Finance Director

Flinder Holdings Limited; City Of London; On-site; GBP 70,000 - 82,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading financial services firm is seeking a Finance Director to oversee client success and financial performance within Finance-as-a-Service. Responsibilities include managing finance teams, monitoring sector economics, and developing leaders. You will work in a dynamic, tech-focused environment, fostering strong client relationships and operational performance. This role offers the opportunity for progression to a Fractional CFO position.

Benefits

Performance-based bonus

Share options

25 days annual leave + 3 additional days at Christmas

Qualifications

• 6+ years post-qualified experience, in a practice or outsourced environment.
• Proven experience managing finance teams and leading client delivery.
• Strong technical understanding across management accounts and financial reporting.

Responsibilities

• Lead the day-to-day operations of a full FaaS sector.
• Act as primary finance lead for a portfolio of clients.
• Drive operational improvements across systems and reporting workflows.

Skills

Budget management

Team leadership

Client relationship management

Financial reporting

Analytical skills

Education

ACA, ACCA or CIMA qualified

Tools

Xero

Excel

Job description

£70,000 to £82,000 (based on experience)

• performance-based bonus
• share options
• 25 days annual leave + 3 additional days at Christmas

Role overview

We're looking for a high-calibre Finance Director to help lead one of our core sectors within Finance-as-a-Service (FaaS). This is a senior delivery and leadership role – responsible for both client success and commercial performance across a sector.

You’ll work alongside a Sector CFO to drive performance, oversee finance teams, and own key client relationships. You’ll also play a pivotal role in monitoring and improving sector economics, including utilisation, recovery, and financial reporting. Natural progression opportunities through to a Fractional CFO role.

This role combines client delivery, operational management, team development, and commercial insight – all within a tech-enabled, growth-focused environment that's redefining what accountants can do.

Core responsibilities

• Lead the day-to-day operations of a full FaaS sector (15+ people), with shared accountability for delivery, financial performance, and client satisfaction
• Act as primary finance lead for a portfolio of clients, supported by Financial Controllers, Senior Accountants, and support the CFO on key strategic clients
• Provide oversight, coaching, and quality assurance across the sector's financial controllers and pod teams
• Monitor and improve sector performance metrics including utilisation, chargeable hours, recovery rates, and margin
• Support capacity planning, resourcing decisions, and prioritisation of client work
• Own and review technical outputs including management accounts, year-end accounts, and statutory returns
• Lead client onboarding and transformation projects where needed, ensuring smooth transitions and strong foundations
• Drive operational improvements across systems, reporting workflows, and internal delivery standards
• Contribute to commercial insight and internal reporting for your sector (e.g. delivery dashboards, commentary on performance)
• Develop and support future leaders – mentoring FCs and helping shape a strong, capable delivery team

Must have

• ACA, ACCA or CIMA qualified (or equivalent)
• 6+ years post-qualified experience, in a practice or outsourced environment
• Proven experience managing finance teams and leading client delivery at scale
• Strong technical understanding across management accounts, consolidations, statutory accounts and tax
• Experience with UK GAAP, Companies Act requirements, and financial reporting frameworks
• Commercial awareness and experience working with utilisation, recovery, and margin metrics
• Comfortable presenting financial information to internal and external stakeholders
• Track record of developing and mentoring team members
• Highly organised, with strong judgement and ability to prioritise across a busy portfolio
• Ambition to progress to Fractional CFO and beyond within the business

Nice to have

• Experience leading a sector, pod, or multi-team structure
• Familiarity with cloud accounting platforms (Xero)
• Experience in high-growth environments with a focus on automation or systems improvement
• Prior involvement in capacity planning, forecasting, or resource allocation
• Strong Excel or reporting/dashboarding skills

Team structure

• Reporting to: Sector CFO
• Team: Leads a team of 15+, including qualified and part-qualified staff
• Collaborating with: Portfolio CFOs, FDs, transition & transformation team, compliance and tax functions

About Ascendant

Ascendant is here to reboot what people expect from accountants.

We combine smart systems, sharp thinking, and real relationships to help ambitious businesses move faster and make better decisions. Whether it's compliance, R&D, or full finance‑as‑a‑service, we deliver accounting and tax that’s strategic, scalable, and always on it.

Built for founders. Powered by tech. Backed by humans.

We build and run smart finance functions for fast‑growth and complex businesses. Our mission is to deliver relevant insight that enables better business decisions. From candidate to colleague.

Visa requirements

Unfortunately, we are unable to provide any form of visa sponsorship, so candidates must be an EU citizen or possess a current UK Tier 1 Visa and be eligible to take up full-time, permanent employment.

EU candidates must also demonstrate they are eligible to take up UK employment post-Brexit.