Chief Financial Officer

Pratap Executive; West Midlands; On-site; GBP 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Pratap Executive is recruiting a Chief Financial Officer for an established professional services business in the West Midlands. The incoming CFO will partner with the Board and leadership team to shape the financial strategy, drive growth, and strengthen governance, reporting and financial discipline as the company prepares for future investment.

With private equity ownership on the horizon, the role demands hands-on leadership, commercial judgement and the ability to scale finance operations

Qualifications

• Private equity experience is essential.
• Experience within professional services, consultancy, partnerships or other people-led businesses.
• Track record of supporting growth, improving commercial performance and scalable finance operations.
• Strong commercial judgement alongside robust finance, reporting and governance capabilities.
• Experience of investment, M&A, refinancing or ownership transition valued.
• Ability to influence at Board level and work with senior stakeholders.
• Hands-on, collaborative leadership with energy to drive growth.
• Availability at short notice would be advantageous.

Responsibilities

• Shape and deliver the financial strategy with the Board.
• Drive profitability, cash generation and sustainable value creation.
• Prepare the business for future private equity investment and governance requirements.
• Strengthen FP&A, forecasting, reporting and BI to enable better decisions.
• Identify opportunities to improve performance and scalability.
• Support acquisitions and strategic investments.
• Lead and develop the finance function to support growth.
• Build relationships across the business, influencing senior leaders.

Skills

Private equity experience

Financial leadership

Strategic planning

Stakeholder management

Education

Finance degree or equivalent

Tools

ERP systems

BI / reporting tools

MS Excel

Job description

West Midlands | Professional Services | Private Equity Experience Essential

Pratap Executive has been exclusively retained to appoint a Chief Financial Officer for an established and highly respected professional services business entering an important next phase of growth.

With a strong market reputation, an entrepreneurial culture and ambitious plans for the future, this is an excellent opportunity for an experienced CFO or Finance Director to play a central role in shaping the next chapter of the business.

Working closely with the Board and senior leadership team, the successful candidate will help drive commercial performance, strengthen financial capability and support the business through continued growth, future investment and longer-term value creation.

This is a broad, influential role requiring someone who can combine strategic financial leadership with a genuine understanding of what makes a growing professional services business successful.

The Opportunity

• Work closely with the Board to shape and deliver the financial strategy and support ambitious growth plans.
• Drive commercial performance, profitability, cash generation and sustainable value creation.
• Prepare the business for future private equity investment, bringing experience of investor expectations, reporting, governance and financial discipline.
• Strengthen financial planning, forecasting, management information and business intelligence to support better commercial decisions.
• Identify opportunities to improve performance, pricing, operational efficiency and scalability.
• Support potential acquisitions, strategic investment and future shareholder transactions.
• Lead and develop the finance function, ensuring it has the capability and infrastructure to support the next stage of growth.
• Build strong relationships across the business, influencing senior stakeholders and contributing as a key member of the leadership team.

We are particularly interested in speaking with experienced CFOs or Finance Directors who can demonstrate:

• Private equity experience is essential, ideally having worked closely with investors through a period of growth, transformation or value creation.
• Experience within professional services, consultancy, partnerships or other people-led businesses.
• A successful track record of supporting business growth, improving commercial performance and developing scalable finance operations.
• Strong commercial judgement alongside excellent technical finance, reporting and governance capabilities.
• Experience of investment, M&A, refinancing or ownership transition would be particularly valuable.
• The confidence and credibility to influence at Board level and work effectively with senior stakeholders.
• A hands-on, collaborative approach with the energy, enthusiasm and ambition to help drive the business forward.
• Availability at short notice would be particularly advantageous, as the business is keen to progress the appointment promptly.

This is an opportunity to join a successful business at a genuinely important point in its development.

The incoming CFO will have the opportunity to make a real difference, working alongside an ambitious leadership team to build on an established platform, support further growth and help shape the future ownership and investment journey.

We are looking for someone who enjoys being close to the business, brings ideas and energy, and is motivated by the opportunity to help create something of lasting value.