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UK’s leading financial recruitment agency | Immediate starts available |
20+ years’ experience | Full-time and part-time recruitment
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Work with London’s Leading FC and FD Recruiter
Recruiting a financial controller gives your company a senior professional to oversee its day-to-day financial operations. FD Capital is the UK’s leading recruitment agency for financial controllers. We connect start-ups, SMEs, and scaling companies with financial controllers, including specialists across a range of niche industries.
Start your search for a financial controller today by contacting our team at recruitment@fdcapital.co.uk or by calling us on 020 3287 9501 for a no-obligation consultation.
What is a Financial Controller?
A financial controller is a senior executive role within a company’s financial department. They are responsible for overseeing the company’s financial operations, both day-to-day and long-term. Financial controllers are often referred to as “company historians” as they oversee their accounting and financial record keeping.
Companies can adjust the role of financial controller to suit their leadership structure and organisational needs. Larger companies usually assign their financial controller to report to the CFO or CAO, while medium-sized companies will give a Financial controller the broadest job description with overall responsibility for financial management.
Start-ups and smaller companies usually focus their Financial Controller, often in a part-time position, on day-to-day accounting tasks.
What Does a Financial Controller Do?
The main responsibility of a financial controller is to oversee the company’s accounting. They must ensure records are accurately maintained, with all relevant filings made on time, as well as coordinating and overseeing the company’s annual budget. Financial controllers may do this independently or in collaboration with the company’s CFO.
They play a crucial role in developing the company’s short and long-term financial strategies, including implementing risk management plans.
A financial controller job description includes:
- Implementing internal controls in line with accounting policies.
- Overseeing the company’s financial reporting and tax filings.
- Managing annual budgets and financial forecasting.
- Managing financial operations, including accounts payable and receivable, cost accounting, revenue recognition, inventory accounting, and billing.
- Preparing financial statements and presentations for leadership and stakeholders.
- Ensuring the accuracy of financial reporting and transactions.
- Implementing KPIs to track financial performance.
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When to Recruit a Financial Controller
There’s no specific timeline for recruiting a Financial Controller. Most companies choose to hire a part-time or full-time financial controller when their CEO needs additional in-house support to manage the company’s accounting and finances. Your company may already be working with an accountant but want to develop an in-house finance team.
Here are three signs that it’s time to hire a part-time or full-time Finance Controller:
- Rapid or Planned Growth
Recruiting a financial controller is crucial to supporting sustainable growth in your business. They’ll take responsibility for the company’s accounting and internal financial systems, working alongside external auditors, stakeholders, and senior leadership. If you’re experiencing a growth surge, hiring a part-time Finance Controller will ensure financial compliance and improve your existing systems.
- Revenue Milestones
It’s recommended that companies with more than £3.5 million in revenue should have a financial controller to oversee their day-to-day financial management. Your company may choose to recruit a financial controller on a part-time basis at a lower revenue milestone.
- Ensuring Financial Compliance
If your company is funded by financial institutions, investors, or venture capitalists, you may be required to recruit a financial controller to ensure that your financial statements are compliant.
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Hiring for a Financial Controller Role
The role of financial controller is traditionally an executive position, but this will depend on the size and structure of your company. They are usually the most senior financial professional within smaller companies that do not have a CFO. Within larger organisations, a financial controller is more of a managerial position, reporting to the CFO who is the senior financial executive.
We’ve seen an evolution of the role in recent years as it becomes more focused on strategy, providing data-driven insights and advice to the company’s leadership and stakeholders. Today’s FCs are expected to be digital natives willing to invest in technology and systems to improve efficiency.
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Do You Need a Financial Controller and CFO?
Companies may have both a financial controller and a CFO. However, smaller organisations will usually recruit an FC before hiring a CFO as they expand with more financial responsibilities. A financial controller is one of the first managerial positions your company should recruit for. They’ll work closely with the CEO to manage the company’s financial performance and implement internal controls, reporting, and budgeting.
What to Look For When Recruiting a Financial Controller
A financial controller can unlock your company’s potential and support sustainable growth as part of your development strategy. Most Financial Controllers will have a similar professional background, usually with experience in a previous managerial accounting role and an accountancy qualification.
Your company should consider the transferable and soft skills that will ensure a candidate fits into your company culture and fills any existing skills gap.
Here are three things to look for when hiring a Financial Controller:
- Technical proficiency
Today’s financial controllers are increasingly expected to be digital natives with strong technical skills to support their accounting and financial reporting responsibilities. Look for candidates with technical proficiency and the ability to use accounting software for in-depth financial analysis with data-driven insights.
- Analytical skills
Data is crucial for financial controllers, who should be strong data analysts. If you’re a start-up or SME without a CFO, you need a financial controller with the analytical skills to identify trends and provide insights to develop strategy.
- Adaptability and Crisis Management
Financial controllers must be dynamic with strong problem-solving skills, ready to adapt to tackle challenges and a changing economic climate. The pandemic and subsequent supply chain issues have shown how crucial it is for FCs to quickly adapt to handle the unexpected.
Recruit a Financial Controller with FD Capital
FD Capital is the UK’s leading financial recruitment agency with an extensive talent pool of financial controllers, available to hire on a part-time, full-time, and interim basis, both in-house and remotely.
The FD Capital leadership team consists of entrepreneurs, consultants, and financial executives who understand both sides of the recruitment process. Our 360-degree approach to recruitment is fully personalised to meet your recruiting needs, whether you’re utilising our headhunting services or traditional recruitment service to hire your Financial Controller.
