Finance Manager

A premium boutique fitness group is looking for a qualified Finance Manager to cover a maternity leave from December 2026. The Finance Manager will report to a part-time Head of Finance. They will run budgeting, forecasting and month-end reporting, and keep the core monthly processes running smoothly: payroll, freelancer payments and supplier payments. Bookkeeping and reconciliations are handled by an external accounting firm, so this is a commercial finance role with a hands-on operational edge. It suits a qualified accountant with industry experience who wants real ownership and genuine 9–5 hours.

The Company:

The business is a founder-led, premium boutique fitness brand with studios across London. It is built on the belief that people remember how you made them feel. Every class, every studio and every interaction is designed around that. The members are at the heart of everything, and the team behind them is close-knit, ambitious and genuinely invested in the experience they create.

The Basics:

• Salary: competitive
• Start date: early December 2026, with a handover before the incumbent leaves in early January
• Hours: 9am–5pm
• Hybrid: two to three days a week in the West London office, including Tuesdays
• Reporting to: Head of Finance
• Benefits: private healthcare, dental cover and life insurance. The package also includes unlimited drop-in classes across all studios and 80% off pre-booked class packs.

This is a visible, high-trust finance role in a well-loved consumer brand. The Finance Manager works as a close partner to a part-time Head of Finance, who shapes the analysis while the Finance Manager runs the models and the monthly cycle. Bookkeeping, reconciliations and statutory accounts sit with an external accounting firm. That leaves the role free to focus on forecasting, analysis and the processes that keep the business running. The Finance Manager is the go-to person in finance for the whole business and works closely with the founders and with the People, Marketing, Operations and Member Experience teams. For a qualified accountant who wants a full view of how a small consumer business works, with genuine 9–5 hours, this is a strong 12 months.

The Role:

• Produce budgets, forecasts and long-term plans, and maintain the budget and forecasting model.
• Pull and manipulate booking and sales data from the studio management system in Excel, and turn it into weekly and monthly sales and KPI reporting.
• Prepare the month-end reporting pack and P&L variance commentary from the management accounts supplied by the external accountants.
• Track spend against budget and forecast, flagging risks and opportunities early so there are no surprises.
• Prepare monthly payroll for a team of around 70–80 employed and freelance instructors. This includes reconciling freelancer invoices to hours worked before the payroll goes to the external accountants.
• Oversee AP, including processing supplier invoices, gaining approvals and preparing the monthly supplier run.
• Maintain the contract database. Watch for renewals and price increases, and challenge suppliers to protect margin.
• Manage expenses in Pleo, chasing the team for receipts and coding. Look after credit card ownership.
• Own a monthly calendar of around 30 deadlines across payroll, expenses, freelancers, supplier payments and reporting.
• Business partner across People, Marketing, Operations and Member Experience, providing analysis to support decisions.
• Support business case preparation for new opportunities and initiatives.
• Support the management and control of stock and inventory so that it is accurately tracked and valued.
• Act as the key finance contact for internal and external enquiries.
• Work closely with the external accounting firm so that finance operations run smoothly.
• Contribute to ad hoc projects, analysis and process improvement.

The Person:

• Qualified ACA, ACCA or CIMA with post-qualification experience in industry. Candidates whose experience is only in practice won’t suit.
• Highly proficient in Excel and confident extracting, reshaping and analysing raw data.
• Exceptional attention to detail and a sharp eye on costs.
• Organised and reliable against a heavy calendar of recurring deadlines.
• A self-starter, comfortable working independently without daily oversight.
• Commercially minded, with the confidence to work alongside non-finance teams. Business part…