Financial Controller – Dental Group

SUMMARY:
The Financial Controller will take ownership of the day-to-day financial control and reporting function, ensuring accurate financial information, robust controls and effective cash management across the organisation.

POSITION INFO:
Financial Controller - Dental Group Take ownership of financial control, reporting and cash management for a growing UK private dental group, supporting practice profitability and commercial decision-making. Remote (South Africa) | Remote | 09:00-17:00 UK time | R55,000-R70,000 per month ABOUT OUR CLIENT Our client is a growing UK private dental group with practices across London and Milton Keynes. The group provides comprehensive private dental care spanning general dentistry, cosmetic treatments, orthodontics and advanced implantology. The business focuses on patient comfort, exceptional care and a modern, technology-led experience, providing a calm, high-quality approach to dentistry across its growing network of clinics. THE ROLE: FINANCIAL CONTROLLER - DENTAL GROUP The Financial Controller will take ownership of the day-to-day financial control and reporting function, ensuring accurate financial information, robust controls and effective cash management across the organisation. Working closely with the Finance Director, Managing Director, Practice Managers and operational teams, the role will provide financial insight to support commercial decision-making, improve practice profitability and drive sustainable growth. The role oversees the full finance function, including accounts payable, accounts receivable, credit control, payroll coordination, management accounts, cash flow, budgeting and financial reporting. KEY RESPONSIBILITIES Take ownership of the company's day-to-day financial control environment. Ensure accurate and timely financial reporting across the business. Prepare monthly management accounts and financial reporting packs. Produce P&L, balance sheet and cash flow reports. Review financial performance across individual dental practices. Analyse variances against budget, forecast and prior-year performance. Identify financial risks, trends and opportunities and communicate these to senior management. Ensure appropriate financial controls, processes and authorisation procedures are in place. Maintain accurate and complete accounting records. Provide financial reporting and analysis at practice level. Monitor revenue, costs, EBITDA and profitability across individual locations. Track patient revenue, treatment revenue, new patient numbers, treatment acceptance, average patient value, clinician production, clinician costs, associate payments, laboratory costs, consumables, staff costs and marketing expenditure. Identify underperforming practices and investigate the reasons behind financial variances. Work with Practice Managers to develop and implement improvement plans. Support Practice Managers in understanding and using financial information. Lead the annual budgeting process. Prepare rolling forecasts and cash flow projections. Work with operational leaders to develop realistic practice budgets. Monitor performance against budget throughout the year. Update forecasts based on trading performance and operational changes. Support scenario modelling for new practices, acquisitions, expansion and investment decisions. Oversee Accounts Payable, ensuring supplier invoices are accurately processed and paid within agreed terms. Oversee Accounts Receivable and credit control processes. Monitor outstanding patient and corporate\/customer balances. Ensure effective debt collection processes are maintained. Review aged debtor and creditor reports. Ensure appropriate controls around supplier payments and customer receipts. Monitor supplier relationships and resolve significant financial queries. Oversee payroll processes in conjunction with the payroll provider or internal payroll team. Review payroll reports and investigate variances. Ensure accurate payment of salaries, bonuses and other employee payments. Monitor staff costs as a percentage of revenue. Review clinician and associate payment calculations where applicable. Work with HR and practice management to ensure financial controls around recruitment and remuneration are maintained. Reconcile practice management system revenue against accounting records. Ensure daily and monthly banking is accurately recorded and reconciled. Monitor payment providers and merchant accounts. Reconcile card payments, finance arrangements and other patient payment methods. Investigate discrepancies between practice management systems, banking and accounting systems. Ensure revenue recognition and accounting treatment are accurate and consistent. Support the Finance Director with statutory accounts and year-end processes. Liaise with external accountants, auditors and tax advisers. Ensure VAT returns and other financial submissions are prepared accurately and on time. Maintain appropriate financial documentation and audit trails. Ensure compliance with relevant UK accounting, tax and financial regulations. Support financial due diligence for acquisitions and new practice opportunities. Provide financial insight to support strategic decision-making. Evaluate the financial performance and ROI of marketing campaigns. Support pricing and profitability analysis for treatments and services. Analyse clinician and practice performance. Assist with business cases for new equipment, technology and capital expenditure. Support acquisition modelling and integration where required. Identify opportunities to reduce costs without compromising patient care or service quality. Provide financial analysis for new practice openings, refurbishments and expansion projects. Maintain and improve finance processes across the business. Ensure accounting systems and practice management systems integrate effectively. Identify opportunities for automation and process improvement. Improve the accuracy and speed of financial reporting. Establish standardised financial processes across multiple practices. Develop appropriate financial dashboards and KPIs. Ensure finance data is accurate, accessible and actionable. Monitor and report on practice revenue and revenue growth, EBITDA and EBITDA margin, revenue per practice, revenue per clinician, new patient revenue, treatment acceptance and conversion, average patient value, associate and clinician costs, staff costs, laboratory costs, consumables costs, marketing cost per new patient, debtor days, cash flow, budget versus actual performance and practice-level profitability. ABOUT YOU At least 3-5 years' overall experience as a qualified accountant in a Financial Controller, Finance Manager or senior finance role, including at least 1-2 years of relevant UK-based finance experience. ACCA, CIMA, ACA or an equivalent international accounting qualification. Local equivalent professional-level qualifications and local degrees will be considered on a case-by-case basis. Minimum 3 years' Xero experience. Strong experience across management accounts, financial reporting and financial control. Hands-on experience preparing monthly management accounts, P&L reporting and managing month-end close processes. Experience managing or overseeing transactional finance functions. Experience leading a finance function or managing a transactional finance team. Strong understanding of UK accounting principles and financial controls. Experience with statutory accounts, VAT returns and working with external auditors. Advanced Excel skills and experience with accounting systems. Strong analytical and commercial skills. Experience working with senior management and operational teams. Excellent attention to detail and accuracy. Strong technical accounting knowledge. Excellent financial analysis skills. Strong understanding of P&L, balance sheet and cash flow. Budgeting and forecasting expertise. Strong financial controls mindset. Ability to translate financial data into practical business recommendations. Strong understanding of profitability and cost management. Commercially aware and comfortable challenging business decisions where appropriate. Able to manage and develop finance team members. Strong stakeholder management skills. Comfortable working with Practice Managers, clinicians and senior leadership. Able to communicate complex financial information clearly to non-finance professionals. Strong Excel skills. Comfortable working across multiple systems. Data-driven and analytical. Passionate about process improvement and automation. Commercially minded and financially astute. Highly organised and detail-oriented. Proactive and solutions-focused. Confident in challenging assumptions and identifying financial risks. Comfortable working in a fast-paced, growing business. A strong communicator who can build relationships across clinical and non-clinical teams. Discreet and trustworthy when handling sensitive financial information. Able to balance strategic thinking with hands-on financial management. Experience within dentistry, healthcare, medical services or another multi-site environment is desirable. Experience working within a dental group or DSO environment is desirable. Experience in a multi-site, multi-practice or multi-entity environment is desirable. Experience with dental practice management systems such as Dentally, CareStack, SOE, Ascend or similar is desirable. Experience with Fathom is desirable. Experience with supporting accounting platforms including Dext, Mayday, Telleroo and Moss Expenses is desirable. Experience supporting acquisitions or multi-site business growth is desirable. A strong track record is important.