Apointe are a founder-led recruitment business specialising in senior finance and strategic hires. With over a decade of experience, we help high-growth, PE/VC-backed, and ambitious companies build the finance teams that drive performance, transformation, and long-term success.
Finance Director - Finance Shared Services
Location: West London (Hybrid)
Reports to: Chief Financial Officer
Direct Reports: Head of Accounting, AP, AR, Record-to-Report, Payroll, and Transformation
Team Size: c.30 (future state)
Package: Six Figures + benefits + hybrid working
About the Opportunity
This is not a maintenance role — it's a transformation mandate.
We're seeking a commercially astute, forward-thinking Head of Finance Shared Services to lead, modernise, and scale a high-volume, shared services function encompassing Accounting, Financial Reporting, Accounts Payable, Accounts Receivable, Record-to-Report, Payroll, and Continuous Improvement.
You'll inherit a capable team, but your mission will be to elevate performance, to drive automation, strengthen controls, and deliver a world-class service model that enables a complex, multi-site UK business to operate with clarity, confidence and pace.
This is your opportunity to build something that works beautifully - a finance operation that's respected across the business for its accuracy, agility, and insight.
What You'll Lead
* Vision & Strategy:
* Define and deliver a modern Shared Services operating model that balances control, service and efficiency.
* Align process excellence with business growth and group reporting standards.
* Leadership:
* Build, develop and inspire a high-performing team of finance professionals across AP, AR, RTR, Payroll and Transformation.
* Set a clear direction, foster accountability, and champion a culture of continuous improvement.
* Operational Excellence:
* Own the end-to-end delivery of month-end close, reconciliations, statutory accounts, and group reporting.
* Drive process automation, self-service and standardisation through data-driven decision making.
* Cash & Working Capital Discipline:
* Strengthen billing accuracy, collections, vendor management and cash forecasting.
* Deliver tangible improvements in DSO, DPO, and overall working-capital performance.
* Compliance & Control:
* Maintain a robust control environment and ensure all statutory, tax and regulatory obligations are met.
* Embed a mindset of quality, integrity and precision across every finance tower.
* Technology & Transformation:
* Lead the finance systems roadmap — automation, ERP optimisation, data analytics, and workflow enhancements.
* Partner with IT to enhance master data governance and drive greater process visibility.
Performance Outcomes
You'll be measured not just on what you deliver, but how you deliver it:
* A faster, cleaner, and more insightful month-end close.
* Fewer manual interventions, more automation and accuracy.
* A stronger balance sheet and improved working-capital cycle.
* Highly engaged teams who understand their impact and own their outcomes.
* Stakeholders who trust the data, value the partnership, and feel supported by Shared Services.
About You
You'll already be an accomplished finance operations or shared services leader — ideally within a large, multi-entity, process-rich environment such as FMCG, logistics, aviation, catering, or manufacturing.
You are:
* A qualified accountant (ACA, ACCA, CIMA or equivalent).
* Experienced in leading multi-tower SSCs (AP/AR/RtR) and driving measurable performance improvements.
* Obsessed with process design, people development and control integrity.
* A change leader who thrives on turning complexity into clarity and action.
* Technically sharp — comfortable with ERP optimisation, automation tools and data insights.
* A confident communicator — equally at ease influencing the C-suite, auditors, and operational teams.
* Grounded, credible, resilient — with the emotional intelligence to bring people with you on the journey.
Why This Role?
Because this is your platform to build a legacy function.
A chance to prove that finance operations can be both rigorous and inspiring.
That great process, great people and great leadership can transform how a business performs.
If you're motivated by scale, improvement and impact — and you know how to get results through people — this is where you'll thrive.
Please link in with Pete Mills at Apointe directly if you are interested in learning more.