Financial Controller

Financial Controller

June 2024       

Salary: £60,000- £65,000 D.O.E    

Change Please is a social enterprise, we have grown from a small cart selling coffee in Covent Garden in 2015 to an international business. We aim end homelessness in 4 countries, using all the profits from our award-winning coffee sales, sold by our wholesale team to large, often global organisations and by our retail teams at multiple sites.  

This and the money raised by our fundraising team, allows us to support people experiencing homelessness by providing barista training, living wage employment, access to counselling, therapy, financial wellbeing and guidance, housing support, and onward employment opportunities with our incredible partners. We are about doing business better.  

Driving for Change is an all-in-one direct intervention service providing those experiencing homelessness access to free GP consultations, haircuts, dental care, digital and financial literacy training, support opening a bank account where appropriate, employment support, therapy assessments, and essential everyday items.

At Change Please we exist to challenge stereotypes, to breakdown walls and kick open doors for those who may struggle to open them. It’s not about handouts, we want to harness the potential within everyone and enable them to be the best version of themselves.

We need Changemakers in our team who are passionate about coffee, people, teamwork and making the world a little better.  

This is a very exciting time to join, we are scaling up and this includes a national roll-out.  

Role Objective

We are looking for a Financial Controller to take responsibility for the financial reporting for Change Please UK with some interaction with the financial accounting of the Group. The Group consists of:

·      Change Please CIC (UK)

·      Change Please Foundation (UK)

·      Change Please USA Inc (USA)

·      Change Please Pty Ltd (Australia)

·      Change Please France SAS (France)

Reporting: The role will be the UK & Ireland Financial lead, reporting into our Group CFO with a line into the UK & Ireland Managing Director as well as working collaboratively with members of the UK Senior Leadership Team.

Key Duties and Responsibilities

• Manage the Finance team, ensuring development and effective performance
• Liaise and challenge key decision makers across the business to maintain profitability and efficiency

• Business partnering with operational and commercial teams including:
• Work with Head of Wholesale and their team to develop robust P&L Reporting by client as well as maintenance of accurate commercial information for major commercial clients.
• Work with Head of Retail to develop their P&L and KPI reporting by site.
• Work with Head of Marketing & Head of Coffee & Development to ensure a robust sign off and approval process for NPD & Innovation across the business
• Implement improvements to financial processes across the business
• Build robust financial controls & ensure strong financial governance
• Working closely with our Management Accountant to ensure that useful reporting, analysis, and procedures exist across the business
• Doing regular balance sheet audits/checks to ensure accuracy and completeness
• Preparing monthly reconciliations of retail and wholesale sales and rebate calculation and reviewing all other monthly reconciliations
• Review draft monthly management accounts prepared by the Management Accountant and present the results to the leadership team
• Work closely with the budget holders to prepare annual budget and review the quarterly forecast prepared by the Management Accountant
• Managing the daily, weekly cash position, including short term and longer term cash forecasting
• Review and manage VAT for accuracy before submission
• Work with the Finance Manager and Management Accountant to gather payroll information and run monthly site payrolls
• Liaise with external Accountants to ensure the annual financial statements are filed correctly on time
• Act as the first point of contact for HMRC and other regulatory agencies
• Working with the Management Accountant to support US and Australian accounting function.

Person specification

• CIMA/ACCA/ACA qualified accountant with at least 3 years PQE
• Highly organised, approachable, detail oriented, self-starter with a “can do” attitude
• Advanced proficiency in excel spreadsheets and proficiency with Microsoft suite essential
• Strong analytical skills
• Ability to translate complex financial information for various stakeholders
• Ability to quickly adapt to new processes and systems

·      Excellent written and verbal communication skills

Key Skills and Attributes

·      A passion to work with people that have or currently facing homelessness.

·      Self-motivated, attention to detail, with excellent planning and organisational skills with the ability to work at pace to achieve deadlines is essential.

·      Ability to communicate effectively at all levels of seniority of internal and external stakeholders.

·      He/She/They will need a Positive, ‘can do’ attitude! That’s how we’ll change the world.

·      A Team Player. Whether within the Impact Team, the broader Change Please team or engaging with other stakeholders. We need someone who will work positively with everyone.

·      Resilience! We’re a rapidly growing and evolving business. Things can come at you from

all angles, we need someone who can embrace and thrive in that environment!

Job Type: Full Time

Schedule: 40 hours, Monday – Friday

Contract Term: Permanent

Work Location: Peckham, London.

A note about Change Please Job Descriptions

A job description is an outline of this role, setting out the main responsibilities and the skills,

knowledge and experience required. It is not intended to be a complete detailed account of all activities involved. We would encourage anyone who has experience that would match this role and wants to join our movement to get in touch.

Change Please is a fast moving, developing business so roles need to be flexible, and we

need flexibility from our employees.

Change Please is an equal opportunities employer and, as such, we would encourage anyone, from any background, who feels they can excel in this role to come forward. We would always encourage applications from individuals from diverse backgrounds or underrepresented communities.