Fidenda
Head of Finance
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Role summary
Fidenda is hiring its first senior finance lead to own the finance function end to end, as the sole member of the finance team, reporting to the Managing Director.
About Fidenda
Fidenda is a 30-person boutique Anaplan and EPM consultancy that competes with the Big 4 on enterprise planning projects. We are debt-free and cash-generative.
Our clients are large organisations across the private and public sectors; we hold G-Cloud framework status. Alongside consulting, we run Fidenda Pulse support retainers and hold exclusive worldwide reseller rights for EPM Fasttrack, an SAP-to-Anaplan integration tool.
The group includes a Dutch subsidiary, Fidenda BV, in Utrecht.
We develop our people rather than buy them in. This role is a rare exception: we need experience we can't grow internally.
The role
You will take finance completely off the Managing Director's desk: run it day to day, improve how it works, and own it.
Today finance is a mix of an assistant-level role and the MD's own time. We want one experienced person who will review every process, fix what isn't working, and then run it well. Routine processing is outsourced, so you will manage that provider and own the quality of their output, while being the person the MD turns to for a clear view of how the business is performing.
There is no team to hide behind and no one to delegate to. That suits someone who likes building things properly and seeing the whole picture.
Key responsibilities
Performance reporting and insight
- Produce monthly management accounts for the group, on time and to a consistent standard
- Build and maintain KPI reporting for a consultancy: utilisation, realisation, project margin, revenue by client and service line, pipeline coverage
- Run the annual budget and rolling forecasts, including cash flow
- Answer ad hoc questions from the MD on business performance quickly and clearly
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PSA and billing discipline
- Take ownership of Ruddr, our professional services automation (PSA) system, as the source of truth for time, projects, budgets and billing
- Set and enforce standards for timesheet completion, project set-up, budgets and change control
- Make sure Ruddr data flows cleanly into invoicing and the accounts
- Manage Fidenda Pulse retainer billing, including bands, carry-forward and overage
Financial control and governance
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You will take ownership of how money moves through the business and be proactive about putting the right controls in place, without waiting to be asked. That means spotting where risk sits, deciding what governance a 30-person firm actually needs, and implementing it in proportion: policies, approval limits and authorities, and checks that compensate for a one-person finance function.
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You will keep these under review as the business grows, and make sure people understand and follow them.
Finance operations and outsourced partners
- Manage our outsourced provider, who handles supplier bill processing, month-end bookkeeping, VAT and other statutory returns; review their work, hold them to deadlines and quality, and challenge the scope and cost of the service
- Own the month-end close end to end, including review and sign-off of the provider's bookkeeping
- Sales invoicing, credit control and cash collection
- Expenses and payroll inputs
- Group-level oversight of Fidenda BV, working with Dutch advisers on local compliance
Process improvement
- Review every finance process in the first months and redesign what isn't working
- Automate where possible across Xero, Ruddr and our other tools
- Document processes so the function doesn't depend on one person's memory
Strategic support
- Advise on pricing, commercial terms and contract structure
- Support the MD on group structure, investment decisions and growth opportunities, including acquisitions, and keep the finance function ready for external scrutiny at any time
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About you
You are a qualified accountant who has already been the sole or lead finance person in a small professional services business, and still enjoys doing the work yourself.
Essential
- ACA, ACCA or CIMA qualified
- Experience as the sole or lead finance person in a business of roughly 20–150 people
- Professional services or consultancy background: time-based billing, fixed-price projects, utilisation and WIP
- Experience managing outsourced bookkeepers or accountants and owning the quality of their work; strong on management accounts and cash management
- A track record of improving processes and writing policies, not just following them
- Strong with Xero and Excel; able to build clear, useful reports
- Confident telling consultants and senior people what's needed and holding them to it
Desirable
- Experience with a PSA tool (Ruddr, Kantata, Harvest, Mavenlink or similar)
- Multi-entity or international experience, ideally including the Netherlands
- Experience of finance under external scrutiny, such as audits, funding, or due diligence on either side of an acquisition
- Exposure to revenue recognition on recurring retainers and software resale
- Interest in planning tools and FP&A; you'll be surrounded by EPM experts
Package and working pattern
We are flexible on hours for the right person: 3–4 days per week is ideal, with full-time considered.
- Salary £65,000–£85,000 FTE, pro rata, depending on experience
- Remote working from anywhere in the UK, with time in London around one to two days a month and at key points such as budget season; travel costs covered
- Competitive pension and benefits package
- Eligible for the company profit share scheme
- Potential to grow into a Finance Director role as the business develops
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