Interim Finance Director in Chelmsford

I am looking for an experienced, hands-on Finance Director to join a privately owned SME on an ongoing temporary basis.

Are you the FD who likes fixing things, being involved in lots of aspects of the business, someone who enjoys rolling their sleeves up and getting stuck in, rather than someone who wants to sit at board level and remain removed from the day-to-day finance function. The business needs someone who is happy to get involved, do the do, get into the detail and bring structure to an environment that currently needs it.

The company operates across a number of interests, and needs a strong SME Finance Director who is comfortable taking ownership of finance from A–Z.

You’ll be responsible for getting under the skin of the numbers, improving processes and controls, managing and developing the transactional finance team and giving the owner clear, practical financial information to support decision-making.

The role will include:

• Taking ownership of the full finance function
• Reviewing and improving existing processes, controls and reporting
• Managing and supporting two transactional finance staff
• Cash flow management and working within a cash-conscious environment
• Producing meaningful management information and forecasts
• Supporting due diligence and wider commercial projects
• Working closely with the business owner, who does not come from a finance background
• Producing the financial and management accounts, balance sheet etc.
• Bringing greater structure, visibility and discipline across the finance function

The right person will have previously worked as an FD or very senior finance lead within an SME and will understand the realities that come with privately owned businesses.

You’ll need to be pragmatic, resilient and commercially minded, with the confidence to challenge where needed but also the ability to build a strong working relationship with an entrepreneurial owner. You will also need to be ACCA, CIMA, ACA qualified or finalist.

Previous experience of a multi-entity environment would be useful, although the key requirement is strong all-round SME Finance Director experience.

This is an office-based role and is expected to be an ongoing assignment. It could last 12 months and potentially considerably longer.

If you enjoy walking into a business, working out what needs fixing and then actually getting on and fixing it, this could be a really interesting assignment.