Corporate Finance Lead

JR United Kingdom; Reading; Hybrid; GBP 80,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

Join a leading company as a Group Corporate Finance Lead, where you'll play a pivotal role in managing M&A activities. In this high-impact position, you will be responsible for overseeing the financials of transactions, guiding integration processes, and driving finance transformation while working closely with executive teams. Ideal candidates are Chartered Accountants with a strong background in M&A and excellent leadership skills, ready to influence strategic growth.

Qualifications

• Extensive PQE in consulting and industry with direct exposure to Transaction Services or M&A.
• Experience in a large, complex group environment with international operations.

Responsibilities

• Lead financials across deal pipeline and manage critical inputs in transactions.
• Direct due diligence processes and oversee post-deal accounting.
• Shape finance transformation initiatives in newly acquired businesses.

Skills

Strategic thinking

Leadership

Collaboration

Technical accounting knowledge

Communication

Ownership and delivery focus

Education

Chartered Accountant qualification

Job description

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We're the global leader in providing energy solutions that help businesses grow and communities thrive.

We work as a team and we’re proud of the difference we make to customers, to local communities, and towards a sustainable future for the world.

Due to internal promotion we are looking for a Group Corporate Finance Lead to join us.

We are open to discussing work locations across the UK, either mainly based remotely (with some travel) or in one of our offices.

With 12 acquisitions completed in the last two years and a strong pipeline ahead, our Group is in a defining phase of strategic growth. As we scale, we’re not just acquiring businesses; we’re reshaping the portfolio.

The Corporate Finance Leader will partner closely with our M&A Director, integration teams, and the leadership of acquired businesses. Some of these companies are smaller or less mature in financial capability, which creates both challenge and opportunity. Your role is to bring rigor, clarity, and commercial focus pre and post deal to ensure our transactions deliver lasting impact, not just headlines.

You’ll step into a high-impact role at the center of our global growth plans, and be confident in dealing with Exec teams, including CFO and CEO level, as you will be partnering, advising, and challenging right up to this level.

You’ll join an award-winning Group Finance team in a scaling, international business and this is an opportunity for you to take full ownership of the financial engine behind our M&A activity. You’ll lead the charge in ensuring we identify, acquire, and successfully integrate high-quality, value-adding businesses that shape the future of the Group.

What you’ll do:

This role sits at the commercial core of our deal activity. You’ll lead and deliver on high-value work across the full M&A life-cycle which includes:

• Own the financials across the deal pipeline: appraise opportunities, shape deal structure from a finance perspective, and provide critical input early in the transaction.
• Direct and challenge financial due diligence: scope and steer external advisors to focus on what matters. Where appropriate, lead hands-on due diligence yourself on smaller transactions.
• Drive closing readiness: oversee execution of closing mechanisms with precision and pace.
• Lead post-deal accounting: take charge of fair value accounting and acquisition entries with external advisors, ensuring accuracy and transparency.
• Make integration count: standardise reporting, align controls, and lead finance transformation in newly acquired businesses, flexing your approach to suit scale and maturity.
• Unlock synergies: ensure post-deal value capture by following through on commercial synergies and opportunities identified in diligence and implementation of smarter processes, aligned reporting, and joined-up systems.
• Shape strategic finance projects: work as a key member of the Group Finance team, helping drive initiatives that enhance control, efficiency, and shareholder value.

You’ll have the following skills and experience:

• Qualified Chartered Accountant with extensive PQE gained over multiple years in consulting and industry.
• Direct exposure to Transaction Services or M&A, preferably coming from industry, although consultancy will be considered, most importantly you will have managed the full end-to-end finance life cycle of acquisitions, with the ability to interrogate and influence deal-critical numbers.
• Experience within a large, complex group environment, ideally with international operations and cross-border dynamics.
• Excellent technical accounting knowledge, especially around acquisition accounting, fair value, and consolidation.
• Collaborative mindset, a natural team player with the credibility, influence and communication skills to work across senior stakeholders and acquired leadership teams.
• Strong ownership and delivery focus, with the ability to operate at pace, hit tight deadlines, and manage competing priorities with confidence, maintain quality and accuracy.
• Leadership experience, with a track record of leading and developing teams directly or indirectly, and driving fit-for-purpose improvements in finance functions, particularly in newly acquired or maturing businesses.

If you’re looking for a role with real influence, complex transactions, and global exposure this is your moment. Join a business that’s not just growing, but transforming through M&A.