Chief Financial Officer

Medpal • Full-time • Runcorn, England, United Kingdom • 1d ago

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About MedPal AI plc

MedPal AI plc is the AI-native digital health and pharmacy group listed on the London Stock Exchange (AIM: MPAL). The Group combines NHS Distance Selling Pharmacy hubs at Sarus Court (Runcorn) and Swaffham, a B2B care home pharmacy supply business, New Health (new.co.uk), the Group's dedicated private GLP-1 weight-management clinic, and the MedPal Health OS app with Juno, our agentic AI health companion.

MedPal is the only London-listed plc focused on GLP-1 and the only GLP-1 service with a fully integrated health and wellness app. Our ambition is to become a top-three UK GLP-1 player, supported by partnerships with Novo Nordisk, Eli Lilly, Epassi and Care UK, and by a pipeline of acquisitions in UK pharmacy and health technology.

The Group is growing quickly, is acquisitive, and is an active user of the public markets. The CFO sits at the centre of all of that.

The role

Following the resignation of our current CFO, we are appointing a Chief Financial Officer to lead the finance function through MedPal's next phase of growth. This is a hands-on, board-level role in a lean organisation. We are looking for one person who is, at the same time, three things:

An outstanding plc CFO: credible with the Board, the NOMAD, brokers, auditors and the market; someone who has owned financial strategy, fundraising, governance and reporting in a UK listed company of comparable scale.
A first-class accountant: technically strong, close to the numbers, and personally involved in month-end, cash, controls, audit and statutory reporting. This is not a role that can be delegated downwards.
A compelling presenter of the company and its forecasts to investors: able to build the investment case, own the model behind it, and present it with confidence and precision to institutional investors, private client brokers, analysts and lenders, in London and on the road.

The CEO's expectation is explicit: we want a CFO who does the work, not one who only builds and manages a team. The successful candidate will spend time in the detail of management accounts, cashflow, pharmacy margins and the forecast model, and will be equally comfortable presenting those numbers to the market the following week.

Key responsibilities

Capital markets, investor relations and fundraising

Act as the Group's lead financial voice to the market alongside the CEO: institutional and retail investors, private client brokers, analysts, lenders and the financial press.
Prepare and present interim and full-year results, results presentations, investor decks and roadshow materials; lead investor and broker meetings in London and elsewhere, including extended stays around results and fundraisings.
Own the investment case and the forecast model that underpins it; be able to defend every assumption in front of an investor.
Lead equity and debt fundraising from planning through to completion, including placings, subscriptions, warrant and option exercises, debt facilities and any other capital raising the Board approves.
Manage the day-to-day relationship with the NOMAD, corporate brokers, registrars, financial PR and IR advisers; ensure the Group is always ready to raise capital when the opportunity arises.
Maintain the share, warrant and option registers and the fully diluted capital table, and ensure they reconcile to all announcements and contractual commitments.

Financial control and accounting (hands-on)

Personally review, and where necessary prepare, the monthly management accounts, balance sheet reconciliations and KPI packs for each business unit (NHS pharmacy hubs, care home supply, New Health GLP-1 clinic, technology).
Own the month-end close: timetable, accruals, prepayments, stock, intercompany, revenue recognition and margin analysis.
Prepare and deliver the annual report and financial statements under IFRS, including consolidation, subsidiaries and any acquired entities.
Lead the year-end audit and the half-year review; manage the auditor relationship and the resolution of audit findings.
Review payroll, supplier payment runs, VAT and corporation tax returns; approve payments in line with the delegated authority matrix.
Design, operate and continuously improve financial controls, finance systems and the chart of accounts so that the function scales with the business and with acquisitions.

Planning, forecasting and financial modelling

Own the Group budget and rolling forecast; build and maintain the integrated three-statement model used for the Board, the NOMAD and investors.
Build business cases and financial models for new products, partnerships, pricing decisions and capital projects (for example the dedicated GLP-1 fulfilment lines at Sarus Court).
Produce scenario and sensitivity analysis on GLP-1 volumes, pricing, gross margin, NHS reimbursement and cash runway.
Provide monthly performance analysis against budget and forecast with clear commentary on drivers and corrective action.

Cash, treasury and working capital

Own the 13-week cashflow forecast and the longer-term cash runway; report cash, headroom and covenant position to the CEO and Board weekly.
Manage banking relationships, facilities, FX and payment platforms; negotiate and monitor debt and asset-finance facilities.
Drive working capital discipline across stock (including GLP-1 and controlled drugs), NHS and private receivables, wholesaler and manufacturer payables, and supplier terms.

