Interim Group Finance Director

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