Finance Director

Talent Guardian; Essex; Hybrid; GBP 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid work arrangement

Job summary

Talent Guardian is recruiting a Finance Director for a high-growth, PE-backed technology business in Essex. The role focuses on hands-on leadership of the day-to-day finance function, driving planning, controls, and commercial insight while integrating acquisitions and scaling the finance operation.

Reporting to the CFO, you will balance technical finance excellence with stakeholder management and strategic partnering to support next-stage growth.

Qualifications

• Broad senior finance background with budgeting, forecasting, analysis, and controls experience.
• Experience in a private equity-backed or acquisitive growth environment.
• Track record of improving finance systems, processes and automation.
• Experience integrating businesses or finance functions post-acquisition.

Responsibilities

• Lead day-to-day finance function and develop the team.
• Own budgeting, forecasting, planning and financial analysis.
• Deliver management reporting and actionable commercial insight.
• Maintain financial controls, processes and governance.
• Develop finance systems and drive automation and improvement.
• Guide integration of acquired businesses and standardise processes.
• Partner with senior leadership and support strategic initiatives.

Skills

Senior finance leadership

Budgeting

Forecasting

Financial analysis

Controls experience

Stakeholder management

M&A/PE environment exposure

Automation of finance processes

Commercial insight

People leadership

Job description

Finance Director PE-Backed, High-Growth Technology Business

Location: Essex Hybrid minimum 3 days in the office

Environment: Private Equity Technology / Managed Services

I'm partnering with a successful, private equity-backed technology business to appoint a Finance Director at an exciting point in its growth journey.

The business has grown significantly through a combination of organic growth and strategic acquisitions, creating the need for an experienced, hands-on FD who can take ownership of the day-to-day Finance operation and help build a function capable of supporting the next stage of growth.

Reporting directly to the CFO, you'll become their key number two within Finance. The CFO is increasingly focused on M&A and the wider strategic growth agenda, so you'll have real autonomy and responsibility for leading the operational Finance function.

This isn't a role for someone who wants to sit above the detail. They need someone who enjoys being boots on the ground, working closely with the finance team and wider business while also having the credibility to operate with senior leadership.

The Opportunity

• Leadership and development of the day-to-day finance function
• Budgeting, forecasting, planning and financial analysis
• Management reporting and delivering meaningful commercial insight
• Financial controls, processes and governance
• Finance systems development and implementation
• Automation and continuous improvement across Finance
• Integration of newly acquired businesses
• Standardising processes and improving financial visibility across the Group
• Developing finance structures and capability as the organisation grows
• Business partnering with senior operational and commercial stakeholders
• Supporting the CFO and leadership team with wider strategic initiatives

With acquisitions forming an important part of the growth strategy, you'll inherit an environment where different businesses can arrive with different systems, processes, finance structures and levels of financial maturity.

You'll play a key role in bringing those businesses together, identifying what works, what needs to change and how finance can become more efficient, automated, scalable and commercially valuable.

The Person

We're looking for much more than strong technical finance capability.

You’ll need to be a confident and credible finance leader who can work successfully with strong personalities and challenging stakeholders. You'll have the courage to stand behind your recommendations, but also the emotional intelligence and influencing skills to win hearts and minds and bring people with you through change.

You will ideally bring:

• A broad senior finance background with strong budgeting, forecasting, analysis and controls experience
• Previous exposure to a private equity-backed environment
• Experience within an acquisitive, high-growth or transformational business
• A track record of improving Finance systems, processes and automation
• Experience integrating businesses or finance functions following acquisition would be highly advantageous
• Strong leadership and team-development capability
• Excellent stakeholder-management and influencing skills
• A hands-on mentality and willingness to get into the detail when required
• Commercial awareness and the ability to turn financial information into actionable insight
• The confidence to challenge while building strong relationships across a business

Experience within Managed Services, Technology, IT Services or a similar environment would be advantageous, although relevant experience from an adjacent service-led sector will also be considered.

Why Consider It?

This is a genuine opportunity to shape and develop a Finance function rather than simply inherit and maintain one.

You’ll have the autonomy to make improvements, introduce greater automation and control, develop the team and help integrate future acquisitions, while working closely with an experienced CFO and senior leadership team.

This role offers a combination of ownership, transformation, growth and strategic exposure, without losing the hands-on involvement in finance that makes the role interesting.

If you enjoy getting under the skin of a business, challenging how things are done and building Finance functions that can genuinely support growth, this is an opportunity worth exploring.