Finance Director

Circle Partners; Peterborough; On-site; GBP 90,000 - 140,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Industry leading basic salary

Short Term Incentive Plan

Long Term Incentive Plan

Share options

Direct access to me and genuine influ­

The opportunity to play a significant 

Job summary

Circle Partners is seeking a Finance Director to own the finance function and build the financial infrastructure to support rapid growth. This hands-on, commercially minded role works closely with the CEO and leadership team to drive strategic financial planning, cash flow management and governance.

You will lead a small finance team, oversee monthly management accounts, forecasting, EMI schemes and potential M&A activity, while shaping the finance function to scale with the business.

Qualifications

• We are looking for a qualified accountant who is commercial, hands-on and solutions-focused, with significant post-qualification experience in a fast-paced, high-growth environment.
• You will have ACA, ACCA or CIMA qualification.
• Experience within recruitment, staffing, professional services or another fast-paced, working-capital-intensive environment.
• Strong commercial and strategic thinking.
• Experience managing cash flow, working capital and banking relationships.
• Experience supporting or leading M&A, facilities, investors or other strategic projects.
• Experience scaling a growing business.
• Strong leadership and communication skills.
• The ability to operate at both strategic and detailed levels.
• A willingness to be hands-on and get into the detail when required.
• A big 4 background - for example PwC, Deloitte, EY or KPMG - would be desirable.

Responsibilities

• Leading and developing the finance function
• Financial strategy, planning and forecasting
• Managing cash flow, working capital and banking facilities
• Producing monthly management accounts, reporting and commercial insight
• Overseeing commissions, bonus structures and EMI schemes
• Supporting M&A, international growth and other key strategic projects
• Ensuring robust financial controls, compliance and risk management
• Providing commercial analysis and insight to improve performance and profitability
• Working closely with the CEO and leadership team on business strategy and decision‑making
• Building the financial infrastructure and processes required to support continued scale

Skills

Leadership

Strategic thinking

Commercial awareness

Hands-on

Cash flow management

Education

ACA/ACCA/CIMA qualification

Job description

Circle Partners is a founder‑led specialist recruitment and project delivery business operating internationally across engineering, technology, data centres, digital, cloud, data & AI, pharma and FMCG. We’ve organically grown from £20m to a projected £40m turnover flatline going into 2027. Our ambition is to build a £100m business generating £10m EBITDA, with a view to taking it to market.

We are now looking for a Finance Director to take ownership of our finance function and play a key role in building the financial infrastructure to support the next stage of the business. This is a hands‑on, commercially minded role. We are looking for someone who can go beyond producing the numbers - someone who understands the commercial drivers of a high‑growth business, can provide strategic insight and is comfortable working closely with the CEO and leadership team.

The Role

As Finance Director, you will lead our finance function and provide the financial rigour, commercial insight and strategic leadership required to support our growth plans.

You will lead a small, high‑performing finance team, currently comprising a Finance Manager and Credit Controller, and will be responsible for:

• Leading and developing the finance function
• Financial strategy, planning and forecasting
• Managing cash flow, working capital and banking facilities
• Producing monthly management accounts, reporting and commercial insight
• Overseeing commissions, bonus structures and EMI schemes
• Supporting M&A, international growth and other key strategic projects
• Ensuring robust financial controls, compliance and risk management
• Providing commercial analysis and insight to improve performance and profitability
• Working closely with the CEO and leadership team on business strategy and decision‑making
• Building the financial infrastructure and processes required to support continued scale

What we're looking for

We are looking for a qualified accountant who is commercial, hands‑on and solutions‑focused, with significant post‑qualification experience in a fast‑paced, high‑growth environment.

You will have:

• ACA, ACCA or CIMA qualification
• Experience within recruitment, staffing, professional services or another fast‑paced, working‑capital‑intensive environment
• Strong commercial and strategic thinking
• Experience managing cash flow, working capital and banking relationships
• Experience supporting or leading M&A, facilities, investors or other strategic projects
• Experience scaling a growing business
• Strong leadership and communication skills
• The ability to operate at both strategic and detailed levels
• A willingness to be hands‑on and get into the detail when required
• A big 4 background - for example PwC, Deloitte, EY or KPMG - would be desirable.

What's on offer

• Industry leading basic salary
• Short Term Incentive Plan
• Long Term Incentive Plan
• Share options
• Direct access to me and genuine influence over business strategy
• The opportunity to play a significant part in building and ultimately realising the value of a £100m business

We’ve got big ambitions, but we’re equally realistic about what it takes to get there. I want someone alongside me who’s been on a similar journey, knows what good looks like and is excited by the prospect of doing it again.

If you're a Finance Director who wants to be commercially involved in building a high‑growth business, we'd like to hear from you.