Group Financial Controller

IFF Talent - Ingham Frankland Fide; Leeds; On-site; GBP 81,000 - 99,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

On-site four days a week

Job summary

IFF Talent - Ingham Frankland Fide is recruiting for a Group Financial Controller in the Leeds/Wetherby area. You will lead the finance function, partner with the owners and SLT, and drive growth through robust controls, clear reporting and strategic finance leadership.

The role demands a hands-on leader who can build a high-performing team, own group reporting across entities and deliver timely MI to support fast decision‑making in a growing SME.

Qualifications

• Experience in an SME or owner-led environment is essential.
• Experience handling multi-entity structures and group reporting.
• Track record of building or improving a finance function.

Responsibilities

• Take ownership of the entire finance function.
• Lead and develop a small team.
• Own group reporting across multiple entities.
• Tighten controls without slowing the business.
• Improve systems, processes and data quality.
• Deliver clear, timely management information.

Skills

SME experience

Multi-entity structures

Finance transformation

Commercial partnering

Job description

Group Financial Controller | Up to £90,000 | Wetherby | 4 days on-site

Some finance roles ask you to maintain what already exists. This one asks you to build what comes next.

IFF Executive is partnering with a privately owned, fast‑growing group to appoint a Group Financial Controller. This business has done the hard bit. Built from the ground up into a successful journey, growing at around 20% year-on-year, with multiple entities across the services sector.

No shortcuts, just steady, credible growth. Now they are at that pivotal point every ambitious SME reaches where the foundations are solid, but the next phase needs structure, clarity and a finance leader who can elevate the function to support the next phase of growth. This is the Number 1 role acting as a true Commercial Business Partner to the Managing Directors and SLT to help deliver strategy and drive growth.

Why this role really exists

The owners are still close to everything. They’ve built it, shaped it, and driven the growth.

But they don’t want to be the ones holding the financial detail together, they want someone who can take full control, bring clarity and structure and turn finance into something the business can actually use. Not just report the past but help drive what happens next.

The role

You’ll take ownership of the entire finance function.

That means:

• Leading and developing a small team
• Owning group reporting across multiple entities
• Tightening controls without slowing the business down
• Improving systems, processes, and data quality
• Delivering clear, timely management information

But the real expectation sits being a commercial partner to the owners helping them understand where money is made, bringing clarity to margins and performance, and giving them the confidence to make bigger decisions as the business scales.

You won’t be sat in the background.

Who this suits

You’re probably already operating at this level or very close.

You’ve:

• Worked in an SME or owner-led environment
• Handled multi-entity structures
• Built or improved a finance function before
• Got strong technical grounding, but don’t hide behind it

More importantly:

You’re someone who:

• Takes ownership without waiting
• Is comfortable with ambiguity
• Can challenge, not just agree
• Knows when to zoom in and when to step back

The environment

4 days on-site

Because this is a business where decisions happen quickly, conversations matter and relationships drive progress

Why this role stands out

Because you’re not inheriting a polished function.

You’re stepping into a business with momentum, ambition, and gaps you can genuinely fix. And at this level, that’s where the real job satisfaction sits.