Role: Financial Reporting & Controls Manager
Location: Carlisle
Reporting to: Finance Director
Realise HR is working exclusively with Bendalls Engineering Limited to recruit a Financial Reporting & Controls Manager, joining the business at an important stage of growth and development.
About Bendalls Engineering
Bendalls Engineering Limited is a UK nuclear manufacturing group made up of three business units: Bendalls Engineering, NW Total and HWM UK, based in Carlisle, Barrow-in-Furness and Swindon respectively.
The group delivers precision-engineered, safety-critical equipment to some of the most demanding and highly regulated sectors in the country: nuclear, defence, oil and gas, and renewables. Built on over 130 years of Bendalls heritage, it operates where quality, compliance and reliability are non-negotiable.
The group takes pride in offering highly engineered solutions that make a difference, most notably to the Sellafield clean-up programme and to key defence partners in the UK. As part of Cadre Holdings, it has the stability and investment backing of a larger organisation while retaining the agility, close-knit culture and visible leadership of an SME, with around 200 employees across the group.
Where Bendalls are heading
The group is undergoing significant growth, having expanded from five to eight sites over the last two years, with revenue rising from £22m to £30m over that period and forecast to reach £40m over the next few years. That growth is underpinned by a defined strategy to establish the group as a Tier 2 supplier to the nuclear and defence sectors through both organic growth and acquisition.
This is an exciting time to join. The group is investing in its capability, its people and its infrastructure, and new joiners will play a real part in shaping what comes next rather than simply maintaining the status quo.
The role
This is a key technical role within the finance function, leading month-end, technical and statutory reporting, tax, audit, SOX compliance and financial controls. You will review the work of the accounting team, ensuring financial information is accurate, complete and right first time.
You will also play an important role in developing the finance function as the business grows, strengthening processes and controls, supporting new systems and driving improvements that create a faster, more efficient and reliable finance operation.
Key responsibilities
Month-end and financial reporting
- Run the month-end close process and timetable, continuing to shorten the close while maintaining accuracy and control.
- Review and sign off the financial sections of the management accounts, WIP valuation and balance sheet.
- Review balance sheet reconciliations, accruals, prepayments, journals, intercompany recharges, fixed assets and payroll journals prepared by the Management Accountant.
- Review and sign off the month-end tick sheet and provide technical sign-off for the balance sheet.
- Own monthly US GAAP reporting and the OneStream submission to Cadre, including OneStream reconciliations.
- Lead technical accounting across the UK business, including revenue recognition under ASC 606 and lease accounting under ASC 842.
- Work closely with technical finance leads within the US parent group and external technical advisers.
Statutory reporting, tax and audit
- Prepare the annual UK statutory accounts for sign-off by the Finance Director.
- Manage tax, RDEC and statutory conversion advisers.
- Own corporation tax provisioning and take responsibility for VAT and CIS returns.
- Ensure compliance across VAT, corporation tax and RDEC requirements.
- Lead external and group audits, ensuring findings are addressed and closed within agreed timescales.
SOX, financial controls and policies
- Own SOX controls and supporting evidence, directing the Finance Administration Team in evidence collation and testing.
- Develop new processes to maintain and strengthen SOX compliance and ensure any control findings are closed on time.
- Own delegated authority arrangements and approval limits.
- Develop and maintain finance policies and procedures for approval by the Finance Director.
- Develop a Finance Policy Handbook for the UK business.
- Review supplier and customer set-up processes and associated master data.
- Strengthen the overall financial control environment across the business.
Transactional finance oversight
- Review purchase ledger and payment processes.
- Oversee sales ledger and credit-control activity.
- Review expenses and credit checks completed by the Finance Administration Team.
- Ensure transactional finance processes operate effectively and consistently within group controls and policies.
Systems, process improvement and finance excellence
- Support the planned 2027 ERP rollout and the development of new finance procedures and processes.
- Lead process automation and continuous improvement, with a focus on shortening month-end close and releasing capacity within the team.
- Run Daily Management for finance excellence and monitor and report daily finance KPIs.
- Support future entity integration as the group continues to grow.
Treasury, forecasting and risk
- Own the 13-week cash-flow forecast and manage funding requests to Cadre group finance.
- Support the Finance Director with banking relationships, insurance and risk.
- Support the Commercial Finance Business Partner with group forecast submissions and capital expenditure plans.
Leadership and working relationships
You will line manage four members of the Finance Administration Team, supporting their development and helping the team successfully implement new processes and ways of working.
The role works closely with the Finance Director, Commercial Finance Business Partner, Management Accountant, Finance Administration Team, IT Project Manager, HR and EHS colleagues.
You will also build strong working relationships with the Cadre Finance and SOX teams, as well as external auditors, tax specialists, accounting advisers and other technical partners.
What we are looking for
We are looking for a qualified accountant with strong technical reporting and financial controls experience who can take ownership of a broad remit and operate confidently within a growing, highly regulated business.
You will need:
- A recognised accountancy qualification such as ACA, ACCA, CIMA or equivalent.
- Strong financial reporting experience.
- Experience of owning month-end close, financial review and reporting.
- UK tax compliance experience, including VAT, CIS and corporation tax.
- Hands-on SOX or internal financial controls experience.
- The technical capability and confidence to lead an external audit.
- Knowledge of US GAAP, or strong IFRS knowledge with the ability and willingness to develop your US GAAP knowledge.
- Experience of improving finance processes.
- Confidence working with ERP platforms and modern finance systems.
Desirable experience
- Experience of working within a US-listed group.
- Knowledge of OneStream or a similar group consolidation platform.
- Experience of an ERP implementation or entity integration.
- Experience within an engineering, manufacturing or project-based environment.
- Knowledge of WIP accounting and long-term contract revenue recognition.
- Experience of R&D tax and RDEC claims.
The person
You will combine strong technical capability with a high level of attention to detail and the confidence to take ownership of key areas of the finance function.
Analytical and organised, you will be comfortable making decisions, reviewing the work of others and operating within a complex and highly regulated environment.
You will be able to build collaborative relationships and establish trust across the business, communicating effectively with colleagues at all levels as well as group and external stakeholders.
Integrity, authenticity and high standards will be important, but so will your ability to initiate action and facilitate change. With the business continuing to grow, you will need to be comfortable challenging existing ways of working, improving processes, coaching others through change and driving work through to completion.
Why join Bendalls Engineering?
This is an opportunity to join Bendalls Engineering at a significant point in its growth.
The business has a clear strategy, growing revenues and continued investment behind it, while working within sectors where its engineering capability has a genuine long-term purpose.
You will have the stability and backing of Cadre Holdings alongside the visibility and influence that comes with working in an SME environment. For the right person, there is real scope to take ownership, improve how the finance function operates, develop the team and help build the financial infrastructure needed to support the group’s next stage of growth.
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