Cook Recruitment Group
Group Finance Director
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Finance Director
Location: Wymbush, Milton Keynes
About Cook Recruitment Group
Cook Recruitment Group operates three divisions (National Locums, Locum People & Medi Team), all servicing the medical staffing sector but with different roles and personalities. Between them, they service more than 200 hospitals across the UK.
At the core of these divisions are Cook family values of support, care, and opportunity—factors that have helped the business become one of the recruitment industry’s most exciting and dynamic enterprises.
The Opportunity
This is a rare chance to join the senior leadership team as Finance Director at a moment of genuine excitement and growth. The business is scaling, investing in its processes, and seeking a finance leader who will shape—not just report—its trajectory.
This is not a back-office function. Instead, you’ll work closely with owners and recruitment directors, acting as a trusted commercial partner with a hands-on role and real influence. The ideal candidate has a clear pathway to CFO.
About the Role
- Reports to: Owners / Directors
- Direct reports: 5 (with outsourced overseas bookkeeping and transactional processing support)
- Location: Milton Keynes – fully onsite
- Sector: Healthcare Staffing / Recruitment
- Progression: Pathway to CFO
What You Will Do
Finance Leadership & Reporting
- Own the full finance function—management accounts, forecasting, cash flow, and statutory reporting—to deliver high-quality financial confidence for the owners.
- Provide the board with timely, clear, and commercially relevant reporting, translating financial performance into actionable insights.
- Lead a team of five (plus outsourced outsourcing) to ensure quality, accountability, and continuous improvement.
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Commercial Partnership
- Collaborate with recruitment directors to understand commercial drivers and provide financial intelligence to support decision-making.
- Bring a constructive enterprising approach, challenging assumptions, stress-testing plans and flagging risks before they escalate.
- Actively contribute to pricing, margin analysis, and framework contract performance, including desk and contract-level profitability.
Process Improvement & Systems
- Evaluate and drive operational improvements—tighter controls, better workflows, and efficiencies.
- Implement the right fintech tools and processes as the business scales, including overseeing outsourced financial operations.
- Build a finance function fit for growth—ensuring readiness for National Locums’ future directed expansion.
Strategy & Growth
- Contribute to business planning and strategic decision-making—this is not a purely operational role.
- Support owners in evaluating growth opportunities, investments, and corporate activity.
- Develop financial modelling, KPI frameworks, and management information to run the business with rigour and pace.
What We Are Looking For
Technical & Professional
- Qualified accountant (ACA, ACCA, CIMA) with strong post-qualification experience in a commercially active role.
- Previous experience as Finance Director, Head of Finance, or Financial Controller, ideally within a fast-moving SME or people-based services environment.
- Specific advantage: Sector experience in recruitment, staffing, or professional services, familiarity with contractor pay, margin structures, and framework agreements.
- Ability to oversee a small finance team and outsourced bookkeeping/functions while maintaining high standards.
- Sound knowledge of financial controls, statutory compliance, and management reporting, with an ambition to go beyond basic requirements.
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Commercial & Strategic
- Genuinely commercially minded—you grasp what drives a business beyond the numbers.
- Confident in engaging with owners and directors on strategy, offering meaningful financial insights rather than just updates.
- Sharp and curious—you ask the right questions, spot inconsistencies, and follow through.
- Consider process improvement a driver of opportunity, not a chore—you’re focused on getting things done.
The Person
- High energy and self-driven, requiring minimal direction to excel.
- Clear communicator at all levels, from finance teams to boardrooms, with an approachable yet direct approach.
- Collaborative by nature—recruitment directors should want to involve you.
- Motivated for long-term progression, happy to grow alongside the business.
- Resilient and adaptable—comfortable in an agile environment that thrives on practical efficiency over rigid rules.
- Combines questioning mindsets with strong judgment—prioritises solutions, not just pointing out issues**.
This Role Is Right for You If...
You’re energised by the idea of:
- Improving a business’s operations with an in-depth understanding of how it actually functions.
- Being a valued leadership team member—more than just the monthly packs provider.
- Experience that’s ambitious yet hands-on, visible and rewarded with clear career progression.
- A fast-paced business where your impact is recognised.
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