Finance Manager
Job description
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Finance Manager | Sheffield (Flex on Hybrid) | £50,000 - £60,000
Ever felt boxed in by processes, red tape, and being "just" a number?
This is a standalone Finance Manager role for someone who likes getting stuck in, shaping how finance is done, and being genuinely listened to by the Directors.
You'll be joining a well-established construction and utilities business, delivering large-scale, long-term infrastructure contracts in the regulated utilities space. With turnover of £10-15m today, and ambitious growth plans to reach £30m, finance is moving from "getting the numbers done" to driving insight and decision-making.
This isn't a role for someone who wants a narrow remit. It is a role for someone who enjoys autonomy, challenge, and commercial exposure.
What's the role?
You'll be the go-to finance person, owning the detail while stepping back to provide meaningful insight to the business owners. It's hands-on, fast-paced, and occasionally messy - in a good way. You'll be responsible for:
- End-to-end finance ownership across three intercompany entities
- Producing monthly management accounts (P&L, balance sheet, variance analysis)
- High-volume transactional finance - reconciliations, credit control, supplier invoices
- Implementing and maintaining rolling 3-month cash flow forecasts
- CIS, VAT & Reverse Charge VAT, PAYE and HMRC interaction
- Payroll oversight for a workforce largely made up of field-based engineers
- Working closely with Directors to provide regular, commercial insight, not just reports
- Reviewing contract-level financial performance and margins
- Liaising with external accountants (currently producing accounts on an ad-hoc basis)
- Helping move finance from reactive to proactive and value-adding
There's no finance department hierarchy here - just ownership, influence, and visible impact.
What you need:
This role suits someone who's comfortable in an SME construction, utilities, or contracting environment, where priorities shift and no two days look the same. Ideally, you'll bring:
- Experience within construction, utilities, or a related contracting sector
- Strong knowledge of CIS and confidence dealing with HMRC
- Solid understanding of UK VAT and tax
- Experience handling intercompany transactions and reconciliations
- A confident, proactive personality - comfortable challenging and influencing stakeholders
- The ability to balance hands-on finance with commercial thinking
- Ideally qualified (ACCA, ACA etc) but QBE will also be considered
What's in it for you?
- £50,000 - £60,000 salary DOE
- 25 days holiday + bank holidays
- Company pension
- Flexible working hours
- Hybrid working available up to 2 days per week (some flexibility will be required)
- Gym membership
- On-site parking
- Long-term progression as the business scales
- Potential equity participation in the future
If you're looking for ownership, influence, and visibility, and a role where finance genuinely shapes decision-making, this is a conversation worth having.
Key skills
AI-extracted from the job advert
Application advice
5 AI-generated recommendations to maximise your chances.
⭐ Highlight your CIS and HMRC experience prominently as this is specifically mentioned as essential for the utilities contracting environment
📊 Quantify your finance achievements: 'Managed £12m turnover P&L, improving cash flow forecasting accuracy by 25%'
🏗️ Emphasise construction or utilities sector experience as they specifically want someone comfortable in contracting environments
💼 Showcase your ability to work autonomously and influence stakeholders, as this standalone role requires someone who can challenge directors
🔄 Demonstrate experience with intercompany transactions and multi-entity finance management, as you'll be handling three intercompany entities
Suggested CV bullets
3 bullets our AI drafted for this specific advert, mirroring its ATS keywords.
Add these 3 bullets under your most recent experience:
- •Managed end-to-end finance operations for £12m construction business across 3 entities, implementing monthly management accounts and reducing reporting time by 40%
- •Led CIS compliance and VAT management for 85 field-based engineers, maintaining 100% HMRC compliance and reducing processing time by 30%
- •Developed rolling 3-month cash flow forecasting system that improved working capital management and supported £8m contract pipeline growth
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Letter preview — tailored to Headstar
Dear Hiring Manager,
Headstar's standalone Finance Manager position perfectly aligns with my construction finance background and expertise in CIS compliance and VAT management. Having managed multi-entity finance operations in the contracting sector, I understand the unique challenges of utilities infrastructure projects and the importance of proactive financial insight in driving business growth.
My background in construction finance has equipped me with hands-on experience in managing intercompany reconciliations, implementing cash flow forecasting systems, and working closely with HMRC on CIS and VAT compliance. I thrive in environments where finance moves beyond number-crunching to provide commercial insight that shapes strategic decisions.
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Interview questions
10 questions generated from this advert.
Technical
- ›How would you handle CIS deductions and monthly returns for a workforce of field-based engineers?
- ›Explain your approach to implementing rolling 3-month cash flow forecasts in a growing business
- ›How do you manage VAT and Reverse Charge VAT compliance in construction contracts?
- ›Describe your experience with intercompany reconciliations across multiple entities
- ›What's your process for analysing contract-level margins and financial performance?
Behavioural
- ›Tell me about a time you had to challenge senior stakeholders on a financial decision
- ›Describe a situation where you moved finance from reactive to proactive in a previous role
- ›Give an example of when you had to adapt quickly to changing priorities in a fast-paced environment
- ›Tell me about a time you provided commercial insight that influenced business strategy
- ›Describe how you've managed competing demands between hands-on finance work and strategic analysis
STAR answer examples
Model answers using the Situation-Task-Action-Result framework. Adapt to your own experience.
Tell me about a time you had to challenge senior stakeholders on a financial decision
Describe a situation where you moved finance from reactive to proactive in a previous role