Head of Finance

The Head of Finance is accountable for Ocean Software’s financial discipline, reporting quality, cash management, controls, compliance, and commercial decision support. This is a hands-on finance leadership role for a scaling business that needs reliable execution, stronger financial insight, and reduced CEO involvement in routine finance matters. The role owns finance operations, management reporting, budgeting, forecasting, cash flow, statutory obligations, and finance process improvement. It also supports the CEO and Executive Team by translating financial information into clear risks, trade-offs, recommendations, and actions. Success is measured by timely and accurate reporting, better forecast reliability, stronger cash and invoicing discipline, clear budget ownership, effective financial controls, and practical commercial advice that improves decision quality. Key Success Measures: Monthly reporting delivered on time with clear analysis, risks, ownership, and actions. Improved cash visibility, invoicing discipline, debtor management, and working capital control. Improved forecast accuracy across revenue, costs, cash, and resourcing. Clear budget ownership and stronger financial accountability across department leaders. Finance controls, systems, processes, and reporting cadence strengthened to support business growth. Reduced reliance on the CEO for routine finance follow-up, operational detail, and issue resolution. Requirements Proven experience as a Head of Finance, Financial Controller, Finance Manager, or senior hands-on finance leader in a growing business. Strong technical finance capability across month-end close, management reporting, budgeting, forecasting, cash flow, revenue recognition, reconciliations, audit, tax, and compliance. Demonstrated ability to improve finance controls, reporting quality, invoicing discipline, cash visibility, process reliability, and operating cadence. Commercially capable, with experience supporting pricing, margin, contracts, project profitability, investment cases, scenario planning, and strategic decision-making. Able to translate financial data into practical insight, clear recommendations, and agreed actions for executive and departmental leaders. Comfortable operating without large teams or fully mature systems, and willing to personally do the work. Direct, structured, and outcome-focused, with the confidence to challenge assumptions and hold leaders to financial accountability. Experience in software, technology, defence, government contracting, multi-entity operations, or international subsidiaries highly regarded. Experience supporting due diligence, investor processes, grants, funding applications, or strategic transactions advantageous but not essential. Relevant qualifications, such as CA, CPA, or equivalent, preferred. Responsibilities Financial Operations, Reporting & Control Own month-end close, management reporting, board reporting inputs, reconciliations, revenue recognition, payroll, expenses, and core finance processes. Ensure financial reporting is accurate, timely, useful, and clearly explains performance, risks, variances, owners, and required actions. Maintain strong controls across invoicing, purchasing, delegations of authority, finance data, and compliance requirements. Identify and resolve gaps in finance processes, controls, reporting cadence, and data quality. Budgeting, Forecasting & Performance Management Lead annual budgeting, operating planning, rolling forecasts, and regular reforecasting across revenue, costs, cash, and resourcing. Work with leaders to establish clear budget ownership, planning assumptions, forecast inputs, and accountability for financial outcomes. Improve forecast reliability by connecting sales pipeline, delivery capacity, contracted revenue, invoicing milestones, workforce plans, and operating costs. Provide variance analysis that explains what changed, why it changed, financial impact, owner, and corrective action. Cash, Invoicing & Working Capital Own short-term and medium-term cash flow visibility, rolling cash forecasts, working capital management, and debtor performance. Ensure invoicing is planned, reviewed, issued on time, and followed through to collection. Maintain clear controls over billing milestones, renewals, customer obligations, deferred revenue, unbilled revenue, and revenue recognition timing. Support banking, insurance, audit, tax, and external adviser relationships as required. Commercial Support & Strategic Decision-Making Provide practical financial analysis to support pricing, margins, contracts, bids, investment decisions, resourcing, and project profitability. Partner with Sales, Product, Customer Experience, Operations, and the Executive Team to assess commercial risks, trade-offs, sensitivities, and financial outcomes. Develop financial models and return-on-investment analysis for growth investment, product development, technology, workforce planning, market expansion, and strategic initiatives. Support M&A, due diligence, investor, grant, funding, or strategic transaction activity by ensuring financial information is accurate, complete, and decision ready. Finance Systems, Processes & Governance Improve finance systems, reporting tools, automation, workflows, documentation, and data structures so the finance function can scale effectively. Maintain appropriate financial policies, delegations, risk management practices, statutory obligations, tax compliance, and internal control frameworks. Support Board, Audit, Governance, and external reporting requirements as required by the business. Leadership, Business Partnering & Accountability Act as a direct, practical finance partner to the CEO and senior leaders, with evidence-based advice and clear recommendations. Lift financial literacy by making reporting clear, relevant, and action oriented. Challenge assumptions where needed and ensure leaders take ownership of budgets, forecasts, financial risks, and agreed actions.