Finance Director

Axon Moore; Carlisle; On-site; GBP 90,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

Axon Moore seeks an experienced Finance Director to own the entire finance function and act as a strategic partner to the Owner and leadership team. You will drive commercial insight, improve profitability and support long-term growth with robust financial analysis.

Lead a best-in-class finance function, implement governance, and deliver meaningful KPIs and financial modelling to guide strategic decisions across the business.

Qualifications

• ACA/ACCA/CIMA qualification (or equivalent).
• Proven experience as Finance Director, CFO or senior commercial finance leader.
• Experience delivering cost savings, business transformation and profitability improvements.
• Excellent treasury, cash flow and banking experience.
• Outstanding communication and stakeholder management skills.

Responsibilities

• Act as principal financial adviser to Owner and senior leadership team.
• Lead and develop the finance function with robust controls and reporting.
• Provide timely management information to support strategic decisions.
• Develop budgets, forecasts, cash flow reporting and long-term plans.
• Provide commercial analysis to support investments and strategy.
• Review financial performance and identify profitability improvements.
• Drive cost-saving initiatives and operational improvements.
• Strengthen working capital management and treasury.

Skills

Commercial acumen

Stakeholder management

Leadership

Financial modelling

Education

ACA/ACCA/CIMA qualification

Job description

Axon Moore is delighted to be partnering with a well-established, privately owned multi-site business to appoint a commercially focused Finance Director.

This is a rare opportunity to join an organisation at a pivotal stage in its journey. Historically, the business has operated with limited financial leadership, creating an exciting opportunity for an experienced finance professional to establish a best-in-class finance function and become a trusted adviser to the owners.

Reporting directly to the Owner and Shareholder, you will play a key role in shaping the future direction of the business, providing commercial insight, improving financial performance and ensuring strategic decisions are driven by robust financial analysis.

This is a highly visible leadership role where you'll have genuine influence across the organisation and the autonomy to drive meaningful change.

The Role

As Finance Director, you will take ownership of the entire finance function while acting as a strategic business partner to the Owner and senior leadership team.

You will be responsible for providing the financial insight needed to improve business performance, maximise profitability and support the long-term growth of the organisation.

Key responsibilities include:

• Acting as the principal financial adviser to the Owner and senior leadership team.
• Leading and developing the finance function, introducing robust financial controls, governance and reporting.
• Producing timely and meaningful management information to support strategic decision-making.
• Developing budgets, forecasts, cash flow reporting and long-term financial plans.
• Providing commercial analysis to support investment decisions and future business strategy.
• Reviewing the financial performance of individual business units, identifying opportunities to improve profitability and maximise returns.
• Driving operational improvements and delivering significant cost-saving initiatives across the organisation.
• Reviewing supplier contracts, procurement processes, overhead expenditure and operating costs to improve margins.
• Strengthening working capital management, treasury and cash flow forecasting.
• Managing banking relationships, funding facilities and external finance providers.
• Developing meaningful KPIs and performance reporting across the business.
• Delivering robust financial modelling to support strategic projects and capital investment decisions.
• Working closely with operational leaders to ensure commercial decisions are supported by accurate financial information.
• Managing relationships with external accountants, auditors, banks and professional advisers.
• Embedding a commercially focused finance culture across the business.

The Person

We're looking for an experienced Finance Director who combines strong technical expertise with exceptional commercial acumen.

• ACA, ACCA or CIMA qualification (or equivalent).
• Previous experience operating as a Finance Director, CFO or senior commercial finance leader.
• Experience working within owner-managed or entrepreneurial businesses.
• A proven track record of improving profitability through commercial decision-making.
• Experience delivering cost savings, operational efficiencies and business transformation.
• Strong treasury, cash flow and banking experience.
• Excellent commercial awareness with the confidence to influence and constructively challenge senior stakeholders.
• Experience developing finance functions, systems and reporting processes.
• A hands-on leadership style with the ability to balance strategic thinking and operational delivery.
• Outstanding communication and stakeholder management skills.

What's on Offer?

This is an outstanding opportunity to join an ambitious, privately owned business where you'll have genuine influence over its future direction.

You'll work closely with the owners, shaping strategy, improving commercial performance and creating a finance function that delivers meaningful insight across the organisation.

If you're looking for a role where your expertise will directly influence business performance and long-term success, this represents a fantastic opportunity to make a lasting impact.

About Axon Moore

Axon Moore is a specialist Accountancy & Finance recruitment consultancy, partnering with businesses across the North to recruit the very best finance talent. We recruit from transactional finance through to CFO level, supporting SMEs, owner-managed businesses, private equity-backed organisations and PLCs.