Finance Director Job Description

Finance Director Job Description

A Finance Director (FD) is the most senior finance professional in a UK business that has not adopted the CFO title — typically the board-level executive responsible for the financial reporting, planning, controls, and strategic finance leadership of the organisation. In most UK businesses below £100m revenue, the Finance Director combines the strategic finance leadership functions of a CFO with the operational finance management of a Financial Controller, making it one of the most demanding and important leadership roles in the business.

This page provides a comprehensive Finance Director job description for UK businesses — covering the core responsibilities, qualifications, and competencies of the role — alongside variant descriptions for fractional, part-time, interim, and PE-backed Finance Director appointments. FD Capital is a specialist Finance Director and CFO recruitment firm. Our team has been placing Finance Directors across the UK since 2018. Call 020 3287 9501 or email recruitment@fdcapital.co.uk to discuss a Finance Director requirement.

“FD Capital has supported SBS Insurance Services over the past three years through the provision of a Fractional FD/CFO. Their expertise has made a significant difference in professionalising our finance function and delivering accurate, timely management information — exactly what our business needed to grow with confidence.”

— Tracey Rees, COO, SBS Insurance Services Ltd

Finance Director Job Description Template

The following job description covers the standard Finance Director role in a UK business. The responsibilities and requirements should be adapted to reflect the specific size, sector, and ownership structure of your organisation. For fractional, part-time, interim, and PE-backed variants, see the sections below.

Job title: Finance Director

Reporting to: Managing Director / Chief Executive Officer / Board of Directors
Direct reports: Financial Controller / Finance Manager / Management Accountant (depending on team size)
Location: [Location] / Hybrid
Engagement: Permanent / Full-Time [or Fractional / Part-Time / Interim as applicable]

Role overview

The Finance Director is the most senior finance professional in the business, reporting directly to the Managing Director or CEO and holding a seat on the board of directors. The Finance Director has overall responsibility for the financial health of the business — its financial reporting, planning, controls, cash management, and statutory compliance — as well as a strategic advisory role to the CEO and the senior leadership team. In most SMEs and owner-managed businesses, the Finance Director is both the strategic finance lead and the operational finance head, combining board-level financial leadership with direct oversight of the finance function’s day-to-day output.

Finance Director Key Responsibilities

Financial reporting and management accounts

• Ownership of the monthly management accounts process — producing accurate, timely financial statements (P&L, balance sheet, cash flow statement) within agreed deadlines, typically within ten to fifteen working days of month-end
• Preparation and presentation of the monthly board pack — including financial commentary, KPI analysis, variance explanations, and a rolling forecast
• Management of the annual statutory accounts process, including preparation for the external audit, liaison with auditors, and ensuring accounts are filed at Companies House within the required timeframe
• Maintenance of accounting systems, financial records, and financial controls to the standard required by the business, its shareholders, and any relevant regulatory bodies
• Ensuring compliance with UK GAAP (FRS 102 or FRS 105 for smaller businesses) or IFRS as applicable, and with all relevant financial reporting obligations

Financial planning, budgeting, and forecasting

• Leading the annual budgeting and business planning process in coordination with the CEO and department heads, producing a budget that is challenging, realistic, and understood by the senior team
• Maintaining a rolling twelve-month cash flow forecast and proactively communicating the business’s cash position and runway to the board
• Building and maintaining the company’s financial model — including three-year projections, scenario analysis, and investment appraisal for material capital expenditure decisions
• Providing financial analysis and modelling to support commercial decisions including pricing, new product or service launches, geographic expansion, and acquisition evaluation
• Leading or overseeing the FP&A function where one exists, ensuring the business has the financial data and analytical support it needs to manage performance

Cash management, banking, and working capital

• Managing the business’s banking relationships, including negotiating and maintaining credit facilities, invoice discounting arrangements, and overdrafts
• Actively managing working capital — debtor days, creditor payment terms, and stock or WIP levels — to maximise the business’s cash generation and liquidity
• Maintaining a cash flow forecast that provides the board with adequate advance warning of any liquidity constraints
• Overseeing payroll, HMRC tax payments (PAYE, NI, corporation tax), VAT filing, and other statutory financial obligations to ensure compliance and timeliness
• Managing the business’s insurance portfolio, ensuring adequate cover is maintained and renewed competitively

Financial controls and governance

• Implementing and maintaining a financial controls framework appropriate to the size and complexity of the business — including authorisation limits, segregation of duties, purchase ledger controls, and expense management policies
• Ensuring the integrity of the financial records — maintaining a clean balance sheet, reviewing balance sheet reconciliations monthly, and ensuring all material items are properly supported
• Managing the relationship with external auditors, tax advisers, and legal advisers, and coordinating the annual audit and tax compliance processes
• Identifying and managing financial risks — credit risk, currency risk, covenant risk in leveraged businesses — and ensuring appropriate mitigations are in place
• Ensuring the business meets all its regulatory and statutory financial obligations, including Companies House filing obligations, HMRC compliance, and sector-specific regulatory requirements

