FD Capital Recruitment Ltd is registered at Companies House (no. 13329383) and has been providing CFOs and Finance Directors since 2018 and is operated by an ICAEW-registered practice. Our founder Adrian Lawrence FCA holds an ICAEW practising certificate.
FD Capital is working on behalf of a well-established grower business in Kent to find an experienced Interim Finance Manager for a hands-on, on-site role supporting the business through a period of significant change.
This one is genuinely on-site, and market understanding matters more than usual. We need someone who has actually worked within growing, horticulture, fresh produce, or a related agricultural supply chain — and understands the seasonality, the grower/member relationships, and the operational realities of that world, not just general SME finance.
Location: Kent (on-site)
Salary: Circa £75,000 FTE equivalent, pro rata
Type: Interim, approx. 3 days per week, for up to 18 months
Availability: Ideally from 1 October
The Role
You'll take ownership of the day-to-day finance, administration and HR function, working closely with the Managing Director, Board and Audit Committee, while providing hands-on leadership to a small finance and administration team. A current, urgent priority is asset transfer administration ahead of a member/grower payment deadline early in the new year — genuine grower-payment and account-sales experience will be a real advantage here, not just a nice-to-have.
Key Responsibilities
- Lead and manage the day-to-day finance and administration function, including line management of finance and administration assistants
- Prepare and present monthly and quarterly management accounts, balance sheet reconciliations, and P&L and cashflow forecasts
- Lead the annual budgeting process and develop rolling forecasts
- Oversee statutory reporting and compliance, including annual accounts, audit liaison, VAT returns, and relevant regulatory reporting
- Manage treasury activity, including payment run approval, cash monitoring and banking relationships
- Oversee payroll, pensions and employee benefits administration
- Support asset transfer administration and grower/member payment and account sales processes
- Prepare finance papers and reports for the Board and Audit Committee
- Manage HR administration, including employee records, absence/leave, and the employee lifecycle (onboarding, contract changes, offboarding)
- Support recruitment, employee relations and HR policy administration, working with external HR and employment law advisers as needed
- Support the wider finance team through a period of organisational change
What You'll Bring
Essential:
- Genuine grower / horticulture / fresh produce / agricultural sector experience — this is the single most important criterion for this search
- Proven interim or fractional finance experience — comfortable stepping into a business, understanding its rhythms quickly, and adding value fast without a long ramp-up period
- Fully qualified accountant (ACA, ACCA, CIMA or equivalent)
- Strong management accounting and statutory reporting experience
- Experience managing or leading a finance team
- Confident with budgeting, forecasting and cashflow management
- Audit and compliance experience
- Advanced Excel skills and experience with Sage or an equivalent accounting system
- Experience managing HR administration and employee records, with working knowledge of UK employment legislation
- Comfortable working independently, on-site, and managing competing seasonal priorities
Desirable:
- Previous FD-level experience
- Experience supporting Boards and Audit Committees
- Experience of organisational change, transition or restructuring environments
Why This Role
This is a genuinely hands-on, on-site opportunity to make an immediate impact within a business that needs real sector fluency, not just a generic finance CV. If you know the grower/horticulture world from the inside, this is a chance to put that knowledge directly to use during a critical period for the business.