Interim Group Finance Director
Location: UK Multi-site
Contract Type: Interim 6–9 months
Reporting to: Chief Financial Officer
Organisation Size: £500m+ revenue, multi-site, complex operating model
Team Size: ~50 FTE across Group Finance
Role Overview
We are seeking a highly experienced Interim Group Finance Director to provide strategic and operational leadership to the Group Finance function of a large, multi-site organisation with revenues exceeding £500m
Reporting directly to the CFO, this role is critical in ensuring the integrity of financial reporting, driving performance insight, strengthening controls, and leading a high-performing team of c.50 finance professionals across multiple locations. The successful candidate will bring gravitas, pace, and a hands-on approach to stabilising, enhancing, and optimising finance operations in a complex environment
Key Responsibilities
Financial Leadership & Control
- Lead the Group Finance function, ensuring accurate, timely, and compliant financial reporting across all entities
- Oversee monthly, quarterly, and annual close processes, driving continuous improvement in reporting timelines and quality
- Ensure robust financial controls, governance frameworks, and compliance with regulatory and statutory requirements
- Act as a key escalation point for financial risk, controls, and technical accounting matters
Group Reporting & Compliance
- Own consolidated reporting, including statutory accounts, audits, and group consolidations
- Lead relationships with external auditors and ensure a smooth and efficient audit process
- Ensure compliance with IFRS (or relevant GAAP), tax regulations, and internal policies
- Deliver clear, insightful reporting packs for the CFO, Board, and Executive Committee
Commercial Leadership & Business Performance
- Partner closely with the CFO, CEO, and commercial leadership to drive business performance and value creation
- Provide forward-looking financial insight, analysis, and challenge to support strategic decision-making
- Support revenue growth, margin expansion, and cost optimisation initiatives across the organisation
- Evaluate commercial opportunities, investments, and business cases, ensuring robust financial appraisal and ROI focus
- Drive consistency and rigour in forecasting, budgeting, and long-range planning processes across multiple business units
- Develop and enhance KPI frameworks to improve visibility of operational and financial performance
- Act as a trusted advisor to divisional and operational leaders, balancing financial discipline with commercial pragmatism
- Provide financial leadership on pricing, contract evaluation, and customer / channel profitability
Team Leadership & Transformation
- Provide leadership, direction, and development to a team of ~50 across group reporting, financial control, and shared services
- Drive a high-performance culture focused on accountability, delivery, and continuous improvement
- Assess organisational structure, capability, and processes, implementing improvements where required
- Stabilise and motivate teams during a period of change or transformation
Process Improvement & Transformation
- Identify and implement process efficiencies across finance operations and reporting cycles
- Enhance use of systems, automation, and data to improve accuracy and insight
- Support or lead finance transformation initiatives, including ERP optimisation or process redes
Business Partnering & Stakeholder Engagement
- Partner closely with the CFO and wider executive team to provide financial insight and support decision-making
- Engage with divisional finance leads across multiple sites to ensure consistency and alignm
- Present financial performance and insights to senior stakeholders, including Board-level audiences
Ad Hoc & Strategic Support
- Support the CFO on strategic initiatives such as M&A, restructuring, or funding activities as required
- Provide additional leadership capacity during peak periods or business-critical projects
Candidate Profile
Experience
- Proven track record as a Finance Director / Group Financial Controller / Interim Finance Leader within large (£500m+) organisations
- Experience operating in multi-site, complex, and fast-paced environments such as retail
- Strong background in group reporting, financial control, and audit management
- Demonstrated experience managing large, geographically dispersed teams (30–
- 50+)Strong commercial acumen with experience influencing business performance and strategic decisions
- Prior interim experience or experience delivering in change or turnaround scenarios is highly desirable