Strategic and commercial finance

• Acting as the CEO’s strategic finance partner — providing financial insight and commercial challenge to support business strategy, pricing decisions, and operational performance management
• Leading or supporting the financial workstream in M&A activity — financial due diligence, acquisition modelling, deal structuring, and integration financial management
• Supporting any fundraising activity — investor-ready financial preparation, data room financial section, financial model for investor presentations
• Identifying and implementing opportunities to improve financial performance, reduce costs, and improve the quality of earnings
• Providing financial analysis and support for major commercial contracts, joint ventures, or partnership arrangements

Finance team leadership

• Building, managing, and developing the finance team — recruiting appropriately qualified finance professionals at Financial Controller, Finance Manager, and Management Accountant level as the business scales
• Implementing and improving financial systems — accounting software, ERP systems, and financial reporting tools — to support efficiency, accuracy, and scalability
• Fostering financial literacy and commercial accountability across the wider business through clear financial communication and accessible financial reporting
• Supporting the professional development of finance team members and managing performance within the finance function

Finance Director Person Specification

Essential qualifications

• Qualified accountant — ACA, ACCA, or CIMA (or international equivalent). The ICAEW ACA qualification is the most common at Finance Director level in owner-managed and PE-backed businesses in the UK
• Significant post-qualification experience in a senior finance role — typically 8–15+ years, including direct management of a finance function
• Previous Finance Director or Head of Finance experience, or equivalent seniority in a closely comparable role

Essential experience and competencies

• Financial reporting: Proven experience of producing monthly management accounts, statutory accounts, and board-level financial reporting to a high standard
• Financial planning: Experience of leading an annual budgeting process and maintaining a rolling financial model and cash flow forecast
• Banking and treasury: Experience of managing banking relationships, credit facilities, and working capital actively
• Financial controls: Experience of implementing and maintaining financial controls appropriate to the size and complexity of the business
• People management: Experience of managing and developing a finance team, including hiring, performance management, and team development
• Board communication: Ability to present complex financial information clearly and concisely to a non-finance board audience
• Commercial awareness: Genuine understanding of how financial decisions affect the commercial and operational performance of the business

Preferred qualifications and experience

• Sector experience relevant to the hiring business — technology, professional services, manufacturing, healthcare, financial services, construction, retail
• Experience of the relevant ownership structure — owner-managed, PE-backed, VC-backed, listed, or FCA-regulated
• Experience of a transaction — business sale, M&A, PE investment, or fundraising — in a Finance Director role
• ERP system implementation or financial systems improvement experience
• International financial management experience where the business operates across multiple jurisdictions
• R&D tax credit management and claim experience, particularly for technology and innovation businesses

Finance Director Salary: UK Benchmarks

Finance Director salaries in the UK vary significantly by business size, sector, ownership structure, and engagement model. The table below reflects the UK market for full-time, permanent Finance Director appointments:

For a detailed UK Finance Director salary guide with regional and sector breakdowns, see our Finance Director salary guide.

Part-Time and Fractional Finance Director Job Description

A part-time or fractional Finance Director performs the same strategic finance leadership role as a full-time Finance Director but works on a reduced-hours or portfolio basis — typically one to three days per week. The part-time and fractional Finance Director model has become one of the most common finance leadership arrangements for UK SMEs and scale-ups, as businesses have recognised that they need board-level financial expertise and strategic finance leadership, but cannot justify the cost of a full-time FD at their current stage of development.

The key differences from a full-time Finance Director job description are:

• Prioritised scope: A part-time or fractional FD focuses their limited days on the highest-value activities — board reporting, financial model, banking relationships, strategic financial input, and oversight of the finance team — delegating day-to-day financial administration to a Financial Controller or Finance Manager within the business
• Day rate rather than salary: Fractional and part-time FDs work on a day rate (typically £700–£1,400/day in the UK market) rather than a fixed salary, with no employment costs for the business
• Flexibility: The engagement can be scaled up or down as the business’s needs change — increasing to full-time during a transaction or audit period and reducing during quieter periods
• Speed of deployment: Part-time and fractional FDs can typically start within days or weeks of appointment, providing immediate finance leadership without the three to six month notice periods common for senior permanent hires

See our part-time Finance Director, fractional Finance Director, and portfolio Finance Director pages for the specific profiles FD Capital places for these engagements.

