Financial Controller

The Financial Controller will own Ovation’s accounting, reporting and financial controls. You will be a senior, hands-on finance leader who designs and runs the day-to-day financial control’s function, drives reliable month-end reporting, manages compliance and audit relationships, and partners with the founders and commercial teams to support deal activity, portfolio reporting and growth. This is a growth role: you’ll build scalable finance processes and systems that enable Ovation to grow, and you will influence commercial decisions across the business.

Financial control & reporting

• Responsibility for ensuring accurate financial reporting on monthly reporting cycle for the Management Company.

• Responsible for ensuring all reporting requirements are met for reporting to the Board, Investors and Administrators covering all companies within the structure.

• Drive month-end processes to ensure accuracy, timeliness and transparency of financial information.

• Own Accounting Policies.

Compliance, audit, tax and debt

• Manage relationships with external accountants, auditors, bankers, investors and tax advisors, own statutory accounts and audit processes.

• Ensure compliance with tax obligations and statutory reporting.

• Develop and maintain a robust control environment and finance policies.

• Ensure compliance with all reporting requirements to all stakeholders.

• Ensure the company doesn’t breach debt covenants.

Treasury Management

• Produce and maintain cash forecasts for the Management company.

• Manage Cash to support Management company requirements for Operating costs and funding M&A activity across debt, equity and recycling cash

• Optimise IRR within agreed risk parameters, through treasury policy.

• Provide finance support for due diligence on M&A and post-transaction management and reporting.

• Monitor working capital and cash collections with a focus on revenue realisation and royalties cashflow.

Systems, processes & team enablement

• Implement, own and optimise finance systems and processes.

• Build scalable finance workflows, templates and controls to reduce manual effort and risk.

• Work closely with the wider team to ensure seamless operational handoffs.

Stakeholder management & ad-hoc projects

• Lead key finance projects covering system, accounting policy, process optimization and automation.

• Support investor / board reporting and fundraising activity as required.

Must-have (essential)

• Qualified accountant (ACA / ACCA / CIMA) with 4+ years’ post-qualification or equivalent relevant experience.

• Proven experience running accounting and month-end processes, managing audits and delivering statutory accounts.

• Strong technical accounting knowledge (UK GAAP and/or IFRS).

• Excellent systems skills with a bias for simplicity and automation through process design and technology.

• High standards for accuracy, controls and documentation; pragmatic, process-oriented and solutions-focused.

Very desirable

• Experience in entertainment, rights/royalties, publishing or creative industries, or experience with revenue recognition for royalties/licences.

• Experience with multi-currency accounting and international reporting.

• Experience supporting M&A, due diligence and post-acquisition integration.

• Familiarity with finance automation tools.

• Experience of capital markets and debt financing.

• Experience working in a regulated business.

• Knowledge of US and UK reporting and Tax

Attributes we value

• Comfortable working in a small, fast-moving team and building processes from first principles.

• Calm under pressure with excellent prioritisation in busy periods.

• Strong communication skills, discreet and professional.

• Ambition to scale into broader finance leadership as Ovation Rights grows.