VP, Finance – UK & Europe

AHEAD; Reading; On-site; GBP 170,000 - 220,000; Full time

Job summary

AHEAD is seeking an experienced finance executive to lead financial, payroll, billing, treasury, and statutory governance for its UK and European operations. You will oversee regional finance, payroll, commission governance, and external audits, partnering with Sales, Operations, Legal and Tax to ensure compliant, scalable financial operations.

You will drive regional FP&A, reporting to ELT and Board, and shape governance with a proactive, risk-aware approach.

Qualifications

• Senior finance leadership across finance, treasury, compliance, and audit for multi-entity organisations.
• Experience leading payroll governance, billing, and control frameworks.
• Experience partnering with Sales Ops on commissions and revenue-linked billing.

Responsibilities

• Lead regional finance operations across the UK and Europe, including payroll, billing, and commissions governance.
• Oversee payroll approvals, supplier payments and governance controls.
• Provide regional governance for finance framework, banking, insurance, and compliance.
• Lead budgeting, forecasting, and financial analysis with UK/Europe leadership.
• Coordinate statutory compliance, legal entity governance, and external audits.
• Partner with Legal, Tax, People & Culture on regulatory compliance and risk management.
• Prepare Board and Audit Committee reporting and ELT/Board-level insights.

Skills

Senior finance leadership

Payroll governance

Billing operations

UK/Europe governance

Cross-functional collaboration

Multi-entity experience

Stakeholder management

Education

ACA/ACCA/CIMA

Job description

AHEAD builds platforms for digital business. By weaving together advances in cloud infrastructure, automation and analytics, and software delivery, we help enterprises deliver on the promise of digital transformation.

AtAHEAD, we prioritize creating a culture of belonging,where all perspectives and voices are represented, valued, respected, and heard. We create spaces to empower everyone to speak up, make change, and drive the culture at AHEAD.

We are an equal opportunity employer,anddo not discriminatebased onan individual's age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage & civil partnership, pregnancy & maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, and sexual orientation,or any other protected characteristic under applicable law, whether actual or perceived.

We embraceall candidatesthatwillcontribute to the diversification and enrichment of ideas andperspectives atAHEAD.

AHEAD is seeking an experienced finance executive to lead the financial, payroll, billing, treasury, and statutory/legal-entity governance infrastructure supporting its UK and European operations. This role oversees regional finance, payroll and commission governance, billing operations, treasury, banking, insurance, statutory compliance, legal entity governance, and external audit for the UK and European entities providing the financial governance and control environment AHEAD needs to transact compliantly and scale sustainably across the region.

The role partners closely with Sales, Operations, Legal, Tax, Global Finance and People & Culture, particularly on commission governance, shared-services governance, operational KPI reporting, and entity/compliance matters.

Key Responsibilities

Regional Finance, Payroll, and Billing

• Lead the strategic development, governance, and delivery of regional finance operations across the UK and Europe, including payroll, commission governance, and billing.
• Oversee supplier payment processes and payroll governance, including approvals and controls.
• Partner with Payroll and Commissions leadership to provide effective regional governance and oversight, supporting consistent, accurate, and timely payroll and commission delivery.
• Partner with Sales and Sales Operations to ensure commission calculations, billing terms, and deal financial treatment reflect sales agreements and compensation plans.
• Drive continuous optimisation of quote-to-billing-to-cash processes.
• Lead regional financial planning, budgeting and forecasting in partnership with global Finance and UK/Europe leadership, providing insight into financial performance, variances, risks and opportunities.
• Provide financial and commercial analysis to support growth initiatives and key business decisions across the UK and Europe.

Treasury, Banking, and Insurance Governance

• Own executive governance of the UK/Europe financial framework, including banking relationships, treasury management, insurance governance, financial business continuity, and approval/signing authority — aligned with strategic objectives.
• Support UK/Europe facilities expansion, lease, and vendor negotiations with global Facilities leadership, ensuring financial terms and cost structures align with budget and treasury considerations.

Statutory Compliance, Legal Entity Governance, and Audit

• Lead and oversee statutory compliance, legal entity governance, and external audit responsibility for the UK and coordinate these activities across other European entities) ensuring timely filings and regulatory compliance.
• Lead audit and risk management activities, serving as the primary regional finance contact for external auditors and supporting Audit Committee reporting and coordination as required.
• Partner with Legal, Tax, People & Culture, and Operations on entity and regulatory compliance.
• Oversee the regional internal control framework — documentation, segregation of duties, escalation procedures — ensuring it stays proportionate, effective, and aligned with growth and regulatory requirements.
• Identify emerging compliance and financial governance risks and recommend mitigation strategies.
• Provide senior local leadership and oversight for the UK Health and Safety Manager, working in partnership with Global Safety and Physical Security leadership to support a safe and compliant UK workplace.

Financial Reporting and Executive Partnership

• Partner with executive leadership on financial KPIs and reporting, providing visibility into controls, performance, regulatory risk, and P&L for the UK/Europe business — including how sales and deal activity flow into regional results.
• Prepare and contribute to Board and Audit Committee reporting, providing clear recommendations on financial governance, risk, and statutory priorities.
• Build trusted senior stakeholder relationships to influence strategic financial decisions.

Essential Experience

• Senior finance leadership experience across finance, treasury, statutory compliance, and audit for a multi-entity/international organisation.
• Track record leading finance operations, payroll governance, billing, and control frameworks.
• Experience partnering with Sales/Sales Ops on commission governance and revenue-linked billing in a B2B or tech sales organisation.
• Strong grasp of UK corporate governance, statutory compliance, and treasury/banking requirements, with European jurisdiction experience.
• Proven ability to lead cross-functional initiatives with Legal, Tax, People & Culture, Operations, and executive leadership.
• Recognised professional accounting qualification (ACA, ACCA, CIMA, or equivalent) required.
• Experience in a VP, Finance level role or above.

Skills & Capabilities

• Commercially minded leader balancing strategy with financial discipline and control.
• Strong financial/commercial acumen and sound judgment on governance and risk.
• Integrity, discretion, and executive presence with sensitive information; collaborative leadership style.
• Ability to build clarity, governance, and scalable frameworks in complex, fast-moving environments.
• Exceptional communication and stakeholder management, with credibility at ELT/Board level.
• Data-driven and analytical, proactively identifying risks to support strategic decisions.

£170,000 - £220,000 a year

The compensation range indicated in this posting reflects the On-Target Earnings (“OTE”) for this role, which includes a base salary and any applicable target bonus amount. This OTE range may vary based on the candidate’s relevant experience, qualifications, and geographic location.

Why AHEAD:

Through our daily work and internal groups like Moving Women AHEAD and RISE AHEAD, we value and benefit from diversity of people, ideas, experience, and everything in between.

We fuel growth by stacking our office with top-notch technologies in a multi-million-dollar lab, by encouraging cross department training and development, sponsoring certifications and credentials for continued learning.

Use of AI:

We may use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to support parts of the hiring process, such as reviewing applications, analyzing resumes, assessing responses, or to capture recordings and create transcriptions or summaries during interviews. These tools assist our recruitment team but do not replace human judgment. Final hiring decisions are ultimately made by humans.

If you would like more information about how your data is processed, please refer to the Candidate Privacy Notice or contact us at [e-mail].

You may opt-out of the review or analysis of your application and resume by AI tools by using the General Application. Please include the role you wish to apply for in the Additional Information field. You may also choose to opt-out of recording and transcription at any time, including after joining an interview. Candidates will not be penalized for choosing to opt-out.