Robert Walters is partnering with Business Leader to search for their first Finance Director as the business scales. This role is the number one finance position, and reports directly into the Chief Executive Officer.
ABOUT THE BUSINESS
We are a commercially driven, high-growth business that combines a media organisation, a growth programme for ambitious UK founders and CEOs, and - in the near future - a marketplace. We are tracking £5m in revenue this year and have a clear, credible plan to scale to £70m+ over the next three years.
The business is owned and fully funded by Sir Richard Harpin - founder of HomeServe, which he built from a kitchen-table idea into a FTSE-listed home services business before its sale to Brookfield in 2024 for £4.1bn. Sir Richard is now deploying his operating experience and personal capital behind a single, ambitious mission: to double the number of large companies in the UK. This business sits at the heart of that mission, equipping the founders and leadership teams who will build them.
Because the business is fully funded by Sir Richard there is no requirement to raise external capital, meaning leadership focus stays on commercial execution, operational discipline, and value creation rather than fundraising cycles. Having established early product-market fit and a growing commercial pipeline, we are building the leadership infrastructure to deliver the next phase of growth at pace. The CFO is a key partner to the CEO and carries a meaningful growth equity package, providing direct alignment with the long-term value being built.
ROLE PURPOSE
The CFO will serve as the commercial and financial engine of the business. This is a hands-on, high-impact role for a commercially minded finance leader who has navigated the complexities of scale-up growth—from managing day-to-day financial operations through to board-level strategic reporting.
You will be as comfortable completing the month-end close and a 12-week cash forecast as you are presenting financial performance and the strategic plan to the Board and shareholder, or rigorously challenging commercial deal margins with the sales team. We are looking for a professional level of delivery from an experienced, hands-on operator who thrives in ambiguity, moves seamlessly between detail and strategy, and applies strong commercial judgement to every financial decision.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
- Commercial Focus
- Daily Financial Operations & Control
- Monthly Reporting Against Budget
- Annual Budget & Monthly Reforecast
- Cash Flow Management, Treasury & Forecasting
- Partner to the CEO on People & Organisation
- Proven, hands-on CFO or senior finance leadership experience within a UK-based scale-up, with a track record of taking a business from early stage through to £50m+ in revenue.
- Direct experience reporting to and managing the relationship with a sole shareholder, founder-investor, or institutional investor in a growth-stage business environment.
- Demonstrable M&A experience, including hands-on involvement in deal origination, financial due diligence, valuation, deal structuring and negotiation across either buy-side or sell-side transactions.
- Track record of building and maintaining 12-week rolling cash forecasts with high accuracy and clear variance discipline.
- Commercial finance background with demonstrable experience influencing deal structures, partnership margins, and commercial decision-making.
- Hands-on operator who has personally owned the monthly close process and management accounts, not solely managed a team to deliver them.
- Experience of Board-level reporting, including presenting to non-executive directors, investors, or an advisory board.
- Strong Excel and financial modelling skills; experience with cloud-based accounting systems (Xero, NetSuite, or similar).
Highly Desirable
- Experience working across the full startup-to-scale-up journey - ideally having joined a business at an early stage and scaled it through significant growth.
- Exposure to commercial partnership models, SaaS, professional services, or similarly margin-sensitive business structures.
- Experience operating within a membership or subscription business model, with a strong commercial grasp of recurring revenue dynamics - MRR/ARR, retention and churn, lifetime value, and the unit economics of acquisition and renewal.
- Qualified accountant (ACA, ACCA, CIMA) - though we will consider exceptional candidates who are qualified by experience.
- Experience of post-merger integration, sell-side readiness, or preparation for exit (vendor due diligence, data room build-out, equity story development).
ON OFFER
- A rare opportunity to join the leadership team of a commercially ambitious, high-growth business at a pivotal moment.
- Direct reporting line to the CEO with a seat at the table for every key strategic decision.
- A genuine opportunity to shape the financial function from the ground up and build a team around you.
- Competitive salary commensurate with experience, supported by a meaningful growth equity package providing direct alignment with the long-term value being built.
- Hybrid working model - minimum 3 days per week in London, with flexibility around personal commitments.
- A culture that values pace, commercial thinking, and straight-talking collaboration.
For further details, contact Howard Green - Business Director - howard.green@robertwalters.com
Robert Walters Operations Limited is an employment business and employment agency and welcomes applications from all candidates.
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