CFO - PE-Backed Digital Media

Company Background

Our client is a leading provider of digital job boards and recruitment services for employers looking to attract the next generation of industry leaders. The company also provides directory guides, related websites and national events to provide careers advice and guidance.

The business provides potential employers with a series of media products and databases and also support companies recruiting talent with market-leading products and services including research, employer branding, candidate sourcing, Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO) and application tracking systems (ATS).

The business includes market leading digital job boards, publications and industry-renowned events. As a result of this, our client has over one million registered candidates on their database. As part of their offering, they also offer recruitment services, RPO and software product to manage the recruitment process. The business has recently acquired several international job boards and sees markets outside of the UK as a major part of their growth plan.

The business currently turns over £15m, is highly profitable and has recently secured private equity investment to support its future growth.

The Role

As part of the next stage of growth, the business is hiring a new Chief Financial Officer who is inspirational, has high energy and a can-do attitude to help lead the business through the next stage of the investment cycle.  

Key Accountabilities:

• This is an Executive Director role and a key member of the Board
• Strategic financial leadership responsibility for process, planning, implementing, managing and controlling all financial related activities
• Lead management accounting initiatives to ensure accurate timely reporting for commercial decision making, cost control and cash flow management
• Budgeting and forecasting
• Manage the PE and banking relationships
• Provide effective, timely and analysed management information for the PE investor and Board meetings
• Assessing, acquiring and implementing all systems which will provide a platform for future growth
• Manage and develop the finance team of six
• Responsibility for the IT and HR functions
• Ensuring contracts are financially viable and profitable
• Support the CEO in driving the growth strategy
• Contract auditing services to ensure financial monitoring is up-to-date
• Manage treasury function (including currency hedging), risk management and company insurances, agreements and licenses

The Candidate

Given the digital media sector and the PE backing, the candidate must be able to demonstrate that they are intelligent, high energy and ready to be a CFO of a fast moving PE-backed business.

Required Skills, Experience and Qualifications:

• Previous experience as a CFO or FD or Group FC in a technology, media or advertising business
• PE experience is particularly advantageous for a CFO and essential for a FC
• Proven experience as a CFO in a high growth environment
• Hands-on CFO who is happy to get into the detail as and when required
• Track record of effectively leading and managing successful finance teams
• Ability to work with a small management team to deliver business growth
• Experience of implementing new finance systems
• Strong sense of overall cost control
• A qualified Accountant or equivalent (CPA, ACA, ACCA, ACMA or equivalent)
• Hands-on experience of running finance teams including Tax, Treasury, Risk, Audit
• Strong relationship and stakeholder management skills to work closely with external stakeholders including shareholders, lenders, and auditors
• Problem solving skills and the ability to make decisions based on accurate and timely analysis
• Good commercial and negotiation skills combined with an operational awareness and the ability to be hands-on when required
• Excellent verbal and written skills
• Dynamic personality with high energy a can do attitude