Head of Treasury Job Description

Head of Treasury Job Description

The Head of Treasury is one of the most technically demanding senior finance roles in any organisation — responsible for cash and liquidity management, financial risk, capital structure, banking relationships and, in regulated businesses, a direct interface with the FCA and PRA. Adrian Lawrence FCA, founder of FD Capital and a Fellow of the ICAEW, leads FD Capital’s treasury and senior finance recruitment practice. Our network includes Heads of Treasury, Group Treasurers and Directors of Treasury with experience across mid-market corporates, Lloyd’s market participants, PE-backed businesses and FTSE-listed groups.

This page provides a comprehensive Head of Treasury job description — covering responsibilities, qualifications, salary benchmarks and career path — for organisations drafting a job specification, candidates mapping a career into treasury leadership, or businesses considering whether a full-time, interim or fractional appointment is right for their stage of growth.

Call 020 3287 9501 or email recruitment@fdcapital.co.uk. Shortlists typically delivered within three to seven working days.

What Does a Head of Treasury Do?

The Head of Treasury — also titled Group Treasurer, Director of Treasury or VP Treasury in some organisations — leads the treasury function and reports to the Chief Financial Officer or, in smaller businesses, directly to the CEO or Board. The function exists to ensure the business always has the liquidity it needs, that financial market risks are managed within board-approved limits, and that the cost of capital is optimised across the debt portfolio and banking relationships.

In large listed businesses or financial services firms, the Head of Treasury leads a team of treasury analysts, dealers and cash managers. In mid-market and PE-backed businesses — typically £50m to £500m revenue — the role is more hands-on, with the postholder personally executing hedges, managing bank relationships and monitoring daily cash positions alongside a smaller team.

Key Responsibilities

Cash and Liquidity Management

Ensuring the organisation maintains sufficient liquidity is the primary duty of any Head of Treasury. Day-to-day responsibilities include overseeing cash positioning across all group entities and bank accounts, building and maintaining 13-week and longer-term liquidity forecasts, managing cash concentration and notional pooling across multi-bank and multi-currency structures, optimising idle cash balances through short-term instruments within board-approved parameters, and documenting intercompany funding arrangements with arm’s-length pricing for transfer pricing compliance.

Financial Risk Management

Identifying and mitigating exposure to financial market risk is a core responsibility. The three primary categories are: foreign exchange risk — managing exposures from revenues, costs and balance sheet items in foreign currencies using hedging instruments such as forwards, options and swaps in line with policy guidance from the Association of Corporate Treasurers (ACT); interest rate risk — advising on fixed/floating debt mix and executing interest rate swaps or caps; and credit and counterparty risk — setting and monitoring limits for banks, investment counterparties and derivatives counterparties within board-approved parameters.

Capital Structure and Debt Management

In organisations with external borrowing, the Head of Treasury manages the debt portfolio — monitoring covenant compliance, preparing lender reporting packs, leading refinancing processes, and evaluating financing structures including revolving credit facilities, term loans, private placements, trade receivables financing and supply chain finance. The Head of Treasury advises the CFO and Board on optimal capital structure, leverage ratios and debt maturity profile, and manages relationships with rating agencies where applicable.

Investment Management

For organisations with material cash reserves, the Head of Treasury owns an investment policy statement approved by the Board, selects and monitors investment managers and fund structures, ensures investments are diversified and aligned with liquidity requirements and risk appetite, and reports investment performance to the CFO, audit committee and Board. In regulated businesses — particularly insurance and banking — investment management intersects with regulatory capital requirements under PRA prudential regulation.

Treasury Systems and Technology

The Head of Treasury owns the Treasury Management System — responsible for selection, implementation and development. This includes overseeing connectivity between the TMS, banking platforms (SWIFT and direct banking portals) and the ERP, driving automation of cash management processes including payment factories and in-house banking structures, and ensuring cyber and operational resilience controls are in place for treasury payment processes.

Treasury Policy and Governance

The Head of Treasury drafts, maintains and presents treasury policies to the Board for approval — covering cash management, FX hedging, interest rate management, counterparty credit limits and investment. The role ensures compliance with relevant accounting standards including IAS 32 and IFRS 9 hedge accounting, and supports internal and external audit processes relating to treasury.

Reporting, Stakeholder Management and Team Leadership

Regular treasury reporting to the CFO, audit committee and Board covers liquidity, hedging positions, debt covenants, counterparty exposures and market risk. The Head of Treasury manages all banking relationships as the principal contact for lending banks and liaises with external advisers including investment banks, law firms and external auditors. The treasury team — typically comprising treasury analysts and a treasury manager — is led, mentored and developed by the Head of Treasury, with support for ACT professional development including the Qualified Corporate Treasurer (QCT) and MCT pathways.

