Finance Director - Huddersfield SME

Axon Moore are supporting a manufacturing SME near to Huddersfield in the appointment of their Finance Director. The business has revenues of ca. £15m and has a proud history and heritage within their specialist market. Following recent Private Equity investment, they are positioning the business for future growth and the appointment of a top calibre Finance Director is central to the business achieving its strategic goals in the coming years.

This is a pivotal role within the organisation and the Finance Director will take on a much broader role than purely overseeing finance, with their expertise being required across multiple facets of the business including operations and commercial. There will be a requirement to be on site most of the time, however some hybrid working can be on offer once the person has settled into the business and has got \”under the skin\” of the key priorities and built key relationships.

Main responsibilities

• Lead all aspects of financial management, including budgeting, forecasting, cash flow, and reporting
• Provide insightful financial analysis to support decision‑making across the business
• Oversee the production of monthly management accounts and year‑end statutory accounts
• Manage relationships with external stakeholders including auditors, banks, and investors
• Support the Managing Director and Board with strategic planning, M&A activity, and investment cases
• Manage key relationships with external stakeholders including banks, auditors, insurers etc
• Responsible for managing key banking and financing arrangements ensuring information is shared on a timely basis
• Drive process improvements and modernise financial systems and reporting tools
• Ensure compliance with all tax, regulatory, and legal financial obligations
• Provide leadership and mentoring to a small finance team
• Work collaboratively with operational teams to improve margins, reduce costs, and maximise working capital

Ideal candidate

• Qualified finance professional with wealth of experience within an SME manufacturing environment
• This could be an ideal first time Finance Director/No. 1 in finance role for an ambitious Financial Controller or Head of Finance, or it could equally suit an experienced Finance Director with a track record in businesses of a similar scale
• Able to balance leadership and strategic support with a willingness to be \”hands on\” and involved in the detailed accounting duties along with the team
• Able to review the work of the team as well and mentor team members

If this role is of interest and you feel you have the required skills and experience, please apply ASAP. We look forward to hearing from you.