Job Description

Reed in Partnership has been delivering public services since 1998. We are a British, family-owned company, whose mission has always been to positively transform people and their communities. This is reflected in our services, which we deliver to help people from all backgrounds and circumstances to change their lives for the better.

Pay Range

£57,500 to £65,000

Working Hours/Pattern:

Full-time, although we would be happy to consider applicants who are looking to work on a part time basis. If you would like to explore this further please discuss this with the talent partner for this role. Please note our ability to accommodate flexible working arrangements will vary from role to role, dependent on business requirements.

About the role

The Financial Controls Lead is responsible for ensuring the organisation maintains a robust, compliant and efficient financial control environment. The role plays a critical part in safeguarding the organisation’s financial integrity, ensuring financial activities are supported by well‑designed, consistently applied and effective controls.

Working closely with the Associate Director of Financial Control and other senior stakeholders within Finance, the role acts as a central coordination point for financial governance, risk management and continuous improvement across the business.

The Financial Controls Lead oversees financial reporting accuracy, statutory and regulatory compliance, treasury processes, finance operations controls and the maintenance of key financial policies and frameworks. Through strong collaboration across Finance and the wider organisation, the role ensures that control standards are clearly communicated, embedded and monitored to minimise the risk of error, fraud or non‑compliance.

This role is based in Liverpool and offers Hybrid working.

Please note, internal applications for this role close on the 27th April 2026.

Key responsibilities

Financial reporting, accounting controls and accuracy

You will work closely with the Associate Director of Financial Control and the Financial Reporting Lead to drive consistent, high‑quality financial reporting and accounting discipline across the organisation. Responsibilities include:

• Monitoring the accuracy of general ledger and cost centre postings to ensure reliable financial reporting
• Establishing, maintaining and communicating clear accounting policies and procedures aligned with relevant reporting standards
• Supporting accurate and timely project cost tracking, particularly in support of contract implementation activity
• Ensuring compliance with statutory and regulatory requirements, including tax regulations and the Criminal Finances Act
• Overseeing the timely completion of all required payment practice reporting
• Owning and maintaining the Finance Risk Register, ensuring risks are reviewed, mitigations identified and actions monitored
• Conducting financial due diligence for new and existing suppliers
• Ensuring appropriate financial controls are in place to minimise the risk of fraud
• Driving continuous improvement to enhance control effectiveness, accuracy and efficiency across Finance

Treasury management

The Financial Controls Lead has ownership of treasury‑related processes and control frameworks, including:

• Maintaining company banking mandates and ensuring appropriate access controls are in place
• Managing and overseeing operational payment platforms, including Moss, Worldpay and Barclaycard
• Designing and embedding effective control routines for all payment systems, working closely with Finance Operations and Financial Transactions teams to ensure controls are clearly communicated and consistently monitored

Finance operations and transactional controls

While the role does not directly manage transactional teams, it plays a key part in ensuring finance operations are underpinned by strong, well‑designed controls. This includes:

• Working closely with the Financial Transactions Manager to develop, maintain and communicate all transactional finance processes across the organisation
• Leading, alongside the Finance Operations Manager, finance workstream activity for contract implementations and close‑down exercises
• Maintaining and updating the Delegation of Authority framework
• Developing and reviewing reporting on compliance with financial policies, procedures and internal controls
• Progressing improvement initiatives to strengthen efficiency, consistency and service quality across finance operations

Audit, advice and wider support

• Supporting internal and external audit activity, ensuring timely provision of evidence and resolution of findings
• Providing guidance, training and support to colleagues across the organisation on financial control and policy matters
• Working with Finance Systems teams to ensure systems and processes support strong control operation and efficient working practices
• Deputising for senior finance leaders where required

What’s in it for you?

We offer a competitive salary (pro‑rated for part‑time working, with a minimum of four days per week), alongside flexibility, development opportunities and a strong benefits package, including:

• 25 days’ annual leave (pro‑rated) plus bank holidays
• Hybrid working
• Reed Pension Scheme
• Award‑winning management and leadership development
• Professional and personal development funding
• Bi‑annual pay reviews

You’ll also have the opportunity to play a vital role in protecting and strengthening the financial integrity of an organisation delivering meaningful services to local communities.

Our values

At Reed in Partnership, our values guide every decision we make. We are fair, open and honest; we take ownership; and we work together. These values shape our culture and underpin how we support one another to deliver high‑quality public services.

About you

To be successful in this role, you will bring:

• Strong experience in financial control, governance or financial reporting within a complex organisation
• A detailed understanding of accounting controls, statutory compliance and financial risk management
• Experience working with finance operations and transactional teams to embed effective control frameworks
• Confidence influencing senior stakeholders and providing clear, constructive challenge
• Strong analytical skills, with the ability to interpret and explain complex financial information
• A proactive, organised and resilient approach, with a commitment to continuous improvement

Desirable criteria

• Professional accounting qualification (CIMA, ACCA or ACA), or equivalent experience (QBE)
• Experience supporting contract mobilisation or organisational change activity
• Experience working with large‑scale finance systems and payment platforms

We aim to ensure that no candidate or employee receives less favourable treatment on the grounds of gender, race, disability, sexual orientation, religion or belief, age, gender reassignment, marital or civil partnership status, pregnancy or maternity. We offer a guaranteed interview scheme for disabled applicants who meet the minimum criteria.