Position title

Part-Time Finance Director – Founder-Led Construction Business, Chichester, West Sussex

Description

Location: On site near Chichester, West Sussex
Pattern: Approximately six days per month, flexible
Day rate: £600–£700 per day depending on experience
Term: Rolling four-week engagement with scope to increase
Start: September 2026
Reports to: The two owner-directors

The opportunity

FD Capital is retained by an established, founder-led construction business in West Sussex to appoint its first part-time Finance Director. The company builds and refurbishes across the south east — extensions, conversions, refurbishment and new build, with a mix of residential and light commercial work — and typically has between nine and fourteen projects running at any one time.

The business is growing and the two directors are carrying the finance function themselves, supported by an external accountant whose involvement sits at arm's length from day-to-day operations. They want someone genuinely embedded in the business: close enough to the sites and the numbers to see what is actually happening, and senior enough to tell them what to do about it.

This is a hands-on appointment in an owner-managed business, not a board advisory role.

Responsibilities

What you will own

Cash flow management and rolling forecasting, with the visibility the directors currently lack
Banking and funder relationships, including the existing working capital facility
Supplier payment strategy and management of the subcontractor ledger
Job-level costing and margin visibility across a live board of nine to fourteen projects
Valuations, variations, applications for payment and retentions
CIS compliance and the associated reporting
Monthly management accounts and a reporting pack the directors can actually run the business from
Bringing structure, financial discipline and commercial challenge to a growing business

Who this suits

You are an experienced Finance Director with real construction sector depth. You understand why a job that looks profitable on paper can still consume cash, and you can explain that to a founder in plain language without a lecture.

Qualifications

Essential

Finance Director or Financial Controller experience within construction, contracting or property development
Working command of construction commercial mechanics: work in progress, applications for payment, variations, retentions, CIS and subcontractor management
Demonstrable cash flow and working capital management in an SME environment
Comfortable working with funders and banks
Willing and able to be on site near Chichester for the agreed days each month
Qualified accountant (ACA, ACCA or CIMA), or qualified by experience with a strong construction track record

Desirable

Existing portfolio or fractional practice alongside other clients
Experience of introducing management reporting into a business that has not had it before
Based within a comfortable drive of Chichester — the Portsmouth, Havant, Bognor Regis, Arundel, Worthing and Brighton corridor
Experience of recruiting and developing a small finance team

Job Benefits

The engagement

The role runs on a rolling four-week basis with four weeks' notice on either side. The expectation is around six days per month, with the first month front-loaded so you can complete a proper diagnostic before settling into the ongoing rhythm. Days can flex up or down as the business needs change, and there is a realistic path to increasing the commitment as the company grows.

You will be contracted through FD Capital and invoiced weekly.

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