Position title
Part-Time Finance Director – Directly Authorised Financial Advice Firm
Description

Location: Central London (in person)
Engagement: Part-time / fractional, 2 days a week
Day rate: £750–£1,150 per day, depending on experience
Start: Immediate

Role

SMF Capital is recruiting a part-time Finance Director for a directly authorised firm of independent financial advisers in Central London. The firm serves a specialist professional client base and has a team of more than 40, including around ten advisers. Its two owner-directors run the business day to day.

The firm has outgrown its current finance arrangements and wants a senior finance leader who understands regulated firms from the inside. You’ll need to be comfortable with prudential requirements, close to the risk and governance agenda, and able to turn the numbers into decisions the board can act on. This person will be part of the leadership team. You’ll be in the room for weekly management meetings, quarterly strategy sessions and the annual off-site.

The priority is sustainable organic growth. The firm has been through an ownership transition before, so it knows what good preparation looks like. It wants its finances to be investor-ready whether or not a transaction ever comes. It is not looking for an M&A specialist.

Responsibilities

  • Take ownership of the firm’s financial position, managing the balance sheets of the regulated operating company and its holding company
  • Monitor and report the firm’s financial resources against its FCA prudential requirements, including the capital adequacy rules for personal investment firms, and keep regulatory returns accurate and filed on time
  • Lead forecasting, budgeting and cash-flow modelling, testing growth plans against realistic scenarios
  • Write concise board papers and KPI reporting that give the owner-directors a clear view of performance, risk and opportunity
  • Analyse the quality and sustainability of revenue, including recurring and ongoing advice income
  • Review the cost base critically, identify efficiencies and make sure investment in the business pays its way
  • Assess adviser remuneration models for commercial impact and their fit with Consumer Duty and conflicts-of-interest expectations
  • Work with the risk, compliance and governance team so that the firm’s financial and regulatory pictures support each other
  • Be a discreet, trusted adviser to the CEO, offering challenge and support in equal measure
  • Keep the firm’s financial records organised and data-room ready
  • Direct the part-time financial controller and external accountants, improving controls, systems and reporting timetables
Qualifications

  • ACA, ACCA or CIMA qualified, with experience as a Finance Director, CFO or Head of Finance
  • Background in FCA-authorised firms, ideally financial planning, wealth management, investment management or advice networks
  • Good understanding of FCA prudential rules for advice and investment firms, regulatory reporting and the governance expectations of the Senior Managers and Certification Regime
  • Proven ability in financial modelling, forecasting and board reporting
  • Credibility with compliance and risk colleagues, and confidence to challenge where needed
  • Experience in owner-managed or partner-led businesses, where judgement and discretion are essential
  • Able to meet the FCA’s fit and proper standards
  • A light fractional portfolio, ideally no more than two or three other clients, with genuine capacity for two days a week on site
Job Benefits

  • A senior, high-impact role at the heart of a respected regulated advice business
  • A seat at the leadership table, shaping strategy alongside the owner-directors
  • A flexible, day-rate fractional engagement that fits around a portfolio career
  • A Central London location with regular team and off-site engagement
  • The chance to rebuild and modernise a finance function in a growing firm
  • An immediate start for the right person
Employment Type
Part-time
Beginning of employment
1st December 2026
Duration of employment
Perm
Industry
Financial Serivces
Job Location
London, South East, United Kingdom
Working Hours
9-5
Base Salary
£750-£1,150 Per day
Date posted
November 1, 2026
Valid through
November 30, 2026
PDF Export
Export as PDF