Chief Financial Officer

Extantia; Leeds; On-site; GBP 180,000 - 260,000; Full time

Job summary

AssetCool is seeking a Chief Financial Officer to lead how the company is financed and scaled internationally. This is a strategic, board-level appointment reporting to the CEO, owning capital strategy and financing rounds alongside the CEO.

You will build a finance function that stays ahead of fast-growing global operations, turning complex technology and deployment plans into a compelling investment narrative for institutional investors. Credible with investors and governance-focused.

Qualifications

• 5+ years as CFO or equivalent senior finance leader in a venture-backed, growth-stage technology business.
• Hands-on experience in at least one institutional equity fundraising from Series A onwards, including modelling and diligence.
• Background in deeptech, robotics, advanced hardware, industrial technology, climate technology or IP-led deployment.
• Strong command of venture capital economics, including cap tables, preference structures, dilution, option pools and financing terms.
• Demonstrable experience building and evaluating capital stacks that combine equity with debt or non-dilutive instruments.
• Experience scaling a finance function, systems and controls in a rapidly growing organisation.
• Experience supporting international expansion, multi-entity reporting, cross-border tax and transfer pricing.
• Credibility with sophisticated international investors and a track record of operating effectively at Board level.
• Qualified accountant or equivalent depth of financial expertise.

Responsibilities

• Develop and own medium- and long-term capital strategy, and lead financing rounds with CEO.
• Manage investor relations across international venture, growth equity, strategic and climate-focused capital.
• Own integrated financial planning including budgets, multi-year forecasts, and scenario models.
• Ensure financial controls, treasury management, audit readiness, and statutory reporting for growth-stage business.
• Design finance, tax and legal-entity architecture to support global operations.
• Maintain accurate ownership and cap table, advise on option pools and equity incentives.
• Oversee M&A activity, licensing arrangements and exit-readiness planning.
• Build the finance organization and systems to deliver timely, reliable information.

Skills

CFO-level experience

Fundraising experience

Deeptech background

Venture capital knowledge

Capital structuring

Scaling finance function

International expansion

Board-level credibility

Qualified accountant

Education

Qualified accountant or equivalent

Job description

Do you want to work with the 15th fastest-growing startup in Europe? If so, you’re in the right place.

AssetCool is one of Europe’s fastest-growing startups, building the fastest path to more power on the grid.

We’re tackling one of the most urgent challenges in the global energy transition: grid congestion. Electricity demand is rising fast; driven by electrification, AI and data centres. While traditional grid upgrades take years, demand exists today. The grid isn’t ready.

AssetCool delivers robotic grid upgrades that physically increase the capacity of existing transmission lines by up to 30%, without rebuilding infrastructure. Using advanced robotics and proprietary photonic coatings, we unlock data‑centre‑scale capacity in weeks to months, not years and at a fraction of the cost and disruption of conventional approaches.

Our technology goes beyond capacity. We reduce losses, prevent corrosion, cut corona noise and generate high‑value operational data that supports smarter grid operation and maintenance. Our systems are already deployed globally, and we just raised a big funding round from leading energy and climate investors.

AssetCool is one of the most innovation‑driven companies in the UK energy sector and we’re scaling fast! If you’re ambitious, mission‑driven and excited to work on real deployments that strengthen the industry that really matters, AssetCool is where you can make it happen.

Role Overview

AssetCool is looking for a CFO to lead how the company is financed and how it scales internationally. This is a strategic, board‑level appointment reporting to the CEO.

You will own capital strategy, lead our current and future financing rounds alongside the CEO, and build a finance function that stays ahead of a fast‑growing international business. This is not primarily a controllership role. We need rigorous stewardship combined with strong commercial judgement and the ability to turn complex technology and operating plans into a compelling investment narrative.

You will be a principal voice in investor conversations, a trusted challenger to a founder‑led leadership team, and comfortable making decisions with imperfect information. Credible with institutional investors, practical and low‑ego in a fast‑moving environment.

