Job Description

London

(minimum 3 days per week in-office)


Hybrid working supported


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Salary & package

70,000 to 82,000 (based on experience)

performance-based bonus standard pension share options BYOD allowance 25 days annual leave + 3 additional days at Christmas

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Role overview

We're looking for a high-calibre Finance Director to help lead one of our core sectors within Finance-as-a-Service (FaaS). This is a senior delivery and leadership role - responsible for both client success and commercial performance across a sector.


You'll work alongside a Sector CFO to drive performance, oversee finance teams, and own key client relationships. You'll also play a pivotal role in monitoring and improving sector economics, including utilisation, recovery, and financial reporting. Natural progression opportunities through to a Fractional CFO role.


This role combines client delivery, operational management, team development, and commercial insight -- all within a tech-enabled, growth-focused environment that's redefining what accountants can do.


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Core responsibilities

Lead the day-to-day operations of a full FaaS sector (15+ people), with shared accountability for delivery, financial performance, and client satisfaction Act as primary finance lead for a portfolio of clients, supported by Financial Controllers, Senior Accountants, and support the CFO on key strategic clients Provide oversight, coaching, and quality assurance across the sector's financial controllers and pod teams Monitor and improve sector performance metrics including utilisation, chargeable hours, recovery rates, and margin Support capacity planning, resourcing decisions, and prioritisation of client work Own and review technical outputs including management accounts, year-end accounts, and statutory returns Lead client onboarding and transformation projects where needed, ensuring smooth transitions and strong foundations Drive operational improvements across systems, reporting workflows, and internal delivery standards Contribute to commercial insight and internal reporting for your sector (e.g. delivery dashboards, commentary on performance) Develop and support future leaders - mentoring FCs and helping shape a strong, capable delivery team

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Must have

ACA, ACCA or CIMA qualified (or equivalent) 6+ years post-qualified experience, in a practice or outsourced environment Proven experience managing finance teams and leading client delivery at scale Strong technical understanding across management accounts, consolidations, statutory accounts and tax Experience with UK GAAP, Companies Act requirements, and financial reporting frameworks Commercial awareness and experience working with utilisation, recovery, and margin metrics Comfortable presenting financial information to internal and external stakeholders Track record of developing and mentoring team members Highly organised, with strong judgement and ability to prioritise across a busy portfolio Ambition to progress to Fractional CFO and beyond within the business

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Nice to have

Experience leading a sector, pod, or multi-team structure Familiarity with cloud accounting platforms (Xero) Experience in high-growth environments with a focus on automation or systems improvement Prior involvement in capacity planning, forecasting, or resource allocation Strong Excel or reporting/dashboarding skills

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Team structure

Reporting to: Sector CFO Team: Leads a team of 15+, including qualified and part-qualified staff Collaborating with: Portfolio CFOs, FDs, transition & transformation team, compliance and tax functions

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About Ascendant

Ascendant is here to reboot what people expect from accountants.


We combine smart systems, sharp thinking, and real relationships to help ambitious businesses move faster and make better decisions. Whether it's compliance, R&D, or full finance-as-a-service, we deliver accounting and tax that's strategic, scalable, and always on it.


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Unfortunately, we are unable to provide any form of visa sponsorship, so candidates must be an EU citizen or possess a current UK Tier 1 Visa and be eligible to take up full-time, permanent employment.

EU candidates must also demonstrate they are eligible to take up UK employment post-Brexit.