James Gray Recruitment
Chief Financial Officer
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CFO / COO — Senior Leadership Opportunity
Location: Edinburgh
Salary: £130,000 - £140,000
Reporting to: Managing Director / Board
The Opportunity
An established and growing professional services consultancy is seeking an experienced Chief Financial Officer (CFO) to join its senior leadership team.
This is a broad, hands-on leadership role that extends beyond traditional finance. Alongside ownership of the financial function, the successful candidate will bring strong COO-style operational leadership, helping the management team strengthen business performance, reporting, commercial decision-making and operational discipline.
This is an opportunity for an ambitious finance leader who enjoys being close to the business, working collaboratively with senior stakeholders and turning financial and operational information into clear actions.
The Role
As CFO, you will take ownership of the organisation's financial strategy and performance while playing a key role in the wider management of the business.
You will work closely with the leadership team to build greater visibility and accountability across the organisation, developing the reporting, KPIs and processes needed to support continued growth.
Key responsibilities will include:
- Leading the financial strategy, planning, budgeting and forecasting processes.
- Providing clear, commercially focused financial insight to the Board and management team.
- Developing robust financial, operational and commercial reporting and KPIs.
- Working closely with project and operational leaders to improve visibility of project performance, profitability and delivery.
- Driving effective utilisation management, resource planning and financial performance.
- Supporting the leadership team with budgeting, scenario planning and business performance analysis.
- Identifying opportunities to improve operational efficiency, margin and commercial performance.
- Providing appropriate oversight of risk, governance and compliance.
- Supporting strategic decision-making, investment and business planning.
- Playing a leading role in any future M&A activity, including assessment, due diligence, integration and post-acquisition performance.
- Working alongside the wider leadership team to identify opportunities for cross-selling, collaboration and growth.
- Helping to establish the management information, processes and disciplines required as the organisation continues to scale.
- Acting as a trusted adviser to the Managing Director and Board, bringing challenge as well as insight.
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The Person
We are looking for an experienced CFO who combines strong technical and commercial finance capability with the personality and breadth to operate across the wider business.
You are likely to bring:
- Significant senior-level finance leadership experience as a CFO.
- Experience working within an SME or entrepreneurial environment, rather than exclusively within large corporate structures.
- Professional services or consultancy experience would be advantageous, although sector experience is not essential.
- A proven track record of being hands-on and sleeves-up, rather than operating purely at a strategic or oversight level.
- Strong experience developing financial and operational reporting, KPIs and management information.
- A genuine interest in the operational performance of a business and the ability to work effectively with non-finance leaders.
- Experience of project-based businesses, utilisation, project profitability or similar operational metrics would be valuable.
- M&A experience and an understanding of acquisitions, due diligence and integration.
- Strong commercial judgement and the confidence to challenge and influence senior stakeholders.
- Experience of risk management, governance and compliance.
- The ability to translate financial information into clear, practical actions.
- Excellent communication and relationship-building skills.
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What will make you successful?
This role will suit someone who wants to be part of the business, not simply the person who reports on it.
You will be commercially minded, curious about how the organisation operates and comfortable getting into the detail when required. You will bring structure and clarity without creating unnecessary bureaucracy, and will be able to work alongside technical and operational leaders to improve business performance.
Most importantly, you will have the credibility and capability to operate as a CFO with genuine COO attributes — combining financial leadership with a practical understanding of people, projects, operations and commercial performance.
The Opportunity
This is a key appointment for an organisation with an ambitious growth agenda. The successful candidate will have genuine influence at Board level and the opportunity to shape how the business measures, manages and delivers performance as it enters its next phase of development.
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