Williams Stanley and Co
Finance Director
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ABOUT US
Williams, Stanley & Co is a leading accountancy firm catering to a diverse range of clients within the hospitality industry, from high street chains to family-run cafes. Our company began with a mission to provide accurate and actionable financial insights to businesses, drawing from our founders' own experiences in managing multiple rapidly growing ventures.
Driven by a commitment to customer-first accounting, we've assembled a team of experienced and trusted accountants who share our vision for excellence. With a strong emphasis on collaboration and expertise, our team operates seamlessly across different locations, including the UK, Philippines, and Dubai.
ABOUT YOU
We are hiring a Finance Director to take full ownership of the accounts division and the client delivery underneath it. The successful candidate will work in the way of a Divisional MD position, running multi-million pound revenues, an international footprint, and a leadership layer of Financial Controllers, AP, and offshore delivery in the Philippines.
The ideal candidate will have already operated as a Finance Director in a multi-site hospitality/ Leisure or professional services environment. You will be commercially aggressive, technically credible, and confident running a P&L with full margin and growth accountability. You will be ready to grow the business.
YOU ARE:
- A qualified accountant (ACA, ACCA, CIMA) with significant post-qualification experience.
- An operator who has run a finance function with full P&L responsibility.
- Experienced in financial control, management reporting, and compliance across multiple entities.
- Proficient in Xero, Netsuite, and other financial management systems.
- Commercially aggressive – comfortable pushing back on decisions and defending margin.
- A strong communicator, confident sitting in front of client CFOs and senior stakeholders.
- Tech-savvy enough to set the direction on automation and systems, not just approve the spend.
- Experienced in hospitality, leisure, or another high-volume service business.
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What You’ll Be Doing:
- Own client delivery across accounts, AP, and management reporting – monthly close inside agreed windows, on-time delivery above 95%, and error and rework rates held to the standard set with Quality and Compliance.
- Run the divisional P&L, with monthly accountability for revenue, gross margin, EBITDA contribution, and year-on-year growth.
- Set and own the growth strategy for the accounts division – services, capacity, geography, and revenue mix.
- Hold client retention above 90% annually, protect revenue concentration across the book, and own the commercial relationship with the top-tier client portfolio.
- Lead client budgeting, forecasting, financial planning, and cash flow and working capital monitoring across the book.
- Hold statutory compliance across the client base – audit, tax advisors, regulatory bodies – and the WS-side relationships with them.
- Set, refresh, and enforce the financial policies, controls, and operating standards that delivery runs on.
- Sit alongside clients as the senior accounting and commercial adviser, owning the “how” and “why” behind the numbers.
- Build, lead, and develop the team – from senior delivery leadership through to delivery staff – with accountability for retention, succession, capability, training, and career path.
- Run delivery to a single standard across the UK, Philippines, and Dubai, including capacity planning, team productivity, and the growth targets agreed for the international book.
- Sit on the Senior Leadership Team and own divisional risk and compliance jointly with the Quality and Compliance lead.
- Hold the senior client relationship at CFO and Founder level, with personal accountability for retention and growth of the top-tier book.
- Lead pricing, scope, write-offs, and bad debt across the division. Lead new client onboarding in partnership with the Commercial Director.
- Drive adoption of WS technology – Teampay, Troncmaster, OpsDesk, and WS Insights – across the client base, in partnership with the Product function.
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Skills and Qualifications:
- Experience setting and delivering financial strategy at FD level.
- Qualified Accountant (ACCA, ACA, CIMA…)
- Strong understanding of UK tax regulations and compliance requirements.
- Proven ability to improve operating margin through process and automation.
- Experience working in the hospitality, leisure, or wider service sector.
- Strong working knowledge of automation, technology, and process design.
WHAT WE OFFER
- Competitive base salary of £110,000 with 20% performance bonus
- Membership on our Employee Recognition platform Hospitality Rewards - with numerous free perks and access to counselling services and training providers
- Ongoing career progression, training, and support in gaining nationally recognised qualifications (including Education Scheme and ACCA Support)
- 30 days holiday entitlement pro rata (including Bank Holidays) with an additional day for each year of service
- Great pension scheme (Penfold)
- Fun company socials and events
- Flexible hybrid working model (2 days minimum in the office London or Manchester)
- Employee Assistance Programme and coaching for personal and professional development
- Enhanced parental leave policy (subject to length of service requirements)
- Birthday leave – an additional day of leave to be taken on or around your Birthday
- Mental Health Half Days – celebrating the power of ‘Me Time’
- Annual Pay Reviews and Biannual Appraisals – career progression is everything!
- Perks and benefits on our HR platform Employment Hero
"We are an equal opportunities employer and welcome applications from all suitably qualified persons regardless of their race, sex, disability, religion/belief, sexual orientation, or age."
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