Governance, plc compliance and the Board

Ensure full compliance with the AIM Rules for Companies, the UK Market Abuse Regulation, the Companies Act and the QCA Corporate Governance Code, working with the NOMAD and company secretary.
Draft or review the financial content of RNS announcements, trading updates, circulars and admission or prospectus documents.
Deliver accurate, timely and decision-useful Board packs and management information; present the financial position at every Board meeting.
Support the Audit and Remuneration Committees; own the risk register from a financial perspective; maintain the insider list and dealing code procedures with the company secretary.
Manage relationships with auditors, tax advisers, lawyers, registrars, insurers and other professional advisers, and control adviser costs.

Pharmacy and healthcare operations finance

Provide financial oversight and challenge of the NHS Distance Selling Pharmacy hubs: NHS prescription revenue, reimbursement and clawback, drug tariff margin, category M, purchasing terms with wholesalers and manufacturers, and stock control.
Own the unit economics of New Health, the Group's GLP-1 clinic: customer acquisition cost, ARPU, retention, cost of goods, and clinic and dispensing margin.
Support the care home supply business on contract pricing, margin and cash collection.
Ensure financial controls support compliance in a regulated environment (GPhC, MHRA, NHS contract requirements, controlled drug regulations) and work closely with the Superintendent Pharmacist and operational leaders.
Partner with operational managers at Sarus Court and Swaffham to improve dispensing efficiency, labour cost and margin per item.

Mergers, acquisitions and corporate transactions

Lead financial due diligence, valuation, deal structuring and completion accounts on pharmacy and technology acquisitions, working with corporate development and external advisers.
Build acquisition models and integration budgets; deliver post-completion integration of finance, systems and controls, and track synergy delivery.
Support the CEO on partnership and commercial negotiations with pharmaceutical manufacturers, payers and distribution partners.

Team, systems and leadership

Lead, develop and where necessary recruit a small, high-performing finance team; set clear standards of accuracy, timeliness and accountability.
Select and implement finance, reporting and pharmacy-integration systems appropriate to a growing plc.
Act as a visible, hands-on member of the Executive Team, contributing well beyond finance to strategy, operations and culture.

Person specification

Essential

ACA, ACCA or CIMA qualified with a strong technical accounting foundation; IFRS reporting experience.
CFO or Finance Director experience in a small-cap UK listed plc (AIM or Main Market) with a market capitalisation in the range of £20m to £250m. This is essential; candidates without listed company experience at this level will not be considered.
Demonstrable experience presenting to institutional investors, brokers, analysts and lenders, including results presentations and roadshows.
Proven track record of leading and completing equity and debt fundraisings on the public markets.
Hands-on ownership of management accounts, month-end close, statutory accounts and audit in a lean finance function, not solely as a reviewer.
Advanced financial modelling and forecasting capability; able to build and own an integrated model personally.
Exceptional cashflow and working capital management in a growth business.
Working knowledge of the AIM Rules, MAR and plc governance obligations.
Experience presenting to and working with a plc Board and its committees.
Experience in a fast-paced, changing, entrepreneurial environment.
Based within commuting distance of Runcorn (or willing to relocate) and able to spend extended periods in London as the business requires.

Highly desirable

Pharmacy, pharmaceutical, healthcare or digital health experience, ideally including NHS reimbursement and regulated dispensing.
Experience in an AI, technology or subscription consumer health business with direct-to-patient revenues.
Buy-side M&A experience: due diligence, structuring, completion and integration of acquisitions.
Experience with warrants, options, convertible instruments and complex share capital structures.
Experience preparing a business for a significant investment, uplisting or exit event.
Private equity or venture backed company experience.

Personal attributes

Does the work: takes personal ownership of the numbers rather than delegating and reviewing from a distance.
Highly commercial and entrepreneurial; thinks like an owner.
Calm, articulate and credible in front of investors, brokers and the Board; comfortable being challenged on the numbers.
Rigorous attention to detail and an instinct for accuracy.
Comfortable with ambiguity, pace and change; a natural problem solver.
Moves easily between strategic planning and operational delivery in the same day.
Direct, honest and willing to challenge the CEO and Board constructively.
Resilient, energetic and willing to travel.

What this role is not

This is not a large corporate CFO role where the postholder sets direction and a large team executes. The finance team is small and the expectations of the CFO's personal involvement are high. A candidate whose primary strengths are team building, delegation and stakeholder management, rather than personal command of the accounts, the model and the investor story, is unlikely to be the right fit.

Priorities for the first six months

Take full ownership of the finance function from the outgoing CFO with no loss of control, reporting quality or market readiness.
Personally get underneath the management accounts, cashflow forecast and Group model; re-base the forecast and present it to the Board.
Establish relationships with the NOMAD, brokers, auditors and key investors; lead the next set of results and investor presentations.
Review controls, systems and reporting across the pharmacy hubs and New Health and set out a plan to scale them.
Support the live corporate development pipeline, including completion and integration of current acquisitions and preparation for future fundraising.