Head of Finance

Brain in Hand; Exeter; Hybrid; GBP 90,000 - 125,000; Full time

Job summary

Brain in Hand is seeking a commercially minded Head of Finance to join the Executive Team in Exeter. This forward-looking role will shape investment, pricing and sustainable growth as our digital tools and services scale across markets.

You will lead budgeting, forecasting and cash management, model growth scenarios, and work with the CEO and Board to translate analysis into clear strategic recommendations. Hybrid working and part-time options considered.

Qualifications

• Professional accounting qualification (ACA/ACCA/CIMA or equivalent).
• Strong FP&A, forecasting, scenario modelling and cash management experience in an SME/start-up.
• Experience leading others and the confidence to work credibly with senior leaders; Board exposure would be useful.

Responsibilities

• Lead budgeting, rolling forecasts and scenario modelling, giving leaders a clear view of performance, cash and the choices ahead.
• Model the financial implications of growth, pricing, capacity and how our products and human support model develop over time.
• Partner with Commercial on pricing, margins, unit economics, customer deals and contract governance as we enter new markets.
• Advise the CEO, Executive Team and Board on financial and commercial risk, opportunity and investment, turning analysis into clear recommendations.
• Lead and develop the finance team so the day-to-day operation is owned confidently, while controls, reporting and compliance remain reliable.
• Make good decisions at pace, using judgement and proportionate analysis when information is incomplete rather than waiting for perfect certainty.

Skills

ACA/ACCA/CIMA

FP&A

Forecasting

Scenario modelling

Leadership

Board exposure

Education

Bachelor's degree in accounting or finance

Professional accounting qualification (ACA/ACCA/CIMA)

Job description

Join Brain in Hand

Location: Exeter-based, hybrid with flexible working

Contract: Permanent

Hours: Full time or will consider part time; flexible working patterns considered

At Brain in Hand, we’re passionate about making the world more accessible and fairer for neurodivergent people and those experiencing mental health challenges.

Our combination of practical digital tools and human support helps people build confidence, achieve their goals and live more independently.

With over half our colleagues identifying as neurodivergent, we’re proud to build our services with lived experience at their heart. Recently recognised as one of Times Best Places to Work, we’re a supportive, ambitious organisation where people can make a genuine difference.

About the opportunity

We’re ambitious about where Brain in Hand goes next, and we’re looking for a commercially minded Head of Finance who wants to help shape that future as a member of our Executive Team.

This is a forward-looking role with real influence. You’ll help us decide where to invest, how to price and grow sustainably, and model what our business needs to look like as our digital products and human support evolve and we enter new markets. Through strong forecasting, scenario modelling and cash management, you’ll give our CEO, Executive Team and Board a clear view of the opportunities, risks and choices ahead.

• You may already be a Head of Finance, or you might be a strong Financial Controller or Senior Finance Manager ready to step into a broader executive role. You don’t need to have done everything before. What matters is that you’re commercially curious, confident with complexity and uncertainty, and able to combine sound financial judgement with the pace of a growing business.

What you’ll be doing

Play an active role on the Executive Team, helping shape company-wide decisions and sharing accountability for Brain in Hand’s commercial success.

• Lead budgeting, rolling forecasts and scenario modelling, giving leaders a clear view of performance, cash and the choices ahead.
• Model the financial implications of growth, pricing, capacity and how our products and human support model develop over time.
• Partner with Commercial on pricing, margins, unit economics, customer deals and contract governance as we enter new markets.
• Advise the CEO, Executive Team and Board on financial and commercial risk, opportunity and investment, turning analysis into clear recommendations.
• Lead and develop the finance team so the day-to-day operation is owned confidently, while controls, reporting and compliance remain reliable.
• Make good decisions at pace, using judgement and proportionate analysis when information is incomplete rather than waiting for perfect certainty.

What we’re looking for

You’ll probably have...

• A professional accounting qualification (ACA, ACCA, CIMA or equivalent experience).
• Strong FP&A, forecasting, scenario modelling and cash management experience in an SME, start-up, scale-up or similarly fast-moving environment.
• Experience leading others and the confidence to work credibly with senior leaders; Board exposure would be useful.

You’ll also be someone who...

• Looks forward rather than only reporting backwards, and is energised by helping a business work out what comes next.
• Is comfortable making recommendations with uncertainty and incomplete information, bringing rigour without becoming a blocker to pace.
• Can move between strategic thinking and the detail when needed, and communicates complex finance clearly.
• Challenges constructively, builds trust and is ambitious for both the role and Brain in Hand.

Why join Brain in Hand?

We offer:

• A 9-day working fortnight.
• Private Medical Insurance.
• Competitive salary and pension.
• 33 days' annual leave (including bank holidays).
• Flexible working, including openness to part-time arrangements.
• Ongoing learning and development.
• A supportive, values-led culture.
• A genuine Executive Team role with opportunities to influence how Brain in Hand grows and develops.

Our commitment to inclusion

We believe diversity makes us stronger.

We’re proud to be a Disability Confident employer and welcome applications from people of all backgrounds, particularly those with lived experience of neurodiversity or disability.

If you need adjustments during the recruitment process, we’ll be happy to support you.