Finance Director | Hyper-Growth Energy Tech Start-up | Remote

Finance Director | Hyper-Growth Energy Tech Start-up | Remote

Harmonic is thrilled to have been retained by one of the UK and Europe’s most exciting, high growth, cleantech start-ups operating a fully managed marketplace for businesses to save money and go green with their energy choices. The quality and AI-driven nature of their platform has landed them investment from leading VC funds that have a track record of backing winning tech scale-ups through to exit.

The business is poised to grow significantly in headcount and revenue over the next 12 months so they are looking to make their first fulltime finance hire to take them through this next phase of growth, professionalise the finance function and execute strategic projects including future fundraising.

The business has experienced some incredible growth over the past few years with recent figures as high as 3000x growth following the launch of a new product in late Autumn 2023. Their headcount is projected to be circa.30 by the end of 2024 and double that by the end of 2025 with consistent 50% YoY growth thereafter taking the total estimated headcount to north of 100 in less than 3 years.

The Role

We are looking for an experienced, yet ambitious, commercially focused Finance Director to deliver the financial strategy of the business and provide structure, processes and financial control. Experience of fast growth, specifically growing a company from early-stage VC investment through to exit is very relevant here.

You will be an experienced finance leader at Finance Director level with a proven track record of delivering on strategic projects and providing jargon free financial insights to the SLT and Board. There is an expectation that you will retain an interest in hands on commercial and financial accounting given the stage of development, although you will inherit an outsourced transactional support function. The company culture requires you to be dynamic and able to dip in and out of the detail when necessary, so an ‘ivory tower’ perspective will not be well suited.

Responsibilities

• Strategic Thinking: Capacity to think strategically and provide insights into long-term financial implications of business decisions, contributing to the overall strategic direction of the company. Creating and executing financial strategies aligned with the company's growth objectives, considering market trends, regulatory requirements, and risk management.
• Risk Management: identifying, assessing, and mitigating financial risks such as credit risk, market risk, and operational risk. Implementing risk management frameworks as the company scales.
• Financial Planning and Analysis (FP&A): Developing financial models, forecasting revenue, expenses, and cash flows. Providing variance analysis and scenario planning to support decision-making processes.
• Leadership and Team Management: Build and develop a high-performing finance team, whilst maintaining the hands-on approach required in an early-stage organisation, fostering a culture of collaboration, accountability, and continuous improvement.
• Financial Systems and Technology: Familiarity with financial software and technology solutions, and track record of implementing new systems and technology / automation to drive operational efficiency and rich insightful data.
• Financial Reporting and Compliance: Good understanding of accounting principles and regulatory requirements in the energy industry. Preparing financial statements, managing audits, and ensuring compliance with relevant standards (e.g., GAAP, IFRS).
• Communication and Presentation: Excellent communication skills to effectively convey complex financial information to stakeholders, including executives, board members, investors, and regulatory authorities.
• Adaptability and Agility: Ability to thrive in a fast-paced, dynamic environment, demonstrating flexibility and agility in responding to evolving business needs and market conditions.
• Budgeting and Expense Management: Skill in developing budgets, monitoring expenses, and implementing cost control measures to maximize profitability and efficiency.
• Investor Relations: Experience in managing relationships with investors, including fundraising activities, investor communication, and reporting on financial performance and key metrics.
• Ethical Conduct: Commitment to upholding ethical standards and integrity in financial practices, ensuring transparency and trustworthiness in all financial dealings.
• Continuous Learning and Development: Dedication to staying abreast of industry trends, regulatory changes, and best practices in finance through continuous learning and professional development initiatives.
• Admin: joining a start-up as means supporting contract terms around financial payments, share options etc.

Requirements

• Either a qualified accountant (ACA, ACCA, CIMA), or a successful background in Investment Banking, Private Equity or similar.
• 5+ years finance leadership experience (preferably in high growth start-ups) including supporting on fundraisings and contributing to company strategy.
• Strong FP&A and commercial finance skillset with the ability to be highly analytical and provide insight drawn from financial data.
• Proven ownership of company risk and the ability to identify, assess and mitigate financial risks such as credit risk, market risk, and operational risk. Experience in implementing risk management frameworks.
• Highly collaborative and strong business partnering skills with the ability to build relationship with colleagues across different departments.
• Strong leadership skills to build a high-performing finance team whilst maintaining the ability to be hands-on in your approach, not shying away from getting into the detail when necessary.

Bonus Experience

• Previous experience working with top tier VC and PE funds preferred.
• Previous experience within the Crypto/Fintech industry

Benefits

• Base salary: £175,000 - £200,000
• Competitive equity package
• Remote first working model
• Full benefits package available on request

Want to apply?

Please get in touch with Thomas at Thomas.Bryant@harmonicfinance.com

At Harmonic, we are dedicated to fostering an inclusive and equitable workplace. We actively welcome applications from individuals of all backgrounds and assure you that every candidate will be thoughtfully considered for the roles we represent, without regard to race, religion, gender expression, disability, or sexual orientation.