What the role involves

On the finance side, you will own the consolidated statutory accounts for every entity in the group, run the month-end through year-end close cycle, and present the results to the CEO and board. You will hold the relationships with auditors, tax advisers and the group's banks, keep statutory filings and tax compliance on track across the group, and produce the management accounts, budgets, forecasts and variance analysis the board runs the business on. Cash flow, working capital and group treasury sit with you, as does building and developing the finance team across multiple entities. Because the group buys businesses, you will also support due diligence and lead post-acquisition financial integration.

On the technology side, you take overall responsibility for group IT strategy and systems — ERP, CRM and the operational platforms the trading businesses depend on — along with IT budgets, vendor management, data security, business continuity and disaster recovery. Each acquisition brings new systems, so consolidating and rationalising the technology estate is a standing part of the job.

What our client is looking for

You will be a qualified accountant (ACA, ACCA or CIMA) with at least eight years' post-qualification experience, and you must have trained with a Big Four or comparable top-tier firm — this is a firm requirement from the client, not a preference. You will need demonstrable multi-entity group consolidation experience, strong UK statutory and tax reporting knowledge, and a track record of building and leading a finance function. You should be genuinely comfortable holding IT within your remit — you don't need to be a technologist, but you do need to be a confident owner of systems, vendors and technology risk. Above all, you must be able to advise a CEO directly and hold your own at board level.

Experience in logistics, distribution or another operationally intensive sector is an advantage, as is prior involvement in M&A or post-deal integration.