This is a genuine CFO-level role, offering unified ownership across Financial Control, FP&A, and commercial finance. The CFO will play a central role in shaping strategy, supporting growth decisions, and building a finance function capable of supporting a complex European operation.
The Role
Reporting to the CEO and working closely with the Board and investors, the CFO will lead financial strategy, governance, compliance, and commercial decision-making across UK and EU entities.
This is not a back-office role. The CFO will act as a visible, hands-on commercial partner, supporting leadership with insight, judgement, and disciplined financial execution.
Role Scope & Responsibilities
Financial Leadership & Control
- End-to-end ownership of FP&A and Financial Control (not split)
- Full responsibility for P&L, balance sheet, cash flow, and working capital
- Lead budgeting, forecasting, scenario planning, and long-range financial modelling
- Deliver clear, structured Board reporting including KPIs, variance analysis, risks, and actions
European Tax, Compliance & Governance
- Oversight of European multi-entity reporting, statutory accounts, and audits
- Ownership of VAT, cross-border tax compliance, and transfer pricing frameworks
- Ensure audit-ready controls and compliance with UK and EU accounting standards
- Manage FX exposure and hedging strategies
- Maintain strong relationships with auditors, banks, tax advisors, and external partners
Commercial & Strategic Partnership
- Partner with the CEO and leadership team on growth strategy, investment decisions, and market expansion
- Lead financial evaluation of new territories, wholesale structures, distributor arrangements, and investment cases
- Translate complex financial data into clear narratives and decision support for senior stakeholders
- Stress-test plans and provide robust downside and risk analysis
Transformation, Systems & Process Improvement
- Play a lead role in stabilising and improving finance processes and systems
- Drive automation, optimisation, and control improvements in a complex, imperfect environment
- Oversee financial systems and interfaces with ERP, WMS, and trading platforms
- Build scalable processes across management accounts, AR, AP, credit control, and payment cycles
Team Leadership
- Lead, develop, and mentor the finance team
- Set clear standards, accountability, and development pathways
- Build a high-performance finance function aligned to the next phase of growth
What This Role Offers
- Clear CFO title and mandate with full functional ownership
- A true step-up opportunity for a senior finance leader ready for broader scope
- Direct exposure to Board, investors, and strategic decision-making
- Opportunity to shape the finance function and influence the business at scale
- Focus on value creation, not incremental improvement
Ideal Candidate Profile
- CFO or senior Finance Director experience within a European B2B or wholesale-led business
- Strong track record across European tax, VAT, statutory reporting, and cross-border complexity
- Commercially astute, with deep understanding of working capital, cash, and margin management
- Comfortable operating hands-on in change environments
- Confident communicator, able to influence non-finance stakeholders
What’s on Offer
- Excellent Salary, Bonus and other perks.
- High growth potential
- Board-level CFO role in a PE-backed European wholesale business
- Competitive executive compensation (base + bonus)
- Meaningful influence during a period of rebuild, integration, and growth
#ChiefFinancialOfficer #CFO #FinanceLeadership #EuropeanFinance #B2B #WholesaleBusiness #PEBacked #CommercialFinance #WorkingCapital #FinanceTransformation #EuropeanTax #VAT
