Financial Director

Cherry Professional - Relationship Led Recruitment; Nottingham; Hybrid; GBP 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Matched contributory pension

Annual discretionary director bonus

Profit share scheme

Company shareholding opportunity

Family private healthcare

Genuine Board-level influence

Long-term career opportunity

Job summary

Cherry Professional are retained by a privately owned manufacturing and distribution business to appoint a Finance Director to join the Board and help drive growth from two UK locations, including Nottingham. The role involves strategic leadership with hands-on financial management, reporting to the Managing Director and collaborating with the senior leadership team.

The ideal candidate is a commercially minded finance leader with strong technical accounting skills, capable of influencing at

Qualifications

• ACA, ACCA or CIMA qualified.
• Experience as Finance Director or senior finance leader with board exposure.
• Experience in manufacturing / distribution / supply chain contexts.
• Strong commercial finance capability with solid accounting background.
• Understanding of working capital, cash-flow, treasury, controls.
• Experience influencing board-level decisions.
• Experience across multi-site operations and change initiatives.
• Ability to translate financial data into commercial insight.

Responsibilities

• Lead budgeting, forecasting, cash-flow planning and management reporting.
• Strengthen financial controls, systems and reporting processes.
• Optimize working capital, treasury management and cash performance.
• Support strategic planning, investment appraisal and key commercial decisions.
• Provide constructive challenge and translate strategy into action.
• Lead, support and develop the finance team.
• Collaborate with operational and commercial teams across two UK locations.

Skills

Commercial finance capability

Strategic thinking

Board-level influencing

Leadership

Education

ACA/ACCA/CIMA qualified

Job description

Finance Director

£90,000–£120,000 + Director Bonus + Profit Share + Company Shareholding Opportunity + Family Private Healthcare

Location: Nottingham / South East England (split-site leadership role)

Cherry Professional are retained by a highly respected, privately owned manufacturing and distribution business to appoint an outstanding Finance Director to join its Board and help lead the next phase of growth.

Operating across UK and international markets, the business has built an enviable reputation for product quality, customer service and long‑standing customer relationships. With revenues approaching £20m and a loyal workforce across two UK locations, it combines the professionalism of an established market leader with the values, agility and culture of a successful family‑owned business.

Following the planned retirement of a long‑serving Finance Director, the Board is seeking a commercially minded finance leader who can build on strong foundations and help shape the next chapter of the organisation’s development.

This is an excellent opportunity for an ambitious and capable finance professional who enjoys combining strategic leadership with hands‑on involvement in the business.

The Opportunity

Reporting directly to the Managing Director and working closely with the Board, you will take full responsibility for the financial leadership of the organisation.

This is a broad and highly influential role that combines strategic planning with operational execution. You will guide business performance, shape investment decisions, strengthen reporting and financial controls, and provide the financial insight required to support sustainable growth and continued business improvement.

As a trusted member of the senior leadership team, you will:

• Provide clear financial and commercial insight to the Managing Director and Board.
• Lead budgeting, forecasting, cash-flow planning and management reporting.
• Strengthen financial controls, systems and reporting processes.
• Optimise working capital, treasury management and cash performance.
• Support strategic planning, investment appraisal and key commercial decisions.
• Provide constructive challenge and help translate strategy into practical action.
• Lead, support and develop the finance team.
• Work collaboratively with operational and commercial teams across both UK locations.
• Help preserve the collaborative, people‑focused culture that has underpinned the company’s success.

We are looking for a Finance Director who remains calm under pressure, turns complex challenges into practical solutions and can confidently support the business through periods of change, growth and opportunity.

About You

You will be a commercially astute finance leader who combines strong technical expertise with strategic thinking, sound judgement and an approachable leadership style.

You may already be operating as a Finance Director, or you may be a Financial Controller, Head of Finance or equivalent senior finance leader with the breadth of experience, credibility and ambition to step into a Board‑level role.

You will be comfortable working strategically while remaining close enough to the detail to understand what is happening across the business. Just as importantly, you will be able to earn trust, influence constructively and bring clarity to complex financial and commercial decisions.

Essential Experience

• ACA, ACCA or CIMA qualified.
• Proven experience as a Finance Director or as a Financial Controller, Head of Finance or equivalent with the scope and credibility to step into a Board‑level role.
• Experience within manufacturing, distribution, supply chain, product‑led or operationally complex businesses.
• Strong commercial finance capability alongside a sound technical accounting background.
• A thorough understanding of working capital, cash‑flow management, treasury and financial controls.
• Experience supporting and influencing Board‑level decision‑making.
• Exposure to multi‑site operations and business change or improvement initiatives.
• The ability to translate financial information into clear commercial insight.
• Experience within an entrepreneurial, privately owned or owner‑managed organisation would be highly advantageous.

Personal Attributes

• Commercially astute, with strong business acumen.
• Resilient, resourceful and solutions‑focused.
• Strategic in outlook while willing to remain hands‑on when required.
• Approachable, grounded and credible.
• A confident communicator who can influence stakeholders at every level.
• Collaborative, with a genuine interest in developing people and teams.
• Pragmatic and decisive, with the judgement to balance opportunity and risk.
• Adaptable and able to balance long‑term priorities with day‑to‑day operational demands.
• Comfortable working across two locations and building strong relationships throughout the business.

What’s on Offer

• £90,000–£120,000 basic salary (dependant on level of experience).
• Matched contributory pension.
• Annual discretionary director bonus.
• Profit share scheme.
• Company shareholding opportunity.
• Family private healthcare.
• Genuine Board‑level influence.
• The opportunity to shape the future direction of a successful, privately owned business.
• A long‑term career opportunity within a stable and growing organisation.