Interim Finance Manager

Interim Finance Manager (SME | IFRS | Life Sciences) - 6-Month Contract Location: Oxford Science Park (3 days per week on site) Savant is partnering with a growing, clinical-stage life sciences organisation to recruit an experienced and hands-on Interim Finance Manager to support the finance function during a period of increased reporting and operational demand. This role is well suited to a seasoned contractor who is comfortable operating across both routine finance operations and more technical IFRS matters within a lean SME environment. The Role Reporting into the Head of Finance, you will take responsibility for a broad range of finance activities, reviewing the work of the Management Accountant while also preparing more complex accounting and reporting outputs. The role requires a flexible, detail-oriented individual who can add value quickly and confidently handle both operational and technical finance tasks. Key Responsibilities Invoice & payment management: Review supplier invoices against contracts, approvals and purchase orders; ensure payment runs are accurately prepared and appropriate bank detail checks are completed. VAT: Review VAT returns, ensuring correct coding and accurate reclaim of VAT from HMRC. Accruals & prepayments: Prepare and review clinical, manufacturing and routine accruals, working closely with operational teams to capture costs appropriately. Balance sheet reconciliations: Review key monthly reconciliations (including bank), and prepare periodic reconciliations across the full trial balance. Journals: Review routine journals prepared by the Management Accountant and prepare more complex journal entries. Management accounts: Support the preparation of monthly management accounts and provide an initial review prior to submission. Budgets & forecasts: Support budget tracking by department and assist with maintaining forecasts based on business updates. Audit & reporting: Manage audit support, including preparation of schedules and responses to audit queries. Contribute to interim and year-end external reporting under IFRS. Ad-hoc support: Provide wider finance support to the Head of Finance and CFO on projects as required. IFRS & Technical Exposure Prepare share-based payment accounting using Black-Scholes methodology, maintaining the company's share option register. Support accounting for convertible loan notes and equity transactions. Assist with interim and annual statutory reporting under IFRS. About You Qualified accountant (CIMA/ACA/ACCA) or QBE (minimum AAT qualified). Strong experience in an SME or owner-managed environment; life sciences, biotech or pharma experience highly desirable. Solid working knowledge of IFRS, including share-based payments and accrual accounting. Advanced Excel skills (lookups, pivot tables and complex formulae). Comfortable balancing hands-on transactional work with more technical accounting and review responsibilities. Flexible, proactive and able to work independently in a fast-paced environment. Available at short notice and able to commit to a 6-month day-rate assignment , with potential for extension.