Financial Director in London

Dodds and Shute are a design-led procurement company, dedicated to sourcing the most sustainable furniture and lighting. We are a proud B Corp, with a mission to propel the design industry to a sustainable and responsible future, while providing an unrivalled level of expertise and customer service. In essence, we want the design sector to be beautiful, both inside and out.

Founded in 2015, we are a growing, young team, passionate about design. Our clients include hotels, offices, residential, restaurants and more. With ambitious growth plans over the next 5 years, we are looking for an experienced Finance Director to help shape and deliver that journey. This is the first full time, in-house, Finance Director in the business – a genuine opportunity to build the financial function from the ground up and have real strategic influence from day one.

This is a commercially focused leadership role suited to someone who thrives in entrepreneurial, fast-moving environments, is confident challenging founders constructively and wants to play a meaningful role in scaling the business – not just reporting on it. The successful candidate will work closely with the founders and leadership team to establish financial strategy, build robust commercial models, and create the operational foundations required for sustainable growth. You will have a genuine seat at the table.

We are an equal opportunities employer, and do not discriminate on the grounds of gender, sexual orientation, marital or civil partner status, pregnancy or maternity, gender reassignment, race, colour, nationality, ethnic or national origin, religion or belief, disability or age.

Job purpose
Establish and lead the financial strategy of the business. As our first in-house Finance Director, you will build the financial infrastructure, modelling capability and commercial insight needed to support confident, data-led decision making at founder and board level. The role is weighted towards commercial finance – someone who can translate numbers into strategy will thrive here.

Duties and responsibilities

• Be the financial conscience of the business – proactively raising risks, opportunities and recommendations with the founders.
• Build and own a robust financial model including scenario planning, cash runway analysis and growth forecasts.
• Develop long-term financial plans, budgets, and forecasting models.
• Provide clear, accessible commercial insight to the founders and leadership – translating complexity into decisions.
• Lead margin analysis, pricing strategy support and profitability reviews across clients and projects.
• Monitor business performance, cash flow and working capital on an ongoing basis.
• Identify cost efficiencies and operational improvements that support sustainable growth.
• Support investor readiness, fundraising or financing arrangements as the business scales.
• Assist with any potential acquisitions or strategic partnership opportunities.
• Help develop scalable systems, reporting structures, and processes to support future growth with future audit readiness in mind.
• Oversee all aspects of the finance function including management accounts, AP/AR, budgeting, forecasting, and statutory reporting.
• Oversee and guide Audit process.
• Ensure accurate and timely monthly reporting to leadership.
• Manage cash flow forecasting and working capital.
• Oversee year-end accounts and liaise with external accountants, auditors, banks, and advisors.
• Ensure compliance with all UK financial, tax, and regulatory obligations.
• Develop and improve financial controls and internal processes.
• Manage European VAT filings/returns.

Leadership

• Act as a trusted commercial partner to the founders, helping them understand the financial implications of strategic decisions.
• Lead, mentor and develop the Finance Manager and Finance Coordinator.
• Build a high-performance finance function capable of supporting a larger business.
• Work collaboratively across departments including operations and sales.
• Contribute positively to company culture and leadership.

Knowledge, Experience and Skills

• Strong commercial finance background – financial modelling, scenario analysis, cash flow and runway management.
• Experience working in a high-growth SME or scale-up environment, ideally as the senior finance lead managing and developing finance teams.
• Comfortable operating at both strategic and hands-on levels – this is a builder role, not an inheritor.
• Confident communicating financial insight to founders and stakeholders.
• Proven ability to create financial infrastructure from scratch or significantly improve existing foundations.
• Proficient in Xero and Microsoft Excel (advanced modelling).
• Knowledge of UK financial regulations, tax obligations and compliance requirements.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with exceptional attention to detail.
• Some legal experience in negotiating contracts.
• Experience in a wholesale or procurement business.
• Familiarity with European VAT and cross-border financial management.
• Experience supporting fundraising, investment processes or M&A activity.
• Qualified accountant (ACA, ACCA, CIMA or equivalent).

Key job details and benefits

• Office location: Office is based in Clerkenwell.
• Hours of work: Mon-Fri 9.00am to 17:30pm, with a 1-hour lunch break.
• Holidays: 25 days per annum.