Featured Candidates

PERMANENT Candidates

GCA-7541 Finance Director £100,000+

An experienced Top4 qualified (top 10% of year) Finance Director with significant UK and International experience within Blue Chip companies, primarily within the insurance and communications sectors. Particularly skilled in business partnering, decision support, driving increased sales growth, FP&A, performance management and reporting, process improvement and delivery, and cost reduction.

Immediately available for interim or permanent opportunities.

GCA-7261 Financial Controller £55,000

Strong, technical individual with experience gained across practice, commercial and charity sectors. Effective team manager leading and developing finance teams. Experience includes preparation of consolidated year end statutory accounts, audit, management accounts, performance analysis, budgets and forecasts, setting three-year strategic implementation plans, management of cash and investments, balance sheet reconciliations, VAT and tax. Reviewed VAT recovering £500k and then an additional saving of c£100k per annum. Determined and energetic who brings enthusiasm.

GCA-7398 Finance Manager £55,000

An experienced, practice trained and qualified Finance Manager with proven budgeting and reporting skills gained within blue chip environments. Strong business acumen has been obtained through financial analysis and challenge of business cost drivers. Extensive SAP and ERP implementation experience as well as management of SOX controls. Lean Sigma Green Belt.

Systems: Excel, SAP, Cognos.

GCA-7928 Financial Accountant £38,000

Degree educated and ACCA finalist. An enthusiastic and self-motivated finance professional with experience of both commercial and financial reporting within banking and the pharmaceutical sector. Key strengths in variance analysis, reporting, month end journals/accruals and assisting year end and helped identify £50,00 of cost savings to be made within the team. Excellent communicator with a solid career to date.

Systems: Advanced Excel, SAP, Hyperion, Cognos.

INTERIM Candidates

GCA-6935 Finance Director

A grounded, hard-working bright commercial Finance Director who is immediately available. Possesses vast experience of setting up finance functions, working with growing companies, implementing controls, process and procedures as well as new systems. He possesses significant experience of working on due diligence and acquisitions and other change environments. Achievements include growing a £3m turnover business to c£20m over a short period. Systems: MS Excel, Sage, Hyperion, Access, Dynamics.

Available for interim or permanent opportunities.

GCA-7460 Business Controller £29.87 per hour

Highly experienced commercial accountant with expertise in the automotive and FMCG sectors. Broad based skill set which covers all aspects of the business including marketing operations at director and senior management level. Currently responsible for the direct management of factory operations finance team, security and engineering teams. Responsible for financial management reporting, cost accounting, labour strategy, Capex planning, change management and developed new product introductions. Likeable and offers a wealth of transferable skills.

Immediately available for interim or permanent opportunities.

GCA-3342 Finance Manager £29.97 per hour

ACMA Accountant with excellent financial and administrative experience, a career interim who has completed numerous year end assignments through Goldhawk Associates and comes highly recommended. Experience includes: Full year end statutory accounts and tax computations, VAT returns, Cash flow statements, Project accounting and preparation of 5 year business plans. Systems: Agresso, Business Objects, Sage, Crystal, Opera, AS400, SAP and Oracle.

Available for interim or permanent opportunities.

GCA-5250 Interim Finance Director

Interim Finance Director with a record of substantial profit impact, refinancing, with expertise in start-ups, rapid expansion, acquisitions and MBO's. Background is within the manufacturing and B2B sectors. Achievements include turning around loss making company within 9 months and made £2.2m in savings. Reclaimed £750k of costs from a supplier and managed 3 successful tenders growing t/o by 23% in first year. Hands on, calm leader.

Systems: Sage, MS Excel.

News Articles…

Strength of UK labour market continues to defy the doom-mongers - REC:

Commenting on the latest employment figures released today by the Office for National Statistics the Recruitment and Employment Confederation's (REC) Director of Policy and Professional Services Tom Hadley says:

"The strength of the UK labour market continues to defy the doom-mongers. Employer confidence remains strong and the outlook for 2013 is generally very positive, although there are still legitimate reasons to worry about persistent levels of youth unemployment."

