CFO PE Backed Professional Services business

Marks Sattin; City Of London; On-site; GBP 160,000 - 210,000; Full time

Job summary

Marks Sattin Executive Search is seeking an ambitious Chief Financial Officer for a high-growth PE-backed professional services business. As a key partner to the CEO and leadership team, you will accelerate growth, drive profitability and deliver the value creation plan.

You will own the finance function, provide strategic insight across P&L, cash flow and balance sheet, strengthen forecasting and board reporting, and build a scalable, high-performing finance operation to support the next phase

Qualifications

• Qualified accountant (ACA/ACCA/ACMA), chartered preferred.
• CFO experience in PE-backed Professional Services or related sectors.
• Involvement with M&A, including negotiation and integration.
• Proven track record in exit preparation or execution.
• Experience in PE-standard reporting and financial processes.
• Strong debt providers & covenants management.
• Proactive, hands-on, commercially driven leadership with execution focus.
• Excellent stakeholder management and communication.

Responsibilities

• Own the finance function and provide strategic financial leadership.
• Strengthen forecasting, budgeting, and management reporting.
• Enhance data quality, analytics, and KPI visibility.
• Manage lender relationships, covenants, and liquidity.
• Prepare high-quality Board and PE investor reporting.
• Drive automation and scalable finance processes.

Skills

CFO experience

PE-backed exposure

M&A experience

Exit experience

Growth acceleration

PE reporting & processes

Debt covenants management

KPIs & reporting improvements

Stakeholder management

Education

Qualified Chartered Accountant (ACA/ACCA/ACMA)

Job description

Marks Sattin Executive Search is seeking an ambitious, commercially minded Chief Financial Officer to join a high-growth, PE-backed Professional Services business. As a key partner to the CEO, PE Fund and leadership team, the CFO will play a pivotal role in accelerating growth, driving profitability and delivering the value creation plan. With significant scope to shape the next phase of the business, they will strengthen financial and commercial performance, sharpen forecasting and pipeline visibility, and help position the business for a successful exit.

The CFO will take ownership of the finance function, providing commercial leadership, strategic insight and robust decision support across the P&L, cash flow and balance sheet. A key focus will be on strengthening financial planning, forecasting and reporting, while enhancing the quality and coverage of financial data to provide greater visibility of performance, cash generation and future opportunities. They will also build a robust, scalable and high-performing finance function, embedding the financial discipline, accountability and commercial focus required to support the next phase of growth.

With the business entering an important phase of expansion, the CFO will play a central role in driving improved commercial performance. This will include strengthening pipeline visibility, forecasting accuracy and profitability, while providing the leadership team and PE investor with clear, forward-looking insight to support key strategic decisions. The role will also drive greater automation and enhance management information, ensuring the business has the data, processes and infrastructure required to scale effectively and make better commercial decisions.

The CFO will also take ownership of relationships with the business's existing lenders, adopting a proactive and solutions-focused approach to covenant management, liquidity and funding. They will provide high-quality Board and investor reporting and work closely with the PE investor on financial strategy and key strategic initiatives. This opportunity will suit an ambitious CFO seeking a high-impact role within a PE-backed Professional Services business, with the opportunity to shape the finance function, influence the wider commercial agenda and play a central role in creating long-term value.

The ideal candidate:

• A qualified accountant (ACA, ACCA, ACMA), preferably chartered.
• CFO experience within a PE-backed business, ideally across Professional Services, Technology Services, Outsourcing, Managed Services, or Consultancy.
• Involvement with M&A, including acquisition negotiation and integration.
• Proven experience supporting or leading a successful exit.
• Track record of re-accelerating growth and delivering meaningful value creation.
• Experience delivering PE-standard reporting and financial processes in a fast-paced environment.
• Strong experience managing debt providers and banking covenants through the cycle.
• Ability to define KPIs, strengthen reporting and controls, and drive measurable performance improvement.
• A proactive, hands-on and commercially driven leader, with strong decision-making skills and a clear focus on execution and delivering results.
• Excellent communication, presentation and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to build strong relationships, influence effectively and drive change.

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