Interim Senior Operational Finance Manager
Job Description
Role
Who you are
- Substantial experience managing operational finance functions, ideally spanning Accounts Payable, Accounts Receivable, and finance systems in a fast-paced commercial environment
- A strong track record of leading and developing high-performing finance teams, with the ability to set direction, manage performance, and support the professional growth of team members
- Solid expertise across AP/AR processes, credit control, working capital management, and financial controls, with a high standard of attention to detail and data governance
- Experience working within an ERP environment, ideally Microsoft Dynamics 365 or a comparable platform, with a confident grasp of transactional finance processes end-to-end
- A process improvement mindset, with demonstrated success delivering automation and efficiency gains across operational finance functions
- Strong communication skills and the ability to build effective working relationships with stakeholders across Finance, Technology, and senior business leadership
- Confidence managing SLAs and service expectations with internal stakeholders, alongside the resilience to operate effectively in a fast-paced and evolving environment
- Availability at short notice and comfort operating in an interim capacity, with the drive to take ownership quickly, deliver impact within a defined timeframe, and lead a clear and structured handover
- We're operating a hybrid model and ask that Trainliners work from the office a minimum of 60% of their time over a 12-week period
What the job involves
- At Trainline, our Finance team is the backbone of how we manage, govern, and grow the business responsibly. From transactional processing to financial controls and systems ownership, the team works across a broad range of disciplines to ensure Trainline operates with accuracy, integrity, and commercial rigour
- This is a pivotal interim appointment within our operational finance function, sitting within a high-performing team and reporting directly to the Group Financial Controller
- As Interim Senior Operational Finance Manager, you will lead the teams responsible for Accounts Payable, Accounts Receivable, Finance Systems, and our Cashbook function, driving operational excellence and embedding a continuous improvement mindset across the function
- You will work closely with Finance leadership and Technology colleagues to strengthen controls, streamline processes, and maintain delivery momentum throughout a six-month fixed-term engagement, with a clear and structured handover at its close
- Lead and develop a multi-disciplinary operational finance team across Accounts Payable, Accounts Receivable, Finance Systems, and Cashbook, setting clear objectives, managing team capacity, and actively supporting the professional growth of every team member
- Own the day-to-day management of the AP and AR functions, ensuring invoices, payments, collections, and reconciliations are processed accurately, on time, and in line with strong governance and compliance standards
- Drive working capital performance by monitoring AP and AR KPIs, proactively managing aged debt and debtor days, and delivering regular reporting and insight to the Group Financial Controller
- Oversee bank and cash reconciliation across all entities and currencies, maintaining robust controls over cash processes including payment authorisation, segregation of duties, and reconciliation review
- Act as business owner for Trainline's core finance systems, ensuring platforms are scalable, secure, and well-governed, and that teams are empowered to use them effectively through training and change management
- Own the operational finance contribution to month-end close, ensuring ledgers are closed accurately and on time, and serve as a key point of contact throughout internal and external audit processes
- Identify and deliver process improvements with a focus on automation, efficiency, and scalability, coordinating with the Senior Finance Manager - Transformation to ensure changes are aligned with the broader Finance transformation roadmap
- Build trusted relationships across Finance, Technology, and the wider business, acting as the senior point of contact for operational finance and managing SLAs with internal stakeholders
Compensation: £75-80k + Bonus & 2-for-1 share purchase plans
Location: Edinburgh
Work Arrangement: 2+ days a week in office (minimum 60% office attendance over 12-week period)
Contract Type: 6 Month Fixed Term Contract
About the Company
Company mission
Trainline is proud to be Europe's leading rail and coach platform - a tech company with a mission to make train travel as smooth as possible to allow travellers to make greener travel choices.
Trainline makes it super easy to book transport tickets. Its app is intuitive and well designed and it's pioneering paperless travel, allowing users to store their tickets in the app. It's hyper-focused on customer experience and has a product culture of fast iteration to deliver great outcomes for customers. Its customers make 170,000 journeys a day and it sells 200 tickets a minute. It's continuing to innovate to stay ahead, using machine learning to predict price movements and integrating with Siri and Google Assistant so people can buy tickets simply by speaking to their phone.
Company Size: 1001+ employees
Company Benefits:
- Flexible working (60% min office attendance)
- Cycle to work scheme
- Discounted gym memberships through Wellhub
- Private Health and Dental Insurance
- Enhanced Pension (matched contributions)
- Income Protection
- Share Incentive Plan (buy one get one free)
- Learning budget
- Primary & Secondary Caregiver Leave
- Shared Parental Leave
- Enhanced sick pay
- Free Perkbox subscription
- Electric Vehicle Salary Sacrifice Scheme
- YellowNest - Subsidised Childcare Fees
- Work from Abroad
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