Financial Director

My client is seeking a Finance Director to lead the finance function end-to-end and act as a strategic partner to the co-CEOs/founders. This is a number one finance role, responsible for building a scalable finance operating model to support growth across the UK and the Netherlands, including new site openings and expansion during the current year.

Key responsibilities

• Partner with the co-CEOs/founders and Board on strategy, performance and investment decisions across all sites.
• Provide clear insights on profitability, unit economics, occupancy, pricing and return on investment for growth initiatives.
• Support expansion planning including business cases, scenario analysis and post-investment review.
• Collaborate effectively with sales and operations to drive business performance improvements.

Financial planning, budgeting and forecasting

• Own the annual budget and rolling forecast process across UK and Amsterdam operations.
• Develop driver-based forecasting and scenario planning to support rapid growth and changing assumptions.
• Provide robust analysis and interrogation of underwriting in relation to new sites.

Management reporting and performance management

• Deliver timely, accurate monthly management accounts and consolidated reporting (GBP and EUR reporting views).
• Maintain clear, consistent and insightful monthly reporting pack for senior leadership.
• Provide variance analysis and commentary, highlighting risks, opportunities and actions required.
• Define and track key operational and financial KPIs by site and at group level.

Cash, treasury and working capital

• Own cash forecasting, liquidity management and working capital discipline across the group.
• Implement pragmatic treasury and FX management practices appropriate for a multi-currency business.
• Establish controls for purchasing, approvals and spend management, balancing pace with governance.

Controls, compliance and governance

• Ensure appropriate financial controls, policies and processes are in place and operating effectively.
• Oversee statutory accounts, tax compliance and filings across the UK and Netherlands, managing external advisors as required.

Finance operations and systems

• Own and continuously improve the month-end close, consolidation and reporting processes.
• Enhance finance systems (accounting platform, FP&A models, reporting/BI) to support scale and efficiency.
• Support new site set-up and ongoing finance operations as the footprint expands.

Leadership and team development

• Lead and develop the finance team, setting clear expectations, coaching and accountability.
• Build a high-performing culture and recruit additional roles or external support as needed.

Skills and experience

• Proven experience leading finance as a Finance Director / Head of Finance in a growing business.
• Strong management accounting, FP&A and commercial finance capability, with the ability to translate data into decisions.
• Experience owning cash management, working capital and financial controls in a growth context.
• Comfortable operating hands-on while also building scalable processes and systems.
• Experience working with UK statutory requirements; Netherlands exposure is beneficial but not essential.
• Strong stakeholder management and the confidence to partner closely with founders, Board and senior leaders.

Working style

• UK-based with occasional travel to Europe.
• Hands-on leadership approach, with the ability to shift between strategic and operational priorities.
• Builds simple, scalable processes and continuously improves as the business grows.