CFO PE Backed Professional Services Business

Marks Sattin; Greater London; On-site; GBP 150,000 - 230,000; Full time

Job summary

Marks Sattin Executive Search is seeking an ambitious Chief Financial Officer to join a high-growth PE-backed Professional Services business in London. As a key partner to the CEO, the CFO will accelerate growth, drive profitability and deliver the value creation plan.

The role owns the finance function, providing strategic insight, robust decision support across P&L, cash flow and balance sheet, and will enhance forecasting, management information and reporting to support scale and a potential

Qualifications

• ACA/ACCA/ACMA qualified, chartered preferred.
• CFO experience in a PE-backed business, ideally in professional services.
• Hands-on with M&A, negotiating acquisitions and integration.
• Proven exit experience and value creation track record.
• Experience with PE-standard reporting and robust financial processes.
• Strong debt management and covenants experience.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills.

Responsibilities

• Own the finance function and provide commercial leadership.
• Strengthen forecasting, planning and management reporting.
• Deliver enhanced MI to enable growth decisions.
• Manage relationships with lenders and covenants.
• Provide board and investor reporting; collaborate with PE investor.
• Drive automation and scalable finance processes.

Skills

CFO experience

M&A experience

PE reporting

Debt covenants management

Stakeholder management

Strategic leadership

Education

Qualified 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.

Please understand that due to the expected high number of applications; only shortlisted candidates will be contacted directly.