Key Responsibilities

• Capital strategy and fundraising. Own the medium and long-term capital strategy and lead all financial workstreams for institutional rounds, from the model and investor materials through diligence, term‑sheet evaluation and close. Participate directly in investor meetings alongside the CEO.
• Investor relations. Build and maintain relationships across international venture, growth equity, strategic and climate-focused capital. Run a disciplined reporting cadence against the investment case and key milestones.
• Strategic finance and planning. Own the integrated financial plan, including budgets, multi-year forecasts, scenario models and capital allocation. Develop decision-grade unit economics across coating deployments, robotic services, hardware and licensing, and partner with commercial and operational leaders on pricing, margin and resource allocation.
• Board, governance and controls. Lead Board and investor financial reporting. Ensure appropriate financial controls, treasury management, audit readiness, statutory reporting, tax compliance and risk management at a standard suitable for an institutionally backed business, without losing growth-stage pace.
• International structure. Design the finance, tax and legal‑entity architecture to support operations across the UK, North America and other markets, including subsidiary formation, consolidated reporting, intercompany arrangements, foreign exchange and defensible transfer‑pricing policies.
• Equity and cap table. Maintain accurate ownership, dilution and waterfall models. Advise the Board on option‑pool sizing and refreshes, and oversee the governance of employee share schemes across an international workforce.
• M&A and exit readiness. Assess acquisitions, joint ventures, licensing arrangements and strategic partnerships, and maintain an exit‑readiness plan covering financial records, diligence materials, KPI history and entity structure.
• Team and systems. Build the finance organisation and the systems behind it, balancing internal capability with external specialist support, and implement reporting that delivers timely, reliable information without unnecessary bureaucracy.

Required Experience

• 5+ years as CFO, Finance Director or equivalent senior finance leader in a venture‑backed, growth‑stage technology business.
• Hands‑on experience leading or playing a central role in at least one institutional equity fundraising from Series A onwards, covering financial modelling, investor engagement, diligence, term‑sheet evaluation and completion.
• A background in deeptech, robotics, advanced hardware, industrial technology, climate technology, energy infrastructure or another IP‑led sector with complex product development and deployment.
• Strong command of venture capital economics, including cap tables, preference structures, dilution, option pools and the financial implications of financing terms.
• Demonstrable experience building and evaluating capital stacks that combine equity with debt or non‑dilutive instruments.
• Experience scaling a finance function, systems and controls in a rapidly growing organisation.
• Experience supporting international expansion, multi‑entity reporting, cross‑border tax and transfer pricing.
• Credibility with sophisticated international investors and a track record of operating effectively at Board level.
• Qualified accountant or equivalent depth of financial expertise.

Preferred Experience.

• Involvement in a successful exit, major secondary transaction, IPO preparation or other material liquidity event.
• Direct M&A experience across evaluation, diligence, negotiation and post‑transaction integration.
• Fundraising across a mix of UK, European, North American, Middle Eastern or Asian investor pools.
• Experience combining venture equity with venture debt, strategic investment, grants, asset finance or project‑linked funding.
• Experience with manufacturing, hardware‑enabled services, project delivery, recurring revenue and international commercial contracts.
• Familiarity with UK employee option schemes and the practical challenges of extending equity incentives to an international workforce.

Why Join AssetCool?

• Few finance roles let you fund a company and shape an industry at the same time. The grid is the bottleneck in the energy transition, and we are one of a very small number of companies with a working answer already deployed at scale.
• You will lead the next financing rounds as a principal, not a support function, with direct access to the CEO, the Board and a shareholder base of leading energy and climate investors.
• This is a genuine build. The finance architecture, the international structure, the team and the systems are yours to design as the company scales across the UK, North America and beyond.
• The commercial problem is unusually interesting. Robotics, advanced materials, project delivery and recurring revenue in one business, in a market where demand is running well ahead of supply.
• Meaningful equity in a company at a pivotal stage, with a competitive executive package calibrated to experience and impact.

Research shows that some candidates may hesitate to apply unless they meet every listed requirement. If this role excites you but your experience doesn’t align perfectly with every qualification, we still encourage you to apply. You might be exactly who we're looking for, either for this role or another opportunity within our team.

We’re proud to be an equal opportunities employer and welcome applications from people of all backgrounds. We’re committed to building an inclusive, supportive workplace where everyone can thrive, regardless of age, disability, gender identity, marital or civil partnership status, pregnancy or maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, or sexual orientation.

If you have a disability or any specific requirements and need adjustments at any stage of the recruitment process, just let us know and we’ll do our best to accommodate your needs.