Chief Financial Officer

Chief Financial Officer  

Suffolk

£300k package + significant equity

MacKenzie King are working with this dynamic, fast paced and ambitious Business Services company to recruit a Chief Financial Officer. Based in Suffolk, with satellite operations locally and in the North, the management team comprises many long serving industry experts, ideally placed to support the forthcoming tech programme and expansion plans.

The strategy is clear. To maximise competitiveness through investor backed IT investment plans. To develop the presence overseas and to establish a market leading position in their market. Success will be confirmed by a successful sale transaction to another investor.

The Role:

Following the assistance of an expert, interim leadership team, we now need a CFO to secure the recent change programme and to work with the CEO to provide the strategic skill and leadership to take the business forward. The deliverables are clear as is the timescale. The PE investors plan to successfully transform the company and complete its sale in, at the latest, five years.

As our Chief Financial Officer, you will be responsible for providing direction and leadership to the Board, the finance team and supporting functions. You will work closely with the board of directors, Private Equity and banking stakeholders as well as other key stakeholders, to drive growth, efficiency and ensure financial stability.

This position would be of interest to senior Finance Executives who are familiar with the “professionalisation” process to take the business to the next level of financial control, efficiency and technology integration. The successful candidate will have the ability to adapt relentlessly to achieve a high growth, profitable outcome and sale as well being able to provide strategic direction and who can still drop down one level and provide hands-on guidance to the team as the capabilities are being strengthened.

In return we offer a competitive package and a significant equity plan.

Skills:

 Technical

• Familiar with latest SME Statutory Accounting policies and procedures
• Able to go into details of accounting and finance
• Assess Accounting Systems with key requirements expertise
• Able to grow, develop and maintain a finance team as well as wider back-office function (tax, legal, IT, real estate) 
• Able to assess current accounting controls and reporting bottom up  
• Skilled in system implementation project management

 Commercial/Legal

• Build efficient and effective processes in an environment, which is not used to standardisations/ processes/ governance
• Challenge and improve existing product-market fit, contractual relationships and pricing of services
• Co-develop and track organisational transformation/ growth plans and milestones, including developing business cases for new product/ service initiatives
• Challenge and improve existing product-market fit, contractual relationships and pricing of services
• Ensure legal understanding of commercial contracts and their maintenance with all Shareholders
• Support bid and tender processes especially advising on value and granularity of margins

Operational

• Hold budget and forecasting accountability
• Skilled in negotiating key financial agreements across all stakeholders and operational partners
• Build alignment of the expectations of stakeholders and operational decision making
• Skilled in data analysis and "root cause" KPI understanding
• Track operational KPIs to steer organisation and support accurate financial forecasting
• Familiar with digital analytics
•  

Corporate

• Act in the capacity of a fiduciary director and conduct the administrative requirements of the board appropriately
• Guide the board and Steerco in line with financial and legal guidelines
• Observe key shareholder contractual guidelines and performance metrics including those with Private Equity and debt lenders e.g. financial covenants

Skills Required

Essential

• Experience of operating in a fast-moving environment
• Ability to use wide ranging influencing skills tailored to deliver outcomes in a competitive environment
• An accomplished engaging leader who instinctively understands how to provide direction within a fast-moving company
• Qualified or Chartered Accountant or similar
• Aware of impact of regulatory change onto market and business and familiar working with government customers
• Been a referenceable CFO in PE owned entity before (no "L" plates)
• Leading a data led decision making culture
• Having intellectual curiosity to continually drive to identify root cause drivers of outcomes
• Partnering with business peers on key decisions, both supporting and educating them in a traditionally "instinct" led culture
• Playing a full "Business Partner" role to the Board and CEO in particular to "professionalise" the business for successful sale
• To act in the capacity of a fiduciary director and conduct the administrative requirements of the board appropriately

 Person Specification

• Analytical with a deep intellectual curiosity aiding insightful fast learning
• A fact-based debater comfortable operating within ambiguity
• Driven by root cause analysis in a sales driven organisation
• Clear communicator to guide change
• Confident but engaging approach to team working, demonstrating value and guidance
• Ability to drive change positively, however challenging, maintaining team engagement
• Naturally accepted by all parties as deputy to the CEO