Commercial Controller - Real Estate

An established real estate business is seeking an experienced Operational Real Estate Commercial Controller for a 12-month fixed-term contract, supporting a significant and expanding property portfolio.

This is a senior, commercially focused finance role combining commercial oversight, financial reporting, operational performance and investment input. You will work closely with investment, development, asset management, operations, legal, tax and FP&A teams, as well as debt and equity funding partners.

Key responsibilities include:

• Leading budgeting, forecasting, cash flow and financial performance analysis across the operational property portfolio.
• Managing lender reporting, debt facilities and covenant compliance.
• Ownership of investor, asset and operational reporting, dashboards and financial performance.
• Oversight of monthly, quarterly and annual financial reporting, controls and governance.
• Providing commercial and financial input into investment, asset management and operational decisions.
• Leading financial oversight and best-practice use of property and financial management systems, including Yardi.
• Partnering closely with operational and asset management teams on property finance matters, including income, expenditure, arrears, service charges and operational performance.
• Managing and developing finance team members and strengthening finance business partnering across the wider property and operational teams.
• Driving improvements to financial processes, systems, controls and governance.
• Supporting the business with commercial analysis, performance improvement initiatives and strategic decision-making across the portfolio.

The ideal candidate will have:

• ACA or ACCA qualification with 5+ years' experience.
• Strong operational real estate / property finance experience, ideally within a complex multi-asset portfolio.
• Experience with Yardi or similar property management and financial systems.
• Strong understanding of real estate finance, asset management, operational property performance and investment structures.
• Experience working with debt and equity stakeholders, lender reporting and financial covenants.
• Strong commercial judgement, with the ability to move between detailed financial analysis and strategic decision-making.
• Excellent Excel skills and strong financial reporting and systems capability.
• A confident, collaborative and commercially minded approach, with the ability to influence senior stakeholders and challenge established processes.
• A hands-on, self-starting approach and the resilience to operate in a fast-paced, multi-stakeholder environment.

This would suit a senior operational real estate finance professional who combines technical accounting strength with genuine commercial and operational understanding, and who is comfortable acting as a finance business partner across a complex property portfolio.

Robert Walters Operations Limited is an employment business and employment agency and welcomes applications from all candidates