Chief Financial Officer (CFO)
A leading global provider of technically led, Integrated Facility Management (IFM) services.
Location: UK (Head Office - with occasional travel to regional sites/client locations)
Reports to: President, UK (with regular reporting to the Board)
Direct Reports: UK finance team circa 15 headcount
Role Purpose
The business has grown significantly tripling in size over the last 4 years, and is on target to hit £250m within the next 3 years — a further doubling in size. The CFO will act as the senior finance leader for the UK business, responsible for the integrity, performance, and strategic direction of the UK finance function, while building the financial infrastructure, controls, and team capability needed to support sustained high growth.
This is a pivotal commercial and operational leadership role within a people- and contract-intensive services business, requiring strong command of long-term contract accounting, margin management across multiple service lines, and the financial discipline needed to support large, complex FM and project delivery contracts across public and private sector clients — all while scaling the finance function at pace.
The CFO will partner closely with the President and the Board to drive profitable growth, strengthen financial controls and governance, and ensure the business is well positioned to win, mobilise, and profitably deliver large-scale, multi-year FM contracts, including new logo wins, contract expansions, and potential bolt-on acquisitions that support the path to £250m.
Key Responsibilities
1. Strategic & Commercial Leadership
- Act as a trusted commercial partner to the President, Board, and Executive Leadership Team, shaping and executing the UK growth strategy.
- Provide financial leadership on major bids, tenders, and contract renewals — including pricing strategy, risk assessment, and commercial structuring for large, multi-year IFM contracts.
- Support M&A activity, due diligence, and integration planning where relevant to UK growth plans.
- Represent UK finance interests within the wider group finance community, ensuring alignment with group policy, reporting standards, and strategic priorities.
2. Scaling for Growth
- Build a finance function, systems, and control environment capable of supporting a doubling of revenue over 3 years — proactively identifying where current infrastructure, headcount, or processes will need to scale ahead of the business.
- Develop the financial case and integration approach for growth levers including new contract wins, contract expansions/cross-sell into existing accounts, and bolt-on M&A.
- Ensure finance capacity and structure keep pace with mobilisation of new, larger contracts without compromising control or margin visibility.
- Advise the Executive team on capital requirements, funding structure, and investment priorities needed to support the growth plan.
- Put in place scalable reporting, forecasting, and business partnering models that will hold at 2x current scale (multiple new accounts, higher headcount, greater subcontractor/supply chain volume).
3. Financial Planning & Analysis
- Own the UK budgeting, forecasting, and long-range planning processes, ensuring robust, contract-level visibility of revenue, margin, and cash flow.
- Provide the Board and group stakeholders with clear, accurate, and timely management information, KPIs, and performance insights.
- Lead monthly business performance reviews with operational leaders, holding contract and account teams accountable for financial performance.
- Develop and monitor financial models to support bid pricing, contract profitability, and investment decisions.
4. Financial Control, Reporting & Compliance
- Ensure the integrity of financial statements, management accounts, and statutory reporting in accordance with UK GAAP/IFRS and group accounting policies.
- Maintain robust internal controls, risk management frameworks, and audit processes across the UK business.
- Oversee statutory audit, tax compliance (including corporation tax, VAT, and CIS considerations relevant to construction/FM services), and regulatory filings.
- Ensure compliance with contractual financial obligations, including open-book contracts, gain-share/pain-share mechanisms, and client audit requirements common in FM outsourcing agreements.
5. Contract & Commercial Finance
- Oversee finance business partnering across major client accounts, ensuring accurate contract accounting (including long-term contracts, variable/self-delivery vs. subcontracted work, and mobilisation/demobilisation costs).
- Drive margin improvement initiatives across FM, project delivery, asset management, and critical environments service lines.
- Manage commercial risk related to contract mobilisation, TUPE transfers, supply chain/subcontractor costs, and inflation-linked pricing mechanisms.
- Support procurement and supply chain teams on cost control and supplier commercial arrangements.
6. Treasury, Cash & Working Capital
- Own UK cash flow forecasting, working capital management, and treasury operations.
- Manage banking relationships, facilities, guarantees, and bonding requirements typical of large FM/construction-adjacent contracts.
- Optimise working capital across debtors, WIP, and creditors, particularly given the scale of subcontracted labour and materials costs.
7. Leadership & Team Development
- Build, lead, and develop a high-performing UK finance team, embedding a culture of commercial acumen, accountability, and continuous improvement.
- Act as a visible, values-led leader across the business, supporting the organisation's broader people, culture, and safety commitments.
- Champion finance systems, process improvement, and digital transformation (ERP, reporting tools, automation) to enhance efficiency and insight.
8. Governance & Stakeholder Management
- Serve as a key point of contact for external auditors, banks, insurers, and regulatory bodies.
- Support ESG reporting and sustainability commitments in partnership with the sustainability/energy services teams.
- Manage relationships with client finance teams, particularly around open-book accounting, benchmarking, and contract governance in public sector and regulated environments.
Candidate Profile
Essential Experience
- A dynamic, high-energy leader who thrives in a fast-growing, entrepreneurial environment and brings genuine drive and presence to the Executive team.
- Qualified accountant (ACA, ACCA, CIMA, or equivalent).
- Previous experience operating at CFO level (not solely FD or equivalent), ideally within facilities management, business services, construction, engineering services, or another contract/project-based service industry.
- Proven track record managing long-term, multi-year service contracts, including open-book/transparent commercial models, gain-share arrangements, and contract mobilisation.
- Experience operating within a multinational group structure, comfortable balancing UK Board accountability with alignment to wider group policy and standards.
- Strong track record of business partnering with operational and commercial teams to drive margin and cash performance.
- Experience supporting bids/tenders for large public and private sector outsourcing contracts.
- Track record of scaling a finance function through a period of significant, sustained revenue growth (ideally through a comparable multiple, e.g. business more than doubling), including building capability, systems, and controls ahead of the curve rather than reactively.
Desirable Experience
- Experience within critical environments, government/defence, education, or financial services client sectors.
- Exposure to TUPE processes and workforce-intensive service delivery models.
- M&A, due diligence, or carve-out/integration experience.
- ERP/finance transformation project leadership (e.g., SAP, Oracle, Workday).
Skills & Attributes
- Dynamic, energetic, and hands-on — comfortable operating at pace in a business that has tripled in size and intends to double again.
- Strong commercial and strategic mindset, balanced with rigorous financial control discipline.
- Excellent stakeholder management skills, credible with clients, group leadership, auditors, and the Board.
- Resilient, hands-on leadership style suited to a fast-paced, operationally complex services environment.
- Strong communicator, able to translate complex financial information for non-financial audiences.
- High personal integrity and commitment to governance, safety, and ethical standards.
What Success Looks Like (First 12 Months)
- Robust, contract-level financial visibility embedded across all major accounts and service lines.
- Strengthened forecasting accuracy and working capital performance.
- Clear margin improvement plans in place for underperforming contracts.
- A finance team structure and capability plan defined that will scale credibly from £125m to £250m, with initial hires/investment underway.
- A high-performing, well-structured finance team aligned to current and future business needs.
- Strong, trusted relationships established with the President, the Board, and key client finance stakeholders.
What Success Looks Like (Year 2–3, en route to £250m)
- Finance systems, controls, and reporting proven to operate effectively at c.2x current scale.
- Finance has been a credible, proactive partner in evaluating and integrating growth opportunities (new contracts, expansions, bolt-on M&A).
- Cash and working capital performance sustained despite rapid growth in headcount and subcontractor volume.
- A finance function recognised internally (and by the Board) as a strength underpinning the growth story, not a constraint on it.
