Finance Transformation Manager (ACA/ACCA)
2 days ago
City of London
Finance Transformation Manager (ACA/ACCA/ICAS CA) Location: Bristol or London (In-person, hybrid option) Employment Type: Full-time Start Date: June to October 2026 Salary: £45,000 to £70,000 + EMI Equity About GenFinance.AI We are the UK's emerging leader in bringing generative AI to finance and accounting professionals. Our mission: To accelerate the world's finance professionals through the adoption of rapid, reliable, and responsible AI. We work with the institutions that matter: the ICAEW, finance teams in £20m to £250m businesses, and accounting practices navigating the AI transition. We do not build AI models. We deploy them, train people to use them, and advise leadership on adoption strategy. Since launching in June 2024, we have achieved exceptional growth and repeat contracts with blue-chip clients. Our work includes developing the ICAEW GenAI Accelerator Programme, covering 300+ use cases and accessible to 200,000+ members. We are building the founding team that will make GenFinance the definitive name in AI deployment for finance teams and accounting practices. About the Role This is a founding team position. We are a handful of people building something that matters. You will be joining at the ground floor. You have done the hard yards in finance. You know what month-end actually feels like. You have lived through audit season. You understand why accountants are sceptical of anything that promises to make their lives easier. That is exactly why we need you. You will take your finance credibility and learn to apply AI tools in ways that genuinely help - not in ways that sound good in a sales pitch but fall apart in practice. You will work directly with the founder to deliver transformation programmes including training, education, deployment, and advisory services to finance teams and accounting practices. What you will do: • Shadow the founder on client engagements to learn GenFinance's methodology, • Deliver training sessions to finance teams and accounting practices, in person and online, • Translate AI capabilities into language that resonates with accountants: practical, specific, ROI-focused, • Advise clients on AI adoption strategy, helping them prioritise use cases, • Participate in research to help disseminate signal from noise, • Develop and refine training materials, case studies, and resources, • Contribute to thought leadership content for the accounting profession, • Support business development in the accountancy market, • Run workshops independently as you gain confidence, • Represent GenFinance at industry events and professional body gatherings This is a startup. The nature of a founding team role means there will be ancillary tasks beyond your core remit. You will need to be open to what the business needs. The Honest Trade-Off (and Exciting Opportunity) Given the current inflection point of where finance and accounting is relative to the injunction and explosion of generative ai disruption, This will be some of the most profound work you will do in during your career. Your skill set will grow faster here than it would inside a larger company. You will develop more in one year than in three elsewhere. You will get deep expertise in applied AI, taught by practitioners. You will have direct client exposure from early in your tenure. You will shape how an entire profession adopts new technology. If you are not ready for a fast-paced environment where you figure things out yourself, this is not the role for you. If you see what's coming and want to be part of shaping it, keep reading. Requirements Required: • ACA, ACCA, or ICAS CA qualified (or in final stages), • Big 4 background, OR practice/industry role at a £50m+ revenue organisation, • Genuine curiosity about AI and technology, • Strong communication and presentation skills, • Credibility with accountants - you speak their language because you have lived their reality, • Comfort working hard and solving hard problems, • Excitement for the challenge of a founding team Preferred: • Experience in a client-facing or advisory capacity, • Exposure to finance transformation, systems implementation, or process improvement, • Previous use of accounting software (Xero, Sage, Oracle NetSuite, SAP), • Existing network in the accounting profession, • Experience producing written content Not required: • Significant Technical or coding background About the Founder Peter Beard ACA BFP has over ten years of experience in finance and accounting. At Ernst and Young (EY), he managed a range of audits (including FTSE and EURO Stoxx 50-listed), contributed to EY's AI research, and led technology transformation projects. Peter was awarded twice by EY UK for "Significant contributions to innovation initiatives" and "Exceptional technical proficiency and quality commitment". He sits on two ICAEW Advisory Boards (Audit and Assurance Faculty, Members and Commercial Board) and is an Advisory Board Member for the FD Show launching at ExCeL London in 2026. He holds a Perplexity AI Fellowship, connecting him with leaders from Perplexity, Nvidia, Ramp, and other technology companies. LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/peterbeardaca Compensation and Benefits • £45,000 to £70,000 base salary (dependent on experience), • EMI equity participation, • £1,500 annual learning and development stipend, • Pension contributions, • Free gym membership, • Quality equipment (Mac, proper setup), • Various discounts and perks Visa sponsorship is possible for exceptional candidates with exceptional technical English speaking ability. Location Bristol or London. In person with hybrid flexibility once capability is demonstrated. We come to the office because the best work happens in unexpected moments of collaboration. We will give you focused work zones and the tools to do your best work. How to Apply Apply via LinkedIn AND complete the application form: Applications without both will not be reviewed. This filters for genuine interest. Rolling application. We will review on an ongoing basis until the role is filled. Interview process: • Application review (CV, LinkedIn, form), • Initial chat - mutual fit, • Project - demonstrate hands-on capability with AI and ability to explain something complex clearly, • Final conversation with the founder Our goal is to complete the process within two weeks of first contact. Every candidate who completes an interview receives specific feedback within 14 business days. The Context Finance has gone through a handful of genuine inflection points. The digital calculator. Spreadsheets. ERPs. Cloud accounting. Each one felt significant at the time. Looking back, they were one-way doors. Once the profession walked through, it never went back. AI is the next one. Possibly the largest. What's different this time is language. For the first time, we have technology that can work with unstructured information - the judgment calls, the context, the "it depends" that makes finance hard. AI is already performing technically on par with many qualified accountants across a wide range of tasks. The scope of what it can handle autonomously is expanding fast. The current model for how finance teams operate - and how they're supported - doesn't scale into this new world. The mid-market especially is underserved. That's why GenFinance.AI exists. What We Believe • Rapid, reliable, responsible. Generative AI needs all three. Miss one and it fails., • Trust is precious. In finance, trust takes years to build and seconds to destroy., • Speed of thought. That is the standard we are building towards., • From cost centre to value maker. Finance teams should make money, not just count it., • First principles thinking. No assumptions. Solve from the ground up. Best For This role is ideal for someone who: • Is a self-starter with high agency - does not wait to be told what to do, • Thrives with autonomy and takes ownership without being asked, • Challenges assumptions, including their own, • Holds their own in a room full of senior accountants and CFOs, • Finds the phrase "that's not my job" uncomfortable to say, • Wants to be known for their own work, not absorbed into a team of dozens, • Wants to be on the ground defining what this industry will look like in the future, • Finds themselves reading about AI, and the future of work outside of office hours, • Is an obsessive user of technology - genuine thirst for learning how things work, • Sees AI as something to master, not something to fear, • Gets energy for the future rather than anxiety from it