Head of Finance

A commercially astute Head of Finance is needed to join a high-performance, fast-growing scale-up in the technology sector. This is a business with bold ambitions, an innovative edge, and a culture that rewards agility, drive, and fresh thinking.

As Head of Finance, you’ll take full ownership of the finance function, running day-to-day operations with precision, while setting the strategic financial direction that will fuel the next phase of growth. You’ll work together with leadership to ensure every decision is backed by robust data, insightful analysis, and sound commercial judgement.

You will be managing a small, established and lean finance team and as such much be happy to be involved in overseeing the operational focus in finance together with the strategic vision for the business.

This is a hugely exciting opportunity that is not only experiencing a scale up phase due to demand in their industry but will also be looking at diversification too.  This position offers the right combination of commercial stipulation.

Job Title:            Head of Finance
Job Type:            Permanent
Location:           Godalming (Hybrid)
Salary:                £70,000 – £75,000 + Benefits
Reference no:   15875

Head of Finance – Benefits

• 25 days holiday
• Hybrid working model
• Life Assurance
• Discretionary annual bonus – based on business and personal performance

Head of Finance – About the Role

This is an exciting scale-up leadership role where your impact will be both immediate and long-term. You’ll be building the financial foundations for sustainable growth while keeping pace with the demands of a fast-moving technology consultancy.

In the early stages, you’ll need to be hands-on and adaptable, taking ownership of:

• Overseeing and managing day-to-day accounting operations — general ledger, month-end close, journals, accruals, and reconciliations.
• Partnering with project teams to produce accurate project P&Ls, track margin performance, and optimise resource planning.
• Preparing commercial and financial models for project proposals and bids, ensuring commercial viability.
• Leading cashflow forecasting and working capital management.
• Driving the annual budgeting process and reforecasting, including profitability modelling by headcount.
• Maximising system utilisation & integration — ensuring finance, CRM, and project systems talk to each other to deliver real-time dashboards and insights.
• Overseeing statutory reporting and year-end, including R&D claims and year-end commentary.

The successful Head of Finance will be:

• Qualified accountant (ICAEW, ACCA, CIMA) with 5+ years PQE.
• Essential experience of working within a consultancy (billable time) based business, ideally within IT or engineering.
• Proven experience in a fast-growing scale-up environment.
• Strong knowledge of project accounting, revenue recognition, pricing, and financial audit.
• Working knowledge of UK tax regulations, including R&D claims.
• Commercially minded, with the ability to influence at senior level and thrive in a business where change is the norm.

Howett Thorpe are acting as a recruitment agency in relation to this role and comply with all relevant UK legislation, without discrimination on any protected characteristics. Due to the high volume of applications we receive, we are unable to respond to all candidates. If you do not hear from us within 5 working days, please assume you have not been successful.

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