lead the implementation of finance systems and process improvements to enhance efficiency and effectiveness
• Make finance team's voice heard and proactively engage with the wider business to help solve problems. Promote collaboration and cross-functional working.

You'll be successful if you ...

• Have a growth mindset, take 100% ownership and a complete finisher
• Are resilient, bold and have the drive to lead initiatives and embrace change
• Have exceptional communication and people skills, able to build trusting relationships at all levels
• Work best fast paced, with excellent time-management and prioritisation skills
• Have excellent analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to translate complex financial data into actionable insights.
• Have a keen eye with great attention to detail.
• You have a strong understanding of the regulatory environment which governs Seccl's regulated business and the provisions of the FCA's MIFPRU rules and regulations (specifically the capital and liquidity requirements) would be beneficial
• Have experience of the financial services industry and the platform sector in which Seccl operates would be beneficial
• Have experience of financial and strategic reporting within a wider Group structure
• Have knowledge of UKGAAP and HMRC rules and regulations (VAT, PAYE and corporation tax)
• ACA / ACCA / CIMA or equivalent with substantial post qualification experience

This role isn't for you if:

• You rely on a lot of top-down direction.Here, you'll have a lot of freedom and ownership of your role, and you'll be expected to shape your own progression
• You're not comfortable working in a fast-paced environment. Our speed and scalability is what set us apart; you need to be able to act quickly and think on your feet
• You struggle to follow through on your ideas. We value people who do what they say they will. If you care about something, you have the freedom here to make it happen
• You don't like change. You'll get on great here if you relish the ambiguity of rapid growth and are willing to embrace uncertainty

Our culture

We are proud to cultivate a culture first, human environment and genuinely listen to our people about what matters to them most. As a result, we're proud we've cultivated a transparent and inclusive environment that encourages diversity of thought, challenge and experimentation.

Our purpose is supported by a series of non-negotiable operating principles that define how we work to deliver value for each other and for our clients:

Never settle

We think of ourselves as 'embedded hero-makers' for our customers. We put them first, and if we say we'll do something, we'll move heaven earth to do it. We think boldly and embrace change.

Take ownership

We think rigorously and deeply about a problem, but then charge at it, acting with and urgency and speed that sets us apart. But we never lose sight on quality or long-term scalability.

Be generous and candid

We encourage our people - and our customers - to challenge us and never shy away from tough conversations. We have a flat and inclusive culture where everyone can be themselves - and speak up.

We have offices in central Bath and Edinburgh, and London. We're working as a hybrid team supporting each of our people to choose how they work best. We've always been supportive of flexible working that focuses on delivery and impact, rather than hours worked. Don't just take our word for it, check out our Glassdoor page for the latest reviews or our Instagram, and LinkedIn for company updates and insights from the team.

What's in it for you...

We offer a generous blend of benefits for the things that really matter to our people, including:

• 27 days holiday + bank holidays (some can be flexible) + day off on your birthday.
• 3 days (full time) per year for Dependant leave
• 2 days off per year to volunteer for a registered charity of your choice, including our charity partners Aid Box Community and Edinburgh Food Project
• Length of service award - 1 month paid sabbatical at 8 years.
• 6% employer pension contribution, and life assurance
• Private medical insurance with AXA Health
• Enhanced Parental leave and flexibility to integrate your home and work life in a trusted environment.
• Will writing offering via Octopus Legacy
• MacBook and up to £500 home office set up budget.
• £500 per person learning budget.

• Option to work abroad for up to 6 weeks in the year.

• Health and wellbeing initiatives including free therapy via Wellness Cloud, mental health support via Headspace.
• Strong financial wellbeing focus including access to Octopus Money, Octopus Share Incentive Plan and Seccl invest (our own platform for you to manage your investments)
• Octopus Electric Vehicle scheme after 12 months of employment
• Perkbox - Flexi-points giving you a range of discounts and perks including free weekly coffee, gym and retail discounts.

• Cycle to work scheme - saving money on a range of bikes and accessories.

Our aim is to build a diverse and inclusive company of awesome people, with unique skills, passions and experiences. We encourage everyone to join us, whatever your gender identity, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, age or background.

Please note that we do not provide sponsorship for candidates residing outside the UK. However, we welcome applications from individuals who possess valid work permits that allow them to work in the UK. If you already have the right to work in the UK or hold an eligible work permit, we encourage you to apply for this position.

We usually allow around two weeks for sourcing some great candidates so don't be dishearten if we're not in touch right away, we'll let you know next steps as soon as we can.

If you think you have most of what we are looking for, then what are you waiting for? Go ahead and apply. We'd love to hear from you!