Financial Director in London

We are looking for a Finance Director who wants to roll up their sleeves and build — not just maintain — a finance function. You will be the most senior finance person in the business, working directly with the CEO and leadership team to drive the financial strategy that supports our next phase of growth.

This isn’t a role where you will inherit a polished machine. If you thrive in environments where things move quickly, where you are expected to have opinions, and where no two weeks look the same — keep reading.

• Own and develop the finance function — you will lead a small team today (with scope to grow it as we scale), putting the right systems, controls, and processes in place to support an increasingly complex international business.
• Be a genuine business partner — challenge assumptions, bring commercial insight, and help shape decisions across the business — not just report on them after the fact.
• Own the numbers — management accounts, budgeting, forecasting, cash flow, and financial modelling. You will make sure we have a clear, accurate picture of where we are and where we are headed.
• Drive financial strategy — support fundraising, scenario planning, and commercial deal structuring as we scale. Help the leadership team understand the financial implications of big decisions before we make them.
• Keep us compliant and audit-ready — manage statutory reporting, tax, and audit processes with external advisors across multiple jurisdictions (UK, Germany, US).
• Improve everything you touch — if a process is clunky, fix it. If a system isn’t working, change it. We want someone who sees problems as opportunities to make things better.

• You’ve done this before in a scaling business. You’ve been a Finance Director, Head of Finance, or senior finance leader in a startup or scale-up environment. You know what it feels like when things are messy and you find that energising, not stressful.
• You’re technically excellent but commercially minded. Fully qualified (ACA, ACCA, CIMA or equivalent) with strong technical accounting skills — but you don’t hide behind spreadsheets. You understand how finance connects to the wider business and you communicate that clearly.
• You’re a leader, not just a doer. You will manage a small team with the potential to grow it as the business scales. You care about developing the people around you and creating an environment where everyone does their best work.
• You bring energy and ideas. We want someone who’s proactive, curious, and genuinely excited about being part of a growing business. You will bring fresh thinking about how finance can add value — not just control costs.
• You’re comfortable with ambiguity. Multi-entity, multi-currency, cross-border — you can navigate complexity without needing everything to be perfectly defined before you start.

• Real impact. You will shape the financial future of a company that works with some of the world’s most recognised brands to solve one of the biggest challenges of our time.
• A team that cares. We are a collaborative, in-person culture (4 days a week in our London office) with regular team activities and offsites. We work hard, but we genuinely enjoy working together.
• Room to grow. As Pentatonic scales, so does this role — including the scope to build out the finance team beneath you.