Group Finance Director

Company Description

O.C.O Technology Ltd is a global clean tech company that transforms thermal residues, which would otherwise go to landfill, through an innovative carbon capture process to create sustainable, lightweight aggregate for the built environment. The company operates three sites in the UK—Wretham, Avonmouth, and Leeds—with expanding operations worldwide.

As one of the few commercially operating carbonation mineralisation companies, O.C.O became a pioneer in the field with its first manufacturing facility in 2012. The organisation specialises in Accelerated Carbonation Technology (ACT), a carbon capture and utilisation process that permanently stores carbon dioxide as stable carbonate minerals.

In the UK, O.C.O’s ACT plants produce Manufactured Limestone (M-LS) a carbon neutral, sustainable construction material that stabilises contaminants, improves waste handling, and can reduce disposal costs.

Job Purpose

T he Group Finance Director (GFD) will be responsible for leading the Group’s financial strategy, governance and international structural development in support of the business’ long-term growth ambitions.

The role combines strategic leadership with a practical, hands-on approach and will play a central role in supporting the continued development of the Group’s international operations, financial infrastructure and governance capability.

The GFD will provide leadership across Group finance, HR, IT and legal functions overseeing international expansion, tax structure and corporate development, while ensuring robust financial control, regulatory compliances and scalable governance across all jurisdictions.

The GFD will play a central role in

· Supporting overseas growth and new market entry

· Designing and maintaining efficient international group structures

· Overseeing global tax strategy including management of Transfer Pricing and Permanent Establishment considerations

· Supporting mergers, acquisitions and strategic investment activity

· Integrating carbon market governance into the Group’s finance structure

The GFD will work closely with the CEO, Board and Non-Executive Directors to balance commercial growth, with strong governance, risk management and operational scalability.

Key Duties

Strategic & Commercial Leadership

· Lead the group’s overall financial strategy in support of long-term business growth

· Act as a strategic advisor to the CEO and Board on financial, commercial and structural matters

· Support international expansion, new market entry and overseas entity development

· Lead financial evaluation and support of mergers, acquisitions and strategic investments

· Develop scalable financial and governance structures aligned to growth objectives

Group Finance & Governance

· Overseas Group financial management, budgeting, forecasting and Group consolidation

· Ensure robust financial controls, governance and risk management frameworks are maintained

· Lead Group cash flow, treasury and working capital management

· Ensure timely and accurate statutory and management reporting

· Support Board reporting and strategic decision making through high-quality financial insight

International Structuring & Tax

· Lead the design and maintenance of efficient international group structures

· Oversee global tax strategy and compliance across all jurisdictions

· Proactively maintain robust, arm’s length transfer pricing documentation and monitor cross-border operations to mitigate Permanent Establishment exposure

· Coordinate external tax, legal and regulatory advisors where required

Carbon Markets Governance

· Support the integration of carbon market governance into the Group’s financial and operational framework

· Work alongside Non-Executive Director responsible for Carbon governance

· Ensure robust controls, reporting and audit readiness in relation to voluntary carbon market activities.

· Oversee financial and compliance aspects of carbon registry, verification process and related reporting framework

HR Responsibilities

· Provide leadership and oversight for the HR function, ensuring alignment with Company strategy

· Oversee payroll, benefits, and remuneration frameworks in line with budget and market benchmarks

· Ensure compliance with employment legislation, HR policies and procedures, and best practice

· Support workforce planning, organisational design, and succession planning

· Advise the CEO and senior leadership team on employee relations, performance management, and talent development

· Promote a positive organisational culture and values

IT Responsibilities

• Provide strategic leadership and oversight of the Group's IT function, ensuring technology infrastructure, systems and digital capabilities support current operations and future growth.
• Develop and maintain an IT strategy aligned to the Group's commercial, operational and international expansion objectives.
• Oversee cybersecurity, data protection, disaster recovery and business continuity arrangements, ensuring risks are appropriately identified and mitigated.
• Ensure IT systems, applications and reporting tools remain fit for purpose, secure, scalable and capable of supporting business performance.
• Manage relationships with external IT service providers, software vendors and technology partners to ensure service quality, value for money and operational resilience.
• Support digital transformation initiatives, process automation and the effective use of data to improve business efficiency and decision-making.
• Ensure compliance with relevant information security, data protection and regulatory requirements across all jurisdictions.

Legal & Corporate Governance Responsibilities

• Provide leadership and oversight of the Group's legal and corporate governance activities, ensuring appropriate governance frameworks are maintained across all Group entities.
• Oversee the management of legal risk, ensuring appropriate controls, policies and processes are in place to protect the Group's interests.
• Manage relationships with external legal advisors and coordinate specialist legal support across commercial, corporate, employment, property and regulatory matters as required.
• Oversee the review, negotiation and governance of key commercial contracts, agreements and strategic partnerships.
• Ensure compliance with applicable corporate, regulatory and statutory requirements across all jurisdictions in which the Group operates.
• Support corporate transactions, acquisitions, disposals, joint ventures and entity formation activities from a legal and governance perspective.
• Ensure effective company secretarial processes are maintained, including statutory filings, governance records and Board-related compliance requirements.
• Advise the CEO, Board and senior leadership team on legal, regulatory and governance matters that may impact strategic decision-making and risk management.

Leadership, Organisational Development & Transitional Responsibilitie s

· Lead and develop the Group Finance function and provide strategic oversight and leadership across HR, IT and Legal support functions, ensuring they operate effectively in support of the Group's growth strategy.

· Support the continued development of finance capability across UK and overseas operations

· Oversee and support UK finance leadership, including operational finance management and development of local finance capability

· Initially adopt a hands-on approach across both strategic and operational matters to support the evolution of the Groups international structure and finance function

· Maintain effective relationships with auditors, advisors, regulators and external stakeholders

· Actively support and contribute to the maintenance and continuous improvement of management systems, including CMS, BES6001, ISO9001, ISO14001 and ISO45001.

Key Skills and Experience

· Qualified accountant (ACA, ACCA, CIMA or equivalent)

· Proven experience in a senior leadership role (FD or GFD level)

· Strong understanding of HR principles, employment legislation, and people management practices

· Experience in international business environments and cross border structuring

· Strong commercial acumen with the ability to balance growth and risk

· Experience supporting overseas expansion and entity setup, with a deep understanding of international tax principles

· Willingness to commence as a hands-on contributor scaling into a strategic leadership role

· Experience of Energy from Waste, Aggregates or carbon markets is desirable