Financial Operations Manager

Financial Operations Manager Location: North West London (In-office 5 days a week) Salary: £60,000–£65,000 About the Opportunity An exciting opportunity has arisen for an experienced Finance Operations Manager to join a fast-growing international retail and e-commerce business based in North West London. About the Role The Finance Operations Manager will oversee the day-to-day finance operations of the business, including AP, AR, payroll, expenses, cash management, month-end processes and financial controls. Working closely with senior finance leadership, operational teams and IT, the role will focus on improving processes, reducing manual activity, enhancing system integrations and maintaining accurate financial information as the business continues to scale. You will also supervise and provide cover for an AP/AR Assistant. Key Responsibilities • Lead and continuously improve the end-to-end Accounts Payable function, including supplier invoice processing, payment runs, supplier records, aged creditors, query resolution and payment controls. • Oversee weekly UK and US payment runs, ensuring invoices are accurately coded, approved and paid on time. • Support purchase order controls and invoice-to-PO matching, working closely with Production and Operations teams. • Manage and improve the Accounts Receivable and order-to-cash cycle, including customer onboarding, credit checks, aged debt, collections, invoicing, statements and customer query resolution. • Monitor key working-capital metrics including DSO, DPO, cash collection performance, aged debt and aged creditors. • Coordinate monthly UK payroll and fortnightly US payroll, working with HR and external providers to ensure accurate payroll calculations, payments, journals and reconciliations. • Manage employee expenses and corporate card programmes, including expense approvals, card reconciliations, spending controls and policy compliance. • Identify, design and implement finance process improvements, including workflow automation, system integrations, approval controls and improved reporting. • Lead the testing, implementation and rollout of new finance tools and system enhancements, ensuring processes are documented, controls are maintained and users are effectively supported. • Partner with IT and operational teams to improve integrations between finance and operational systems, reduce manual data entry and strengthen data integrity. • Review finance processes regularly to identify bottlenecks, control gaps and opportunities to improve efficiency, accuracy and scalability. • Support UK and US compliance requirements, including VAT, PAYE, pensions, P11D, PSA, corporation tax payments, sales tax and payroll tax filings. • Maintain robust financial controls, process documentation and audit readiness, supporting internal and external audit activity. • Support month-end close through bank, balance sheet, AP, AR, payroll and corporate card reconciliations, as well as accruals, prepayments and reporting requirements. Skills & Experience • Qualified Accountant: ACA, ACCA or CIMA. • At least four years’ experience in finance operations, finance management or management accounting. • Strong experience across AP, AR, payroll, reconciliations, month-end and financial controls. • Proven experience improving finance processes, implementing systems enhancements and driving automation. • Experience working with finance systems and integrations; Xero experience is highly desirable. • Strong Excel, analytical and stakeholder-management skills. • Ability to manage competing priorities in a fast-paced environment. Desirable Experience • Retail, fashion, e-commerce or consumer-brand experience. • Experience with Xero, Yooz, Shopify, Airtable, Power BI, Pleo or similar systems. • Multi-entity, international finance and UK/US payroll or tax exposure