Part-Time Financial Controller

Spotted Zebra is growing quickly. With more customers, a larger team and more complex decisions, finance now needs to become a stronger part of how we run and scale the business.

We are looking for a part-time Financial Controller to take on that responsibility, working around two days per week and reporting directly to our CEO. This is a broad and visible role, giving our leadership team and board a clear, trusted view of performance, cash and risk, and helping us make confident decisions.

We already have an outsourced finance partner, established processes and financial models that have supported us to this point. The opportunity now is to build on that foundation, updating and adapting our finance systems, models, controls and processes to reflect where the business is today and where it is going next.

You will bring our accounts, cash flow, budgets and forecasts into a single reliable view of the business, turning the numbers into clear insight for the decisions we need to make.

This is an opportunity to shape how finance works inside a growing company. It will suit someone who enjoys getting into the detail but is equally motivated by improving how the business operates and creating a financial foundation that can scale with us.

Key Responsibilities:

• Review our existing finance systems, models, controls and processes, then update and adapt them to reflect where the business is today. You will build on what is already in place and make sure it remains reliable and scalable as Spotted Zebra grows.
• Own the month-end timetable and manage the working relationship with our outsourced finance partner, making sure everyone understands what is needed and when.
• Review the monthly management accounts in detail, checking revenue, costs, accruals, prepayments, deferred income and other material judgments. You will also identify missing invoices or incomplete information.
• Resolve issues with the relevant people across Spotted Zebra, maintain a clear action log and make sure corrections are completed before the accounts reach the CEO.
• Own and maintain our rolling cash-flow forecast, keeping assumptions and actual performance up to date and surfacing risks early.
• Lead the annual budget and regular re-forecasting process, working with leaders across the business to agree assumptions and explain material variances.
• Model the cash and profit impact of planned hiring, changes in customer timing, investment decisions and other scenarios, helping the CEO understand the implications and trade-offs.
• Prepare the financial section of the board pack, including the supporting spreadsheet and slide deck. You will explain performance, cash, runway, forecast, relevant SaaS measures and the main risks or decisions.
• Oversee commission plans and calculations, make sure approved commission is paid accurately and on time, and support commercial and hiring decisions with clear financial analysis.

What success looks like

Success means monthly accounts are accurate, complete and finalised through a dependable process, with routine issues resolved before they reach the CEO. The cash-flow forecast is current and trusted, and hiring or spending decisions can be modelled quickly.

Within your first 6-12 months, we would expect our finance systems, models, controls and processes to have been reviewed and updated for where the business is today. The budget and re-forecast should have clear ownership across the leadership team, board reporting should be consistent and decision-focused, and commission calculations and other material financial controls should be accurate, documented and completed on time.

Requirements

You'll be a great fit if you ✅

• Are a qualified accountant, ideally ACA, ACCA or CIMA.
• Have worked as a Financial Controller or in a comparable hands-on finance role.
• Have experience in a growing SaaS, technology or other recurring-revenue business.
• Have strong management accounting skills, including month-end review, accruals, prepayments, revenue recognition and variance analysis.
• Can build and maintain cash-flow forecasts, budgets and scenario models.
• Can prepare clear financial information and commentary for boards or senior leadership teams.
• Are comfortable managing an outsourced bookkeeping or accounting partner while retaining internal ownership of the output.
• Understand relevant SaaS measures such as ARR, bookings, revenue, gross margin, retention and cash runway.
• Have strong spreadsheet skills and can improve an existing model without making it unnecessarily complicated.
• Enjoy investigating a missing invoice or incorrect accrual yourself rather than assuming someone else will catch it.
• Can communicate financial information clearly and challenge assumptions constructively with senior colleagues.
• Can work effectively in a part-time role, prioritising the issues that matter while staying close to the business throughout the month.
• Have experience improving finance systems, models, controls and processes as a company grows.

Nice-to-Haves 🌟

• Working in a venture-backed scale-up or helping prepare a business for a future funding round.
• SaaS finance, including recurring revenue, deferred income and multi-year enterprise contracts.
• Preparing financial board packs, including clear narrative and presentation slides.
• Reviewing sales commission structures and calculations.
• Leading annual budgets and maintaining rolling re-forecasts.
• Working in a start-up or scaling technology company.
• Coordinating year-end accounts, tax, payroll and other compliance activity with external advisers.
• Providing commercial decision support for hiring and investment decisions.