Head of Finance - 14 Month FTC (will involve travel to Edinburgh) Finance FullTime London

Overview

Purpose of the Role: We are hiring a Head of Finance in a key leadership position covering teams in our London and Edinburgh office. You will be responsible for overseeing and optimising the core operational finance functions. The role involves regular travel to our Edinburgh office, approximately 2 times per month, as you will be leading a team of 20, mostly based in Edinburgh.Functions you will lead:Finance Transformation

Finance Systems

Procurement

Finance Data and Controls

Accounts Payable and Accounts Receivable

This role is critical in driving financial efficiency, governance, data integrity, and systems improvement across Trainline’s finance operations. You\''ll work closely with senior finance leadership and key business stakeholders to ensure effective financial operations, aligned with strategic business goals.Responsibilities

Leadership and StrategyProvide strategic and operational leadership across the finance function in our Edinburgh office

Lead, inspire, and develop a multidisciplinary team, with a strong focus on people management, team performance and engagement

Set clear objectives, manage team capacity and capability, and create a collaborative environment that supports professional growth and high performance

Act as a senior point of contact for finance operations and transformation initiatives, building trusted relationships across Finance, Technology, and the wider business

Prepare and present regular updates, insights, and recommendations to key stakeholders, including the CFO and senior leadership, on operational finance performance, transformation progress, and strategic initiatives

Finance TransformationLead the end-to-end delivery of finance transformation initiatives aimed at optimising operational efficiency, scalability, and automation across core finance processes

Define and drive the finance transformation roadmap in alignment with Trainline’s broader strategic goals, presenting to key stakeholders

Embed a continuous improvement culture by introducing KPIs, automation, and self-service tools to reduce manual effort and improve accuracy and control

Ensure that transformation projects are delivered on time, within scope, and with strong stakeholder engagement throughout

Finance SystemsOwn and oversee the strategic direction and day-to-day management of Trainline’s finance systems landscape, ensuring systems are scalable, secure, and aligned with business needs

Support the team in acting as the business owner for core finance platforms, ensuring ongoing performance, compliance, and continuous improvement

Ensure systems support strong internal controls and compliance standards

Support training and change management initiatives to drive adoption, accountability, and effective system use across finance teams

ProcurementProvide strategic leadership and oversight of Trainline’s procurement function, ensuring it delivers commercial value, cost efficiency, and supports the company’s growth objectives

Support the team in driving initiatives to improve spend visibility and purchasing discipline across the organisation

Collaborate cross-functionally to ensure procurement processes are well integrated into broader systems and workflows

Finance Data and ControlsProvide strategic oversight and leadership to the team, ensuring delivery of high-impact financial and operational dashboards that support decision-making and evolving business needs

Maintain robust financial controls, reporting standards, and data governance frameworks

Ensure accuracy, transparency, and compliance across all finance data and operational processes

Accounts Payable (AP) and Receivable (AR)Provide oversight and guidance to the AP/AR teams to drive accurate, efficient, and well-governed processing, reconciliation, and reporting

Drive improvements in AP and AR processes, leveraging automation, system enhancements, and best practices to reduce manual effort, increase efficiency, and strengthen controls

Monitor key metrics and proactively manage performance against targets to support working capital optimisation

Experience and QualificationsQualified accountant (ACA, ACCA, CIMA or equivalent) with minimum 5 years PQE

Proven senior finance leadership experience, ideally in a fast-paced, tech-enabled environment

Demonstrated success managing diverse operational finance functions

Skills and AttributesStrong people management skills, with a proven track record of leading, motivating, and developing high-performing teams across multiple disciplines

Strong systems and transformation experience (ERP, finance automation, data tools)

Exceptional stakeholder management and influencing skills

Highly analytical with a process improvement mindset

Resilient and adaptable, with the ability to hit the ground running and lead through change

More information:Enjoy fantastic perks like private healthcare and dental insurance, a generous work from abroad policy, 2-for-1 share purchase plans, an EV Scheme to further reduce carbon emissions, extra festive time off, and excellent family-friendly benefits.We prioritise career growth with clear career paths, transparent pay bands, personal learning budgets, and regular learning days. Jump on board and supercharge your career from day one!Our values represent the things that matter most to us and what we live and breathe everyday, in everything we do:Think Big

- We\''re building the future of rail

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Own It

- We focus on every customer, partner and journey

Travel Together

- We\''re one team

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Do Good

- We make a positive impact

We know that having a diverse team makes us better and helps us succeed. And we mean all forms of diversity - gender, ethnicity, sexuality, disability, nationality and diversity of thought. That\''s why we\''re committed to creating inclusive places to work, where everyone belongs and differences are valued and celebrated.Interested in finding out more about what it\''s like to work at Trainline? Why not check us out on

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