Director of Financial Control

Level:6Salary band:£110,000 - £120,000Bonus:15% performance-based, discretionaryHybrid - x3 days per week in our office in Angel, London

At Automata, we're on a mission to transform how scientists work by making automation accessible to every lab in the world. We believe that by giving labs the power to automate, we can unlock discoveries that will shape the future of life sciences—from diagnostics and drug discovery to synthetic biology.

But we’re more than just a company disrupting the industry—we're a team of innovators, problem-solvers, and creators passionate about empowering scientists. Our LINQ platform combines hardware and software to streamline workflows, making lab automation fast, flexible, and affordable. This means our customers can focus on groundbreaking research, while we take care of the rest.

Why Work at Automata?

• Impact: Your work will directly contribute to advancements in science and medicine, supporting labs around the globe as they push boundaries in research and innovation.
• Innovation: You’ll be part of a team solving complex problems (seriously, no one else has figured out how to do this yet), using cutting-edge technology (we have robots).
• Growth: We invest in our people. Whether through hands-on experience, professional development, or collaborative projects, you’ll grow both professionally and personally.
• Community: Join a diverse, passionate team that values collaboration (golf on a Thursday, Soccer once a month, movie nights whenever we fancy it).

The Director of Financial Control is a critical role and will lead the core finance team for the company. The role has full ownership of the smooth running of financial reporting and finance operations.

The role will coordinate and work with the People team on Compensation and the FP&A Lead and CFO to complete the month end process and generate the management accounts reporting pack each month, incorporating and updating the Budget.

The role will have responsibility for external relationships with our bankers, taking ownership for banking and treasury matters as well as intercompany set up and smooth running.

The role will lead the team responsible for maintaining financial controls, setting and ensuring compliance with policies and regulations, managing audits and the statutory accounting processes, handling general ledger accounting, tax matters, corporate structure and inter-company transfer pricing, accounts payable/receivable and billing, optimising payment processes, and overseeing balance sheet management.

As the Company continues to grow rapidly, this role will ensure all processes and controls are robust and scalable. You will act as the key finance point of contact for planned expansion into new territories, with countries in Europe being the first of these, and ensure the Company is compliant with all jurisdictional requirements.

Duties & Responsibilities

Statutory Accounting and Audit Management:

• Oversee the preparation and filing of statutory financial statements, ensuring accuracy and compliance with relevant regulations.
• Stay updated on changes in accounting standards and ensure proper implementation and adherence to these changes.
• Coordinate and manage internal and external audits, ensuring timely and accurate completion.
• Collaborate with auditors to address findings, implement necessary changes, and enhance internal controls.

Monthly Close Process:

• Supervise the monthly closing process, including general ledger reconciliations, journal entries, and financial statement preparation.
• Provide accurate and timely financial reports, including comparisons to Budget and work with the CFO to complete the Month End reporting process.
• Continuously seek to maximise efficiencies in the finance operations team and spot opportunities for the business.

Banking and Treasury:

• Manage banking relationships and ensure efficient treasury operations, including cash management, cash forecasting, and risk mitigation.
• Monitor and analyse banking fees, interest rates, and foreign exchange rates to optimise financial transactions.
• Develop and implement treasury policies and procedures to safeguard company assets and ensure compliance.

Financial Controls:

• Develop, implement, maintain and continuously improve robust financial control frameworks to safeguard company assets and ensure compliance with regulatory requirements with the support of the junior Finance Controller.
• Take ownership for Finance Policies.
• Oversee accounts payable and accounts receivable processes, ensuring accurate and timely processing of invoices, payments, and collections.
• Implement efficient billing processes and systems to optimise cash flow and minimise delays.
• Balance Sheet and working capital management.

Compliance:

• Ensure compliance with all financial regulations, including GAAP, IFRS, and local statutory requirements.
• Collaborate with tax advisors to ensure compliance with tax regulations and optimise the company's tax position.
• Oversee the preparation and submission of tax returns and R&D Credit claims, ensuring accuracy and timely compliance.
• Ensure we have the appropriate legal support in place to support commercial agreements and employment agreements.
• Maintain relationships with lawyer in relation to share option agreements, financing, statutory filings and general corporate.

General Corporate – intercompany and IR:

• Develop and implement effective corporate structures, ensuring alignment with business objectives and regulatory requirements.
• Manage intercompany transactions and transfer pricing policies, ensuring compliance with relevant regulations and minimising tax risks.
• Collaborate with legal and tax teams to address complex inter-company transfer pricing issues.
• Maintain the Cap Table and provide specific reporting submissions to investors as required.

People Team and Compensation:

• Oversee the payroll and benefits process for employees, with the support of the Financial Operations Manager.
• With the People team, work on guidelines for salary increases, bonuses and remote salary arrangements.
• Work with the FP&A Manager, Financial Operations Manager and Head of People to maintain the People Budget and reporting of variances to Budget.
• Run the Compensation programs including management of employee options agreements and commission plan.

Candidate Profile

Key Competencies:

• Leadership – owning the finance operations area, including management of the core financial control team (4 team members, including 2 direct reports).
• Proactively identifying areas for improvement and implementing change for the better.
• Strong knowledge of financial controls, accounting principles, finance policies and regulatory compliance.
• Strong understanding of tax regulations and transfer pricing principles – or a desire to learn and be proactive in seeking knowledge.
• Ability to ‘hustle’ – negotiate the best price / best value services for our finance operations team.
• Strong communicator with a clear awareness on how messages will land. Display a consciousness on ‘hot spots’ or potential problem areas and proactively seek support and feedback.
• Excellent attention to detail.

Essential experience:

• Inventory management reporting and controls.

• Desirable experience:
  • Contract reporting and revenue recognition.
  • ERP migration.
  • Project management.

Values:

• Action over Inaction – be a ‘completer’ of work, pushing work and actions of self and team through to resolution and sign off internally or externally, documenting actions and outcomes cleanly and clearly.
• Be your best – actively seek out feedback and proactively ask for advice and support in approaching development areas.
• Collaborate to elevate
  • Show a desire to concisely narrate the issues or outcomes and concisely present, whether that’s in person, via email or in 121 settings.
  • Work with the CFO, wider finance team, People team and other stakeholders to collectively be the best, sharing issues and problems with transparency and openness.

We are an equal-opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. Discrimination of any kind based on race, colour, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, age, genetic information, disability, or veteran status is strictly prohibited.