Head of Finance

Harper May is partnering with an early-stage, mission-led climate-tech business developing high-integrity, nature-based carbon credits at scale. Backed by a strong founding team and an experienced group of investors, the business is now preparing for a Series B fundraise and building out the operating platform that will support the next phase of growth. A Senior Finance Manager, stepping into a Head of Finance seat, is being appointed to own the finance function end to end, partner directly with the COO on planning and controls, and be a key operator through the upcoming raise.

The Role
Reporting directly to the COO and working closely with the wider leadership team, the Senior Finance Manager / Head of Finance will own everything from the day-to-day close through to Series B fundraise-ready modelling, board reporting and financial controls. The role is genuinely hands-on and broad: a real chance to own the finance function of a fast-growing climate-tech business and shape the systems, processes and reporting as the company scales.

Key Responsibilities

• Own the monthly close, with a target of audit-ready books by working day 10
• Manage the external bookkeeping partner, reviewing work for accuracy and completeness
• Own statutory compliance across annual accounts, VAT and R&D tax credit filings
• Audit and optimise the finance stack across Xero, CRM, payroll and banking, and design scalable SOPs, expense workflows and spend controls
• Deliver monthly and quarterly financial packages, including P&L, balance sheet, cash flow and variance analysis
• Own cash flow forecasting and working capital management in a pre-scale environment
• Prepare investor updates and board decks in partnership with the COO and CEO
• Build the multi-year integrated financial model for the Series B fundraise, standing up to VC scrutiny
• Partner with the leadership team on project finance models, unit economics and commercial decisions

What we are looking for

• Fully qualified accountant (ACA, ACCA or CIMA), or equivalent fully completed
• Prior experience in an early-stage start-up or scale-up finance function is essential
• Direct experience of a fundraise, ideally Series A or Series B, including building the model and supporting due diligence
• Strong technical grounding in monthly close, statutory reporting, VAT and R&D tax credits
• Confident with Xero and comfortable configuring and integrating finance systems
• Able to build a multi-year integrated financial model that stands up to VC scrutiny
• Commercially minded, hands-on, and comfortable owning the numbers end to end in a lean team
• UK-based, comfortable working remotely within +/- 2 hours of UK time