Finance Director Job Description for PE-Backed Businesses

The Finance Director role in a private equity portfolio company carries a set of specific obligations that are not typically present in owner-managed businesses. If you are writing a Finance Director job description for a PE-backed context, the following additional responsibilities should be included:

• Investor reporting: Monthly management accounts produced within eight to ten working days of month-end, board packs to investment committee standard
• Covenant compliance: For leveraged transactions, monthly or quarterly testing and reporting of financial covenants (leverage ratio, interest cover, cash flow cover) to the lending bank or debt fund
• EBITDA management: Consistent presentation of normalised EBITDA on the basis agreed at investment; maintaining the EBITDA bridge in all investor communications
• Investment committee engagement: Quarterly participation in portfolio reviews with the PE house investment team, presenting financial performance and forward forecasts
• Value creation plan contribution: Financial analysis and modelling to support the commercial, operational, and acquisition initiatives in the PE house’s value creation plan
• Exit preparation: In the later stages of the investment period, leading the financial workstream for exit — vendor due diligence management, data room financial section, information memorandum financial narrative

See our private equity Finance Director page for the complete PE FD profile and our PE house CFO recruitment page for how FD Capital works with PE houses directly.

Finance Director vs CFO: Which Title and Role Do You Need?

In most UK businesses below £50m revenue, Finance Director and CFO are interchangeable titles for the same role — the most senior finance professional in the business. The decision between the two titles typically comes down to: the business’s ownership structure and investor expectations; the complexity of the finance function; and the seniority and experience level being sought in the market.

The CFO title is more commonly used in: businesses with PE or institutional investor backing; listed companies; businesses with significant international operations; and technology or scale-up businesses where the CFO is expected to have a prominent investor-facing role. The Finance Director title is more commonly used in: owner-managed and family businesses; professional services firms; public sector and not-for-profit organisations; and businesses where the finance function is primarily focused on reporting, controls, and banking management rather than investor relations.

See our Finance Director vs CFO guide and CFO job description for a detailed comparison of the two roles.

Frequently Asked Questions

What qualifications does a Finance Director need in the UK?

The majority of Finance Director appointments in the UK require a professional accountancy qualification — typically ACA (Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales), ACCA (Association of Chartered Certified Accountants), or CIMA (Chartered Institute of Management Accountants). The ICAEW ACA qualification is the most common at Finance Director level in the UK. CIMA is more common in manufacturing and consumer sectors where management accounting is the dominant finance discipline. Post-qualification experience of eight to fifteen years is typically expected, including direct experience of running a finance function.

What is the difference between a Finance Director and a Financial Controller?

A Financial Controller typically manages the day-to-day financial operations of the business — management accounts production, purchase ledger, sales ledger, payroll oversight, and financial controls — and reports upward into the Finance Director or CFO. A Finance Director operates at board level, with strategic finance responsibility, CEO partnership, investor and banking relationships, and accountability for the financial governance of the business as a whole. In smaller businesses, these roles may overlap significantly or be combined in a single role. See our Financial Controller job description for the detailed comparison.

What does a Finance Director do on a day-to-day basis?

In a smaller business, the Finance Director’s daily activities include reviewing financial reports from the finance team, working with the CEO on strategic decisions, managing banking and investor relationships, overseeing the month-end close process, and providing financial support and challenge to operational managers. In a larger business with a developed finance team, the FD’s daily activities are more focused on: reviewing work produced by the Financial Controller and FP&A team; attending commercial and operational meetings as the finance representative; managing external stakeholder relationships; and contributing to strategic and M&A initiatives. See our guide to what a Finance Director does for comprehensive detail.

How much does a Finance Director cost on a part-time or fractional basis?

Part-time and fractional Finance Directors in the UK typically charge £700–£1,400 per day, working one to three days per week. At two days per week, the annual cost is approximately £70,000–£150,000 — significantly less than a full-time FD at £100,000–£150,000 plus on-costs, and without the employment risk of a permanent hire. See our Finance Director salary guide and fractional finance leader cost guide for full benchmarking.

How quickly can FD Capital place a Finance Director?

For permanent Finance Director placements, FD Capital typically presents a shortlist of three to five qualified candidates within five to eight working days of receiving a brief. For part-time, fractional, and interim Finance Director requirements — where speed is typically more critical — initial candidates can be identified within 24 hours and a Finance Director can be deployed within days of selection. Call 020 3287 9501 to discuss a current requirement or submit a brief at hire an FD or CFO.

Related Services

Finance Director Recruitment | Fractional Finance Director | Part-Time Finance Director | Interim Finance Director | Portfolio Finance Directors | Outsourced Finance Director | Finance Director Salary Guide | CFO Job Description | Head of Finance Job Description | Financial Controller Job Description | Finance Director Interview Questions | Private Equity Finance Director | FD Headhunters | Finance Director Executive Search | What Does a Finance Director Do? | Hire an FD