"The private sector continues to more than compensate for the public sector job losses and in some high demand areas starting salaries are inflating as businesses find themselves in a race for talent."

"When skills shortages emerge employers need to be flexible. Business demand for candidates in highly skilled areas like engineering, IT and management is outstripping the UK's current supply of qualified and experienced candidates. Bosses need to think about whether they could do just as well by talking on someone who shows potential if they can't find candidates with the years of experience they initially feel are necessary for a role. That change in attitude would also be good news for graduates and younger jobseekers."

Full guidance can be viewed http://www.rec.uk.com/press/news/2304

Government set to amend IR35 legislation to cover 'office holders':

The IR35 legislation was primarily designed to tax ‘disguised employment’ where workers receiving ‘payments from a client via an intermediary and whose relationship with their client is such that had they been paid directly, they would be employees of the client’.

Office holders previously outside the scope of IR35 formed a grey area of uncertainty for HMRC. In an attempt to curb this position and remove any opportunity for disingenuity, the Government aims to strengthen IR35 by including office holders for the purposes of tax - keeping in line with the Social Security legislation where IR35 is applicable to office holders for National Insurance purposes.

What is changing?

The Government will amend one clause of Chapter 8 of Part 2 of the Income Tax Earnings and Pensions Act (ITEPA) 2003.

“In Chapter 8 of Part 2 of ITEPA 2003 (application of provisions to workers under arrangements made by intermediaries), in section 49 (engagements to which Chapter applies), in subsection (1), for paragraph (c) substitute –

“(c) the circumstances are such that –

(i) if the services were provided under a contract directly between the client and the worker, the worker would be regarded for income tax purposes as an employee of the client or the holder of an office under the client, or
(ii) the worker is an office-holder who holds that office under the client and the services relate to the office.

So what does this mean for Freelancers and Contractors?

Payments for services provided by contractors/freelancers who hold an office holder position will be liable to PAYE and National Insurance irrespective of whether they work via an intermediary such as a personal services company or other third party.

Full article see: http://www.rec.uk.com/press/news/2269

Employers predict jobs growth for 2013:

A new survey from the Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC) shows that more than half of employers are planning to hire more permanent staff in 2013.

According to the latest monthly JobsOutlook, a survey of 600 employers, the UK's jobs market is set to continue on a trend of slow growth during the 2013 with more than 50 per cent of employers looking to increase their permanent workforce and one in three planning to take on more temps.

REC dircetor Tom Hadley said: "At first glance the predicted growth in jobs for 2013 may seem at odds with recent gloomier news about lack of GDP growth."

"There are various factors influencing what's been termed this 'jobs puzzle'. The fact that wage inflation remains low is one reason that employers have been able to maintain or increase their workforce.

"Our latest data indicates that the robust performance of the UK labour looks set to continue. At a time of high profile closures on our high street, it is important to remember that a job creation is primarily fuelled by SME businesses."

Full article: http://www.rec.uk.com/press/news/2292

New plans for Rochester airport:

A major plan to revamp Rochester Airport and attract hi-tech firms to the site could create up to 1,000 jobs, it's been revealed.

The development, announced today, aims to provide a long-term future for the site.

Under the proposals, the airport would see its two grass runways closed and one new parallel grass and paved runway.

This paved runway will allow modern small aircraft to take off and climb to a higher altitude very quickly, meaning fewer residents will be affected by noise.

And the grass runway will allow the Medway Aircraft Preservation Society (MAPS) to continue to use the site for heritage aircraft and open days.

Cllr Alan Jarrett, deputy leader of Medway Council, said: “I believe these proposals represent the best possible opportunity to protect Rochester Airport and secure a major private sector investment into this important asset in Medway.

“The proposed scheme will safeguard aviation for business, heritage and leisure use in this well-connected location as well as releasing new land for jobs in Medway.”

Full article: http://www.kentonline.co.uk/medway_messenger/news/2012/december/10/rochester_airport.aspx