Head of Finance
Meet Our Recruiter
About the Role
Harper May is partnering with a profitable, acquisitive, PE-backed technology group in the south-west London area. The group runs across a cluster of trading entities serving regulated UK B2B markets, has grown rapidly through strong organic performance alongside targeted acquisitions, and is now entering a new phase of scale under institutional ownership. A Head of Finance is being hired to run the day-to-day group finance function alongside the current CFO and be developed into the longer-term CFO successor.
The Role
Reporting to the CFO, the Head of Finance will be a hands-on operator across the group's trading entities, owning consolidated reporting, FP&A, controls, and the finance stream of the group's post-deal priorities. The role will suit a fully qualified, fast-rising accountant currently reporting into a CFO or FD, who is ready to step into a genuine number-two seat with a line of sight to CFO over the next 12 to 24 months.
Key Responsibilities
- Lead the monthly group close and the consolidated management accounts across the operating entities
- Produce monthly reporting for the PE sponsor and quarterly covenant reporting for the group's lender
- Own FP&A end to end: annual budget, rolling forecast, 13-week cash flow, and board-grade variance commentary
- Work alongside the CFO on the value creation plan and ongoing investor reporting
- Project-manage the integration of acquired businesses onto a single group accounting platform
- Oversee statutory reporting, the group audit and tax compliance across the trading entities
- Drive cost control, cash management and working capital discipline across the group
- Develop and build out the finance team across multiple sites
- Deputise for the CFO at board and committee level as the role matures
What we are looking for
- Fully qualified accountant (ACA, ACCA or CIMA)
- Currently reporting into a CFO or FD inside a group, on a clear upward trajectory
- Hands-on group consolidation experience across multiple trading entities
- Exposure to PE sponsor reporting and bank covenant reporting is strongly preferred
- Strong FP&A, with the ability to explain variances crisply at board level
- Experience of bringing multiple companies onto a single accounting platform is a plus
- Hands-on team leader, comfortable owning the detail and the strategic picture together
- Based within a comfortable commute of south-west London; office-first initially, moving to hybrid