Financial Director

Finatal; Reading; On-site; GBP 110,000 - 170,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Management Incentive Plan

Permanent, full-time contract

Predominantly Monday‑to‑Friday working

Job summary

Finatal is seeking a Finance Director to lead the finance function across a growing, multi-site hospitality portfolio. The role combines strategic finance, commercial decision support, and robust financial controls in a hands-on leadership capacity.

The successful candidate will partner with the Founder and senior leadership, drive budgeting, forecasting, reporting and performance improvements, and oversee debt, compliance and fundraising activity as the business expands.

Qualifications

• Qualified accountant with at least five years post-qualification experience.
• Broad, commercially focused finance leadership background.

Responsibilities

• Provide strategic financial leadership to Founder and senior team.
• Lead budgeting, forecasting and long-term financial planning.
• Deliver timely management information, Board reporting and insightful analyses.
• Maintain strong financial controls, governance, compliance and risk management.
• Manage cash flow, working capital and investor/lender relationships.
• Drive profitability, margins, cash generation and operational efficiency.
• Oversee audit, tax, company secretarial and insurance requirements.
• Support fundraising and manage investor relationships.
• Assess viability of new locations and acquisitions; support integration of sites.

Skills

Strategic finance leadership

Budgets & forecasting

Management reporting

Financial controls

Cash flow management

Stakeholder management

Risk management

Business partnering

M&A assessment

Education

Qualified accountant

Job description

Location: South of England | M3/M4 Corridor | On-site with regular travel

Permanent, full-time

GM2610

We are partnering with an ambitious, founder-led hospitality business that is entering an exciting phase of growth. With an established portfolio of destination-led sites and plans to expand further, the business is looking to appoint a commercially focused Finance Director to lead the finance function and help shape its next chapter.

This is a broad, hands-on leadership role combining strategic finance, commercial decision support, robust financial control and operational business partnering. The Finance Director will work closely with the Founder and senior leadership team, providing the financial insight and challenge required to support sustainable growth, improve profitability and assess future investment opportunities.

The Role

The Finance Director will take overall responsibility for the finance function, leading a small established team and developing the systems, processes and controls required to support a growing, multi-site business.

Key responsibilities will include:

• Providing strategic financial leadership and acting as a trusted partner to the Founder and senior leadership team
• Leading the budgeting, forecasting and long-term financial planning processes
• Delivering accurate, timely management information, Board reporting and commercially meaningful insight
• Maintaining strong financial controls, governance, compliance and risk management
• Managing cash flow, working capital and relationships with investors and lenders
• Driving improvements in profitability, margins, operational efficiency and overall business performance
• Overseeing audit, tax, company secretarial, insurance and other statutory requirements
• Supporting fundraising activity and managing investor and shareholder relationships
• Assessing the commercial and financial viability of potential new locations and acquisitions
• Playing a key role in the acquisition and integration of new sites
• Developing scalable finance systems, processes and reporting as the business expands
• Overseeing the organisation’s IT systems and technology applications
• Leading, developing and supporting the wider finance team
• Preparing Board packs and attending senior Board meetings

The Finance Director will also hold directorship responsibilities within the group structure and will be closely involved in Board-level decision-making.

The Ideal Candidate

We are looking for a qualified accountant with at least five years of post-qualified experience and a strong track record in a broad, commercially focused finance leadership position. A background in accountancy practice would be advantageous, but is not essential.

You will also bring:

• Experience building and leading a high-performing finance function
• Strong financial planning, budgeting, forecasting and analytical capability
• A proven ability to translate financial data into clear commercial insight
• Experience partnering with operational and senior business leaders
• Strong financial control, governance and risk-management experience
• A track record of improving profit, margins, cash generation and business performance
• Confidence challenging assumptions and influencing senior stakeholders
• Experience driving process improvement, automation and reporting enhancements
• The ability to balance commercial ambition with appropriate financial discipline
• A resilient, adaptable and hands-on approach within a fast-paced environment
• Excellent communication, organisational and stakeholder-management skills

Experience within a multi-site, hospitality, leisure or consumer-facing business would be particularly relevant.

Location

This is an on-site role covering locations across the South of England. The successful candidate is likely to live along the M3 or M4 corridor, with Reading or Swindon offering a practical midpoint.

Regular weekly travel will be required between operational sites, future locations and the company’s London office. Occasional evening or weekend work may also be required depending on business needs.

Package

• Management Incentive Plan
• Permanent, full-time contract
• Predominantly Monday‑to‑Friday working pattern
• Opportunity to play a central role in the growth of an ambitious, expanding business

Applicants must already have the right to work in the UK, as visa sponsorship is not available