Chief Financial Officer

Verve; London; Hybrid; GBP 140,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job description

Salary £140k-£180k plus bonus and share option scheme

Chief Financial Officer

A leadership position with the leaders in AI empowered insights - come disrupt a whole industry with us!

About Verve!

We are not your typical consultancy. And this isn't your typical CFO role.

Verve is at the forefront of AI-powered insight and foresight. Fusing technology, human expertise, and cultural insight to help global brands make game-changing decisions. With a 120+ strong team across the UK, Europe, North America, Australia, and South Africa, we partner with brands like Samsung, Mars Petcare, and Unilever to redefine how businesses think, act, and grow. Our market-leading AI tools have received widespread acclaim, and now we're ready to accelerate - scaling rapidly to become one of the world's leading research consultancies.

This next phase is all about bold growth and value creation. That's where you come in.

We need someone with experience in driving value creation in entrepreneurial growth companies, possibly in product-led service companies but ideally also with experience in managing and optimising time-based consultancy businesses. A commercially savvy hands-on operator working closely with the Founder/CEO in helping shape and negotiate contracts, commercial partnerships and comfortable in a fast moving environment, experienced in international markets.

You will be based in the London or Manchester area and your role will offer high strategic influence and the chance to help scale an AI-powered consultancy that's redefining the industry. And with a competitive package (£140k-£180k + bonus + share options), you'll have real skin in the game as we create and realise value.

Role & Responsibilities

Leadership & Strategy

1. Group CFO on the board, reporting to the CEO and the board
2. Lead financial planning, performance management, and risk oversight across the group
3. Guide M&A, legal agreements, and corporate development initiatives

Financial Management, Procurement & Legal

1. Own all management reporting and board-level financial insights
2. Oversee budgeting, forecasting, and compliance across the business
3. Ensure financial systems, controls, and tools support scalable growth
4. Help ensure we buy well overseeing efficient purchasing
5. Oversee negotiation of legal agreements with clients and partners

Operational Performance

1. Drive margin and profit improvement, with a hands-on approach rooted in experience from time-based businesses
2. Collaborate with operations and project teams to optimise efficiency and resourcing
3. Build a culture of commercial accountability across the organisation

Supporting Innovation

1. Partner with the leadership of our emerging AI business to support strategy execution, financial modelling, and investment planning
2. Enable agile financial support that empowers innovation while managing risk

About You

Experience

1. Proven CFO or senior finance leadership experience in a management consultancy, consultancy-based marketing services, or other time-based professional services business
2. Demonstrated success in improving profitability and operational efficiency in a complex, fast-moving environment
3. Track record of contributing at board level and leading cross-functional teams through change
4. Experience in M&A, fundraising, strategic planning, and international operations
5. Comfortable in a high-growth, entrepreneurial, and innovation-led setting

Competencies

1. Strategic thinker with strong commercial instincts
2. Technically excellent, with sharp analytical and financial acumen
3. Collaborative, confident leader-able to engage and influence at all levels
4. Proactive, hands-on, and able to get into the operational detail when needed
5. Enthusiastic about the potential of AI and emerging technologies in business

What We Offer

1. Competitive compensation: £140k-£180k plus bonus and share option scheme, to share in the upside value we together create
2. Executive Board role with high strategic influence
3. An entrepreneurial, collaborative and multi-cultural environment
4. A front-row seat in shaping the future of insight and AI-powered consultancy
5. Hybrid working attached to Verve's London or Manchester hub

If you're excited by the opportunity to help lead one of the industry's most progressive consultancies into its next phase of growth - we'd love to hear from you.

Please send your CV and a short note on why you think this role is the right next step for you.