Senior Finance Manager

Job Role: Senior Finance Manager

Location: Central Bristol (Queens Square, Bristol)

Basic salary: £75,000+ (DOE)

About GDS Group

GDS Group is a global media and events business headquartered in Bristol, connecting senior technology leaders through summits, content, and digital experiences. We operate across multiple entities spanning the UK, US, and Europe, working with some of the world’s largest technology brands. Finance sits at the heart of how we run the business — providing the reporting, controls, and commercial insight that drive decision-making at the highest level.

Jugo is GDS Group’s SaaS business, delivering immersive virtual event and meeting experiences to enterprise clients globally. It operates as a distinct business unit within the group with its own P&L, commercial model, and growth trajectory.

The Role

We’re looking for an experienced Senior Finance Manager to join our Bristol-based team, reporting directly to the VP Finance. The primary focus of this role is owning the end-to-end forecasting for GDS & Jugo (our fast-growing SaaS business) while also playing a lead role in driving AI and automation across the finance function.

You’ll be the finance lead for Jugo: producing management accounts, building and maintaining financial models, supporting commercial decision‑making, and ensuring robust controls and compliance for the entity. Alongside this, you’ll work with the VP Finance to identify and implement AI‑powered tools and processes that improve how the wider finance team operates.

This is a role for someone who is technically strong, commercially curious, and excited by the opportunity to apply modern technology to transform a finance function across a successful established business with a high‑growth SaaS product.

You’ll be joining a small, senior and highly experienced finance team that sits at the centre of the business. Everyone in the team operates at a senior level, works directly with leadership, and owns their area end to end — there is no layer of admin between you and the numbers. It's a team that expects technical rigour, moves quickly, and is actively rethinking how finance department works using AI and automation.

What You’ll Be Doing

Regular financial management

• Acting as the dedicated finance lead for Jugo, owning the full P&L and balance sheet for the entity
• Producing accurate monthly management accounts and financial reporting for GDS / Jugo, with clear commercial commentary for senior leadership
• Building and maintaining financial models to support GDS / Jugo’s budgeting, forecasting, and strategic planning
• Partnering closely with the GDS / Jugo leadership team to provide financial insight that supports commercial decisions — pricing, investment, headcount, and growth planning
• Ensuring robust financial controls and compliance for the Jugo entity, including audit readiness and statutory obligations
• Tracking SaaS‑specific KPIs (ARR, churn, LTV, CAC) and translating them into financial performance narratives

AI & automation

• Leading the identification and implementation of AI tools and automation across the finance function, both GDS and Jugo.
• Working with the VP Finance to build and execute a roadmap for AI adoption — from automating routine processes to enhancing reporting, forecasting, and financial analysis
• Evaluating and deploying finance technology solutions that improve efficiency, accuracy, and insight across the team
• Acting as the finance team’s internal champion for technology‑led process improvement

Financial control & compliance

• Supporting the year‑end statutory accounts process and audit management for relevant entities
• Ensuring compliance with UK GAAP/IFRS requirements and relevant regulatory obligations
• Overseeing VAT, corporation tax, and other compliance filings in coordination with external advisors

What We’re Looking For

• Fully qualified accountant — ACA, ACCA, or CIMA
• Solid post‑qualification experience in a similar senior finance role
• A genuine passion for AI and technology — with demonstrable, hands‑on experience of applying AI or automation tools to improve finance processes
• Experience in or strong appetite for SaaS or technology business finance — comfortable with SaaS metrics and recurring revenue models
• Strong technical accounting knowledge — management accounts, financial controls, statutory reporting, and compliance
• Confident with FP&A — budgeting, forecasting, variance analysis, and financial modelling
• Commercially minded — able to act as a genuine finance business partner to non‑finance leadership
• Advanced Excel skills; comfortable building and interrogating financial models from scratch
• Strong communicator — able to operate credibly with senior leadership and present financial insight clearly
• Self‑starter who thrives with autonomy and takes full ownership of their output

Nice to Have

• Experience working within a SaaS or subscription‑based business
• Exposure to media, events, or technology sector businesses
• Experience implementing or working with NetSuite or similar ERP platforms
• Hands‑on experience with LLM‑based workflows, AI‑assisted reporting, or finance process automation tools

What We Offer

• Salary £75,000 + depending on experience
• Based full‑time at our Bristol office
• A high‑ownership role with a clearly defined remit and genuine commercial impact
• Direct exposure to the Chairman and senior leadership team
• The opportunity to lead meaningful AI and technology projects that will shape how the finance function operates
• A collaborative, commercially driven environment where finance has a genuine seat at the table

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