Group Financial Controller in Derbyshire

Job description

GTS are pleased to be retained by a privately-owned, high-growth SME operating in the UK and Europe.

On their behalf, we are seeking an experienced Group Financial Controller (GFC) to act as the right-hand executive to the Group CFO. This is a career-defining leadership role within a rapidly scaling business that has delivered strong double-digit growth and is being actively positioned for a successful exit within the next five years.

The GFC will assume full ownership of the entire finance function and play a pivotal role in shaping the finance roadmap (People, Processes & Systems) to support continued aggressive expansion in product wholesale, supply-chain services, distribution, and field-engineering solutions.

Key Responsibilities

• End-to-end leadership of the finance department: financial control, management & statutory reporting, FP&A, treasury, tax, credit control (A/R), purchase-to-pay (A/P), payroll, internal controls, and risk management
• Business partner to the CEO, MDs and wider leadership team; trusted advisor to the Board
• Design, recruitment and development of a high-performing finance team capable of scaling with the business
• Drive finance transformation: implement best-in-class O2C, P2P and R2R processes
• Lead systems and technology upgrades – ERP selection/implementation experience highly advantageous
• Support M&A, post-merger integration, due diligence, refinancing, capital-raising and exit-preparation activities
• Embed robust governance, compliance and control frameworks suitable for a high-growth, private-equity-backed environment

MUST HAVE

• fully qualified ACA / ACCA / CIMA (or international equivalent)
• Big-4 or strong mid-tier audit training background (or high-calibre industry graduate programme)
• Significant post-qualification experience gained within high-growth SME or scale-up environments undergoing transformation
• Proven track record of building and leading finance teams in entrepreneurial, private-equity-backed or owner-managed businesses
• Hands-on finance transformation experience: process re-engineering, systems implementation, control framework design
• Strong technical accounting, reporting and compliance skills combined with commercial acumen
• Experience in product wholesale, distribution, supply-chain, logistics or field-service engineering sectors is highly desirable
• ERP implementation/upgrade experience (ideally within inventory-heavy or multi-site distribution businesses)

NICE TO HAVE

• Transaction experience (M&A, due diligence, PMI, exit preparation, fundraising)
• Exposure to B2B recurring-revenue or SaaS-adjacent business models
• Previous “number 2” or deputy CFO role reporting to a private-equity or venture-backed CFO

Personal Attributes

• High IQ and EQ – able to operate strategically at Board level and roll sleeves up operationally
• Exceptional communicator and cultural leader; gravitas combined with approachability
• Thrives in fast-paced, ambiguous, high-growth environments
• Proactive, solutions-oriented, and comfortable challenging the status quo

Location & Package East Midlands (hybrid working available). Highly competitive six-figure base salary, performance-related bonus and longer-term equity-linked incentives reflective of the exit horizon.

This is a strictly confidential search managed exclusively by GTS Group. To register interest or request the full information pack, please contact Greg McHugh on greg-m@gts-search.com @ GTS Group directly quoting reference GFC-EM1125.

All applications and enquiries will be treated in the strictest confidence

Extra information

Status

Open

Education Level

Secondary School

Location

Derbyshire

Type of Contract

Part-time jobs

Published at

03-12-2025

Full UK/EU driving license preferred

No

Car Preferred

No

Must be eligible to work in the EU

No

Cover Letter Required

No

Languages

English