A Private Equity-backed international professional services business is seeking an exceptional Director of FP&A to join its executive finance leadership team.
With revenues of approximately £150m and EBITDA of circa £40m, the business is executing an ambitious growth strategy through a combination of organic expansion and strategic acquisitions across multiple international markets. Backed by a highly regarded Private Equity investor, the organisation is entering a critical phase of value creation, with a planned exit event anticipated within the next two to three years.
The Role:
Reporting directly to an experienced PE-backed CFO, the Director of FP&A will act as a true right hand to the CFO, partnering closely with the Board, business unit leaders and the Private Equity investment team. This individual will play a pivotal role in shaping strategic decision-making, driving performance, enhancing commercial insight and supporting the business through its next phase of growth and eventual exit.
This is a highly visible leadership position combining strategic influence with operational delivery, ideally suited to an individual who enjoys both setting direction and rolling up their sleeves to execute.
Key Responsibilities
- Strategic Finance & FP&A Leadership
- Lead all Group FP&A activities, overseeing budgeting, forecasting, long-range planning and performance management processes.
- Develop best-in-class financial planning frameworks that support strategic decision-making and value creation initiatives.
- Provide insightful analysis and recommendations to the CFO, Board and executive leadership team.
- Own business performance reporting, ensuring clear visibility of KPIs, operational performance, profitability and cash generation.
- Support strategic planning and scenario modelling to inform growth initiatives and investment decisions.
- Drive continuous improvement of planning processes, forecasting accuracy and management information.
Business Partnering & Commercial Analytics
- Act as a trusted advisor to senior leadership and business unit heads across the organisation.
- Deliver robust commercial analysis to support pricing, profitability, resource utilisation and growth strategies.
- Translate financial data into actionable business insights that drive performance improvement.
- Lead the development of advanced analytics capabilities to improve visibility and decision-making across the business.
Private Equity & Board Engagement
- Support the CFO in managing relationships with the Private Equity investor.
- Deliver high-quality reporting, presentations and analysis for Board meetings, lender communications and investor reviews.
- Participate in value creation planning and execution across the group.
- Support acquisition integration activities and synergy tracking.
- Play a key role in preparing the business for a successful future exit process.
Finance Transformation & Technology
- Lead the ongoing evolution of FP&A systems, reporting and analytical capabilities.
- Partner with finance and technology stakeholders to optimise ERP functionality and improve data quality and reporting effectiveness.
- Champion the adoption of AI-enabled finance capabilities, driving innovation across forecasting, reporting, analysis and decision support.
- Leverage technology to increase automation, improve insight generation and reduce manual processes.
Leadership
- Lead, develop and inspire a team of four FP&A professionals.
- Build a high-performance culture focused on accountability, collaboration and continuous improvement.
- Grow capability within the team while ensuring strong succession planning and talent development.
Candidate Profile:
The successful candidate will be a commercially minded finance leader who combines strategic thinking with a hands-on, delivery-focused approach.
They will possess the credibility and presence to operate effectively with senior executives, investors and operational leaders while maintaining a strong grasp of financial detail.
Essential Requirements
- Fully qualified finance professional (ACA, ACCA, CIMA or equivalent).
- Proven FP&A leadership experience within a Private Equity-backed organisation, ideally within professional services, consulting, B2B services or a similar people-led environment.
- Experience operating within a high-growth business undergoing significant transformation and change.
- Strong track record of delivering budgeting, forecasting, strategic planning and performance management processes.
- Experience partnering directly with executive leadership teams and investors.
- Advanced analytical, modelling and financial storytelling capabilities.
- Demonstrated experience leading and developing high-performing teams.
- Exposure to M&A activity, integration programmes and value creation initiatives.
- Experience supporting finance transformation and systems optimisation projects.
- Passion for leveraging technology and AI to enhance finance capabilities and business performance.
Personal Characteristics
- Strategic thinker with strong commercial acumen.
- Highly analytical, intellectually curious and data-driven.
- Hands-on leader with a willingness to personally drive critical initiatives.
- Influential communicator capable of engaging stakeholders at all levels.
- Ambitious, resilient and comfortable operating within a fast-paced, PE-backed environment.
- Driven by delivering measurable outcomes and creating shareholder value.
Why Join?
This represents a rare opportunity to join a successful and growing international business at a pivotal point in its Private Equity journey. The Director of FP&A will play a central role in shaping strategy, driving performance and helping deliver a successful exit, while working alongside an accomplished CFO, leadership team and investor group.
For an ambitious FP&A leader seeking genuine board exposure, investor engagement and the opportunity to materially influence value creation, this role offers both challenge and significant career upside.