Start recruiting a financial controller today by contacting our team at recruitment@fdcapital.co.uk or 020 3287 9501 for a no-obligation consultation.
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Scale Your Company with an FC
You’re not just recruiting an FC. You’re getting access to an industry full of experts, from financial institutions to private equity investors and policy advisors. Our FCs have a proven track record of scaling companies, including delivering successful IPOs and AIM listings.
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Maximise Your Exit Strategy
Are you an entrepreneur moving on to your next project? Maximise your exit strategy by recruiting a specialist FC with experience in your industry. A part-time or full-time FCs will streamline the exit process and ensure that you get the best exit value possible for your business.
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Increase Your Fundraising and Capital
Recruiting an FC is the quickest way to build credibility with financial institutions and private investors. Our candidates have a network of private investors with many coming from a private equity background. Realise your company’s potential by recruiting an FC to oversee your fundraising strategy and boost your capital liquidity.
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The UK’s Leading Financial Recruiters
FD Capital is based in Great Portland Street London and is proud to be the UK’s leading boutique financial recruitment agency. We have a UK-wide network of FCs and FDs with members of our leadership team having over 20 years of experience in the recruitment industry.
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Flexible and Hybrid FCs
The world of work is changing. Recruit an FC on a contract that works for your business. FD Capital oversees part-time, remote, and hybrid recruiting. We have the resources to help you build a winning team with an FC who can grow with your company.
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In-House or Remote
Whether your office is still bricks and mortar or you’re fully digital, our FCs and FDs have the flexibility to work wherever you need them. Many of our financial executives are based in London with others available to work across the UK. We’ll connect you with the best candidate to fit your business needs and operations.
20+ Years’ Experience
Many of our leadership team have over 20 years of experience in the recruitment industry, completing hundreds of successful placements. We have a wide talent pool of potential FC and FD candidates to pull from when headhunting, as well as conducting traditional recruitment.
FB Capital are a long-term business partner with our clients, invested in your success and dedicated to finding the best recruitment options for your FC, FD and CFO needs.
The CEO-CFO Partnership
We know how vital the FD-FC relationship is to deliver a successful strategy. Our recruitment team works alongside FCs to identify exactly what they want from their ideal candidate. We’ll connect your company with a financial professional who can form a winning partnership with your FC and spearhead your growth strategy.
What an FC Brings to the Table
Every company is different. Each has its own needs, strategy, and outlook on the future. There’s an FC out there for every organisation, understanding the challenges they face and being able to fill their skills gap. While the role of FC will differ between companies, they bring several benefits to any organisation they join.
Working with FD Capital gives you the ability to tailor the search for your FC to your specific needs, whatever stage your company is at. These are four reasons why UK companies are choosing to hire an FC.
- Financial Strategy Insight
A CFO puts systems and technology in place that provide them with data-driven insights into the company’s position in real time. An engaging CFO will translate their financial analysis into more accessible language as a trusted advisor to other C-suite members, the board, and the CEO.
CFOs are often hired with the purpose of restructuring a company’s existing financial systems, adopting a new strategy, or developing fundraising opportunities.
- Provide Strategic Insights
Their forecasting and financial analysis account for everything from supply chain resilience to employee retention. It’s vital that you hire a CFO who will be at home in your company culture.
A CEO needs a CFO who will provide an unbiased perspective on the company’s finances and work with them to develop short and long-term strategies. It’s the CFO’s responsibility to determine whether a strategy is financially viable and to put the company in the best position to navigate market and industry volatility.
- Fundraising Opportunities
You can choose to hire a CFO when you are preparing to scale your company or engage with PE houses and private investors or apply for government grants. Potential investors will expect a CFO to keep them up to date on the company’s financial situation and provide an unbiased point of view.
- Conduct Internal Audits
Your CFO will identify potential problems within your organisation as part of their risk management role. Carrying out an audit enables a CFO to understand the full picture and identify potential areas of cost saving or growth potential.
FCs as ‘Future Controllers’
CFOs no longer spend their days glued to spreadsheets. The role is evolving at lightning speed to take on a greater strategic and operational importance. CFOs are now the ‘Chief Future Officer’, preparing the company for its next moves and ensuring it has the resilience to withstand market and industry volatility.
An FC is a Future Officer who is intimately involved in the future planning of the organisation in partnership with the FD as their nearest advisor. Similarly, board members and investors view the FC as their eyes and ears.
Hiring an FC will develop strong relationships between the company and stakeholders with new systems and real-time forecasting to allow the company to react to industry and market changes.
Full-Time vs. Part-Time FC
You can hire an FC on terms that work for your business. FD Capital oversees recruitment for part-time, full-time, and interim FCs to make their skills and experience more accessible.
Choosing to hire an FC on a part-time basis may be the best option for your business. Start-ups and scaling businesses can hire an FC without the financial burden of a full-time position. These organisations often don’t have the necessary workload for a full-time position.
There are three reasons why a part-time FC may be a better option for your organisation than recruiting on a full-time basis.
- No Long-Term Commitment
- Fills Skills Gap
- Cost Effective for SMEs
Taking the Next Steps
We connect start-ups, SMEs, and scaling businesses with industry-leading financial professionals.
Schedule a free, confidential discovery call with us today to learn more about our recruitment and headhunting services. Members of our recruitment team have over 20 years of experience with a network of candidates throughout the UK and beyond.
Begin the recruitment process by contacting our specialist FC hiring team at recruitment@fdcapital.co.uk
or by calling us at 020 3287 9501 for a no-obligation consultation.
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