Finance Director Designate

Alexander Daniels are delighted to be supporting a strong performing and highly ethical SME (c.£20m) group in their search for a Finance Director Designate, to join the business and act as a trusted advisor to the executive leadership team. This will be an experienced Financial Controller or Head of Finance looking for a number one role that will swiftly progress into an FD position.

The Finance Director Designate is responsible for leading the established finance team and overseeing all monthly accounting rituals. You’ll also be building out more sophisticated FP&A models, forging stronger C-suite and operational relationships, and supporting the SLT with their strategic decision-making.

As the Finance Director Designate, you will be responsible for:

• Preparation of monthly management accounts, P&L statements, balance sheet accounts and cash flow forecasting/analysis
• Production of annual budgets, as well as the 3- and 5-year business plans. Ownership of variance analysis against budget, providing commentary and recommendations to the business
• Acting as a trusted business partner to department heads around the business, highlighting risks and opportunities, working with them to enact your advice
• Establishing a proper set of FP&A models to improve cash flow forecasting, reforecasting and analysis, as well as financial insights around new projects and investments
• Implementing and maintaining strong financial controls and processes, adhering to IFRS and any relevant sector regulations
• Direct line management of the finance team, including training junior staff members and ensuring good progression routes for part-qualified and newly-qualified accountants
• Preparation of board reports and SLT presentations
• Championing the finance team across the business to transition into a finance-centric model where you are behind all strategic decision-making
• Interrogating the existing accounting software and manual Excel models to make improvements where necessary
• Supporting the planned implementation of a new ERP system
• Any other ad hoc projects as required by the executive team

We are looking for someone qualified (ACA, ACMA or ACCA) for this position, with proven experience in a finance leadership role, ideally in a service sector background. You’ll be familiar with SME environments, and building out finance functions/improving fairly basic processes.

We are looking for a long-tenured candidate who is willing to progress to FD within a reasonable timeframe (12-18 months), and support this group’s long-term strategy.