Qualifications and Experience

Qualifications

Most Heads of Treasury hold either a professional accountancy qualification (ACA, ACCA or CIMA) or a treasury qualification from the Association of Corporate Treasurers — and many hold both. The MCT or FCT designation is strongly preferred at Head of Treasury level. Degree-level education in Finance, Economics or Accounting is typically required. For roles in regulated firms, FCA-recognised qualifications and a clean SMCR regulatory record are essential. The ICAEW Treasury Faculty provides professional development for accountants moving into treasury leadership.

Experience

A minimum of 8–12 years of treasury experience, with at least 3–5 years in a senior management role, is the typical benchmark. Specific requirements include direct management of material FX, interest rate and liquidity exposures; bank relationship management including at least one refinancing; implementation or optimisation of a Treasury Management System; Board and audit committee presentation experience; and prior exposure to international or multi-currency environments. For PE-backed businesses, familiarity with leveraged capital structures, covenant-intensive credit facilities and PIK instruments is essential.

Head of Treasury in Private Equity-Backed Businesses

PE-backed businesses present distinctive treasury challenges. Highly leveraged capital structures — with senior secured facilities, revolving credit facilities and potentially PIK or second lien instruments — demand a Head of Treasury comfortable working under tighter covenant constraints and with more active lender engagement than a typical corporate. Key responsibilities in a PE context include monthly covenant monitoring and early-warning reporting to the CFO and sponsor, managing the agent bank and syndicate under the credit facility, supporting bolt-on acquisition financing through accordion provisions and incremental facilities, and preparing for exit by ensuring the debt structure is clean and financial KPIs are clearly articulated for potential buyers or refinancing counterparties.

FD Capital’s PE CFO search and CFO executive search practices work regularly with PE sponsors to place CFOs and treasury leadership into portfolio companies at all stages of the investment cycle.

Head of Treasury in Regulated and Financial Services Firms

In firms regulated by the FCA or PRA, the Head of Treasury carries additional regulatory responsibilities — managing the firm’s liquid asset buffer (LAB) in compliance with PRA or FCA liquidity requirements, producing the Internal Liquidity Adequacy Assessment Process (ILAAP) and supporting the annual regulatory review, and managing SMCR Senior Manager Function designations — typically SMF22 or, where applicable, SMF2 (Chief Finance Function). The Head of Treasury in a regulated firm also liaises with the FCA and PRA on wind-down planning, recovery planning and resolution. FD Capital’s FCA regulated firms recruitment practice covers treasury, risk and finance leadership roles for firms under FCA supervision.

Head of Treasury vs Group Treasurer

The titles Head of Treasury and Group Treasurer are used almost interchangeably across UK organisations. Group Treasurer is typically a Director-level appointment in listed companies or large multinationals spanning multiple legal entities, countries and currencies, reporting to the Group CFO. Head of Treasury is more common in privately owned, PE-backed and mid-market businesses. Director of Treasury appears in financial services and US-influenced organisations, typically with wider scope including regulatory capital and liquidity management under frameworks such as Basel III.

Head of Treasury Salary Guide UK 2026

Total compensation typically includes annual performance bonus (20–50% of base), car allowance, private medical insurance, pension contributions of 8–15%, and in some organisations long-term incentive plans or carried interest. For related salary benchmarks see our Finance Director Salary Guide and CFO Salary Guide.

Career Path to Head of Treasury

The Treasury Specialism Route

Most Heads of Treasury have built their entire career in treasury: Treasury Analyst or Dealer (0–4 years) covering daily cash management and transaction execution; Treasury Manager (4–8 years) with team leadership, bank relationship management and hedging strategy implementation; Senior Treasury Manager or Assistant Treasurer (8–12 years) with policy ownership, CFO-level reporting and refinancing involvement; and Head of Treasury or Group Treasurer (12+ years) with full function ownership and Board reporting. Professional development typically follows the AMCT and then MCT pathway with the ACT.

The Qualified Accountant Route

Some Heads of Treasury have qualified as accountants (ACA, ACCA or CIMA) before transitioning into treasury — typically via a Group Finance or FP&A role. This route is common in mid-market businesses where treasury is part of a broader Group Finance remit. The ICAEW Treasury Faculty provides a structured development pathway for accountants moving into treasury leadership.

Related CFO and Finance Director Services

Businesses considering a Head of Treasury appointment may also be interested in: Outsourced CFO Services | Fractional CFO | Interim CFO | CFO Executive Search | CFO Recruitment | Finance Director Recruitment | Financial Services CFO | Private Equity CFO | FCA Regulated Firms Recruitment | CFO